Expectant, Vanda Symon

The 5th novel in the Sam Shepherd series set in Dunedin, New Zealand, EXPECTANT is the latest work from Vanda Symon, the author Val McDermid refers to as "New Zealand's modern Queen of Crime" (fiction one hastens to add).

Sam Shepherd is an experienced, tough, up for anything cop, currently confined to 'light duties' as she's about due to deliver her first baby and commence maternity leave. Which obviously makes the case of the murder of a heavily pregnant woman, and the missing baby snatched from her womb, a potentially uncomfortable undertaking for Shepherd. And for her higher-ups who flounder a bit trying to decide whether she should be allowed to be involved and to what extent. If you're new to this series you'll be forgiven for thinking you've wandered into an NZ based version of Fargo, but this is newish territory for Shepherd,  although she's done a finely tuned professional and personal high-wire act before.

So it's no surprise that Shepherd finds a way to keep on this case, working from her desk, or sneaking out when she can grab a few moments, looking for similarities to other baby snatching cases when she eventually comes across a rare glimmer of hope. The whole team are all too aware, it's too late for Aleisha Newman, but if they can find her baby then that is at least something for her grieving family to cling to.

There's a bit going on in EXPECTANT, and not just the obvious emotional upheaval of the coincidence of Shepherd's own pregnancy, and a killer / kidnapper who targeted a pregnant woman. There's also the backstory of Shepherd's personal situation, her living arrangements, and the way she's handling her own approaching due date. 

Notwithstanding the obvious parallels being drawn here, the baby and pregnancy mentions, the angst and personal stuff in general, all got way too much for this reader. Because the crime itself seemed to be constantly pushed into the background by it all, little things started to stand out: some unconvincing sequences of dialogue and a lot of personal stuff - her eating & drinking preferences (which to be fair have always been there) and the never-ending second guessing of life choices in particular.

I've always loved the Sam Shepherd series, and up until this novel have found them to be engrossing and involving, with the personal backstory of Shepherd engaging. But this time around, EXPECTANT didn't seem as engaging and balanced as the earlier novels in the series. It's potential to engage readers may come down to the connection you can develop with the characters, and the implications of the murder. The emotional element has always figured in this series, so, as always, the old adage applies. Your mileage may (will most definitely) vary.