A pregnant Sam Shephard investigates the murder of an expectant mother in Dunedin, as it becomes clear that the killer is ready to strike again ... Queen of New Zealand Crime, Wanda Symon, returns with a shocking, twisty new Sam Shephard thriller...

A killer targeting pregnant women. A detective expecting her first baby... The shocking murder of a heavily pregnant woman throws the New Zealand city of Dunedin into a tailspin, and the devastating crime feels uncomfortably close to home for Detective Sam Shephard as she counts down the days to her own maternity leave. Confined to a desk job in the department, Sam must find the missing link between this brutal crime and a string of cases involving mothers and children in the past. As the pieces start to come together and the realisation dawns that the killer's actions are escalating, drastic measures must be taken to prevent more tragedy. For Sam, the case becomes personal, when it becomes increasingly clear that no one is safe and the clock is ticking...

''From the opening pages, this story left me gasping for breath,'' Michael Robotham.

''Chillingly intense with a finely honed sense of place ... Vanda Symon knows Dunedin and brings it vibrantly to life in this fast-paced thriller,'' Craig Robertson.

''An excellent thriller, definitely one of the best of this year. Vanda Symon is a master of characterisation, plot and dialogue ... I loved every moment,'' Liz Nugent.

''New Zealand''s modern Queen of Crime,'' Val McDermid.

''Dark, chilling and utterly heartbreaking. A highly emotive and compelling thriller,'' Michael Wood.

''New Zealand's answer to Siobhan Clarke,'' The Times.

''The Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly,'' Ian Rankin.

''From the ominous and shocking beginning to the heart-pounding ending, Expectant had me in its grasp,'' Nikki Crutchley.

''A sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip-roaring stories with a twist. Perfect curl-up-on-the-sofa reading,'' Kate Mosse.

''Fans of The Dry will love Vanda Symon,'' Red Magazine.

''A wonderful storyteller,'' Helen FitzGerald.

''If you like taut, pacy thrillers with a wonderful sense of place, this is the book for you,'' Liam McIlvanney

"Vanda Symon''s work resembles Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series she knows how to tell a good story and the NZ setting adds spice,'' The Times.

"A plot that grabs the reader''s attention with a heart-stopping opening and doesn''t let go,'' Sunday Times.

"It is Symon's copper Sam, self-deprecating and very human, who represents the writer''s real achievement," Guardian.

''Edgy, thrilling and terrifyingly realistic'' Lisa Hall''All the thrills of a brilliantly plotted crime novel with some interesting moral questions woven between the words. Fast, furious and intense,'' Helen Fields.

''Completely gripping ... a poignant study of how our society shapes unlikely saints and monsters,'' Eve Smith.