Vanda Symon is the best-selling author of six Detective Sam Shephard crime fiction novels, Overkill (Penguin, 2007), The Ringmaster (Penguin, 2008), Containment (Penguin, 2009), Bound (Penguin, 2011), Expectant (Orenda, 2023), Prey (Orenda, 2024) and the stand alone psychological thriller, Faceless (Penguin, 2012). She is a three-time finalist for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Fiction Novel. Her books have also been published in Germany.

Author Kate Mosse has said: ‘Vanda Symon’s fast paced crime novels are as good as anything the US has to offer – a sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip roaring stories with a twist. Perfect curl-up on the sofa reading.’ Crimewatch has described Vanda as ‘part of a new wave of Kiwi crime writers… Symon’s talent for creating well-rounded characters permeates throughout’.

Vanda is the producer and host of Write On, a monthly radio show on matters literary on Otago Access Radio, and she also reviews books for National Radio. She is very involved in the New Zealand writing community, having been chair of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors, and is currently the Chair of Copyright Licensing New Zealand. Vanda also has participated in celebrity debates, acted as speaker, reader or chair in literary events and festivals in New Zealand and Australia, and toured with The New Zealand Book Council’s Words on Wheels.

Vanda has a professional background as a pharmacist and in 2018 completed a PhD in science communication, examining the communication of science through crime fiction.

Her latest book Prey (Orenda, 2024) is a chilling, twisty new Detective Sam Shephard mystery.

 

Links

Vanda Symon’s website

Vanda on Facebook

Read NZ Te Pou Muramura writer page

New Zealand Society of Authors writer page

Penguin Books author page

Wikipedia