Marginalised by previous antics, Sam Shephard, is on the bottom rung of detective training in Dunedin, and her boss makes sure she knows it. She gets involved in her first homicide investigation, when a university student is murdered in the Botanic Gardens, and Sam soon discovers this is not an isolated incident. There is a chilling prospect of a predator loose in Dunedin, and a very strong possibility that the deaths are linked to a visiting circus…

Determined to find out who’s running the show, and to prove herself, Sam throws herself into an investigation that can have only one ending…

Rich with atmosphere, humour and a dark, shocking plot, The Ringmaster marks the return of passionate, headstrong police officer, Sam Shephard, in the next instalment of Vanda Symon’s bestselling series.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in order to provide this review.

I have been looking forward to The Ringmaster from the moment I discovered Orenda Books were publishing a second Vanda Symon, Sam Shephard thriller. Anticipation was entirely justified as The Ringmaster was a joy to read…except for one scene which traumatised me!

Joking aside, this is very much shaping up to be a cracking series. Sam Shephard is an extremely likeable lead character, however, in The Ringmaster she finds herself in a frustrating situation.  We are several months on from events in Overkill and Sam has been promoted to a bigger squad and finds herself bottom of the pecking order. The feeling among some of her colleagues is that she has been given too much of a jump up too quickly, but someone in authority likes Sam’s attitude and clever brain so she needs to find her feet quickly. Sam seems wracked with insecurities and frustration and I loved how the author makes me empathize with her character.

The Ringmaster starts with a chilling murder. We see the victim meet her attacker, the two are clearly acquainted, and the casual brutality of the murderer in ending his victim’s life is a compelling opening to the story. This contrasts with the first few scenes to feature Sam Shepard – although she will be at the murder scene, she spends much of the early part of the story around the circus and the issues she has to deal with are much lighter in tone.  This dark/light mood setting worked really well for me, particularly as the circus makes a gradual shift from a place of light-hearted fun to being a more sinister setting.

The Ringmaster is a really engaging police procedural. The murder investigation initially seemed to be making little progress but the story zipped along and I suddenly became aware that I had missed loads of clues about where the plot was heading. No better feeling for a reader than getting caught up in a story and just letting events unfold.

I have been struggling to find reading time lately but I got completely caught up in The Ringmaster. It was inhaled in two sittings and I immediately began to look forward to the next!

The Ringmaster is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback and digital format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ringmaster-Sam-Shephard-Vanda-Symon-ebook/dp/B07KGNQJGJ/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=GYT9HJ500HYA&keywords=the+ringmaster+vanda+symon&qid=1554246431&s=gateway&sprefix=the+ringmaster+vanda%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1-fkmrnull