An entertaining Q&A with Queen of New Zealand Crime, Vanda Symon Talking about her new City of Shadows thriller, Reaper
- If Max Grimes could sum up his life in one sentence, what would it be?
Even in the face of unfathomable heartbreak and adversity, to fight for the underdog is to fight to find the core of yourself.
- If Reaper had a soundtrack, what would the opening track be?
‘Tubthumping’, by Chumbawamba … ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never going to keep me down…’
- What surprised you most while writing this one?
How a moment that described an act of kindness to a dog, lead to him becoming such a pivotal part of the novel.
- Which character in Reaper would you definitely not want to meet in a dark alley?
Meredith Peters – if you were on the wrong side of that woman you would be best advised to run!
- What’s your favourite line in Reaper – the one that pleased you when you wrote it.
‘He sees you when you’re sleeping.’ Skeet sang the words like a 45rpm record played on 33⅓. ‘He knows when you’re awake’ – the effect on this cold, dark and misty night was fucking creepy.
I liked this because you could visualise the scene as well as hear it.
- Why an Auckland setting when your previous books were set in Dunedin?
A few reasons. Firstly, I knew in writing a book involving the homeless I needed to set it in a city where the scale and visibility was more apparent than in Dunedin. Secondly, I was fascinated by Grafton in Auckland, with its legendary Karangahape Rd (K-Rd) and its amazing cemeteries. Thirdly, I really wanted to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone – from the physical environment, and the underlying themes and darkness. And it sure did.
- Reaper revolves around homelessness and corruption. What first sparked the idea for this book’s story?
It stemmed from that idea/belief that the homeless are invisible or ignorable and undesirable, and if someone was really targeting them, would anyone notice? Would anyone actually care? Max noticed, and Max cared.
- Faceless was written as a standalone. What made you decide to bring back Max Grimes?
Max was such a fantastic character to write about and had such vulnerability, depth and fortitude. I felt he had so much unfinished business to resolve in Faceless that he needed more of his story told.
- Will Sam Shephard be back?
Guess who I’m currently writing about…?
Reaper, by Vanda Symon, is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Faceless, both published by Orenda Books.
