Dunedin crime writer Vanda Symon, brings back her feisty local heroine Sam Shephard for a third instalment in what is an excellent detective series.
In Containment the junior detective investigates a bizarre death – what seems a routine diving accident before forensics reveal the man didn’t die from drowning and his body was stuffed in its wetsuit afterwards – that might be linked to the grounding of a container ship on the Aramoana coast. A grounding that causes near-riots on the beach as the citizens of Dunedin pillage the wreckage, and leaves Shephard nursing wounds from an unexpected walloping.
Containment once again shows Symon’s talent for well-rounded characters, unique set-pieces, and Dunedin touches that give readers a strong sense of the student-packed southern city, while fleshing out even more about Shephard’s personal life. Tense and enjoyable, well worth reading.