A fairly decent mystery, but nothing to write home about. Bailey randomly introduces characters leaving the reader confused (more than once). Were they introduced earlier? How did I miss them the first time? Gemma was on the unlikable side, but I did wish Bailey would have changed the ending just a bit letting her know that Jake never read her letter. It would have left me with more hope for her future!

This was an excellent mystery. The main character, Gemma Woodstock, is a female detective who hunts evil in a small town while fighting off the demons that lurk inside her. She has a dark past and a dark present, and is haunted by the choices she's made in life. One more layer of discomfort is added when a childhood acquaintance (friend? rival? crush?) is murdered, and Detective Woodstock is assigned to the case. Her past relives itself in her head as she interviews witnesses. A Romeo and Juliet theme weaves itself throughout Gemma's life, from both her past and her present, just like the in the victim's life.

I loved the spookiness of the story. A "dark lake" in and of itself creeps me out. And picturing a beautiful woman, having been murdered, floating in the dark lake gave me shivers. I loved the small town nature of the story. Everybody knows everyone but not quite as well as they presume. I also loved how flawed the main character was, even though it was frustrating at times.

I would love to read the second installment of this series, and I hope for one to be released soon.

The Dark Lake is a riveting account of the murder of a beautiful young teacher. The story is filled with intricate and intertwined relationships, each suggestive of a possible motive for murder. It is the story of love, jealousy, passion and the impossibility of escaping the past. The Dark Lake is an entertaining and engrossing story. Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

"Regardless, everything I know and remember about Rosalind tells me that this is a crime of passion. Or maybe revenge.".....

Detective Gemma Woodstock relives the memories she has of Rosalind Ryan, a beautiful girl she attended high school with. Rosa is found dead, and Gemma is investigating. The story is told in the present with a look back on Rosa's life and the affect it left on Gemma's life. Gemma goes through the investigation as if it's surreal, and as if she's in some kind of shock. Will it hinder or help her find the killer? Will Rosa's past somehow collide with Gemma's?

Rosalind had left town after high school, but returned to teach drama. What happened to Rosa while she was in Sydney? Why did she return to her hometown? Why would anyone want this woman dead?

From a wealthy family, her dad and three brothers are left in shock, and grieving for her. Not everyone was close, and there may be a secret or two.

Gemma has her own hidden facets, a child, a secret love. How will this case change her? Change her life? There are secrets at the “Dark Lake.” Some fascinating twists will have you wanting to reach the last page as quickly as possible.

Thank you Sarah Bailey, Netgalley, and Grand Central Publishing.

I loved this book from start to finish. Very true to life with interactions, disappointments and responsibilities of the characters.

Gemma Woodstock is a salty Aussie detective with a few hundred chips on her shoulder. She's got an unplanned little boy with a man she doesn't really love, a shady past, and she's sleeping with her married partner. Her latest case involves the murder of Rosalind Ryan, a classmate of Gemma's from high school. Gemma was a bit obsessed with Rosalind even back then, so she's extremely interested in working the case.

Plot twists and turns abound, and even though I feel like I should have known all along who the killer is, I somehow missed it, so the resolution was satisfying. Lots of little mysteries within the big mystery, (which I love) help propel the story along. In fact, the book's only real flaw is Gemma. She's just, well, awful. And not in a "I can see she's damaged but I'm rooting for her anyway" sort of way. This book could have been great with a less annoying protagonist.

Regardless, a quick, fun read.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* When I began reading the ARC, I didn't realise that the author was Australian, until the point at which a character called triple-0. What a lovely surprise - I love supporting local talent. And it Sarah Bailey, we seem to have a great deal of potential. I am hoping that this is not the last I read of Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock. The novel is set in the small Australian town of Smithson, four hours' drive from Sydney. It focuses on the murder of young (and of course beautiful) teacher Rosalind Ryan. Ryan is killed in December and the relentless heat of Australian summer permeates every scene. Woodstock sets about solving the murder of Ryan, whilst battling her own personal demons. A great read and I look forward to more of Bailey's work in the future.

If you like a good flawed character, Detective Gemma Woodstock is perfect. Although she's working to solve a murder, she's just as embedded in the crime as the suspects and her struggle to cope with her past and relationships is prominent in the drama.

So happy that this debut novel by an Australian author is being published here (and thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!) This is a really good procedural with a terrific detective in Gemma Woodstock. She's investigating the death of a classmate, who is found floating in a lake in their small town. Rosalind seemed like a golden girl but gosh she had secrets, which Gemma must untangle in order to both solve the crime and answer questions about herself. A fast entertaining read that actually was suspenseful. There are some good twists and turns here. I'm looking forward to Bailey's next. Try this one for a new perspective on the genre.

4 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book and had a hard time putting it down. The story opens with a jogger finding the body of a young high school drama teacher, Rosalind Ryan, floating face down in a lake in a small town in Australia. The lead homicide detective assigned to investigate the case, Sgt. Gemma Woodstock, went to school with the victim. They had a complicated history, which Gemma has to face while trying to find the killer. The victim was beautiful and popular, but a mystery with secrets that start to unravel the more Gemma investigates. What was Rosalind up to, and did anyone really know or understand her?

There are a lot of mystery books out there, but this is one of the better ones. This story is told in flashbacks and has memorable characters that stick with you. Gemma is flawed, but you root for her anyway. The book is well-paced with plenty of twists and turns. I recommend you read this book.

When a beautiful teacher is found dead, her old high school classmate Gemma Woodstock is assigned to investigate the murder. While the murder mystery itself was compelling, the main focus of the book was Gemma's personal life which was filled with so much angst it was almost like reading a YA. Gemma's neediness, her angst, and the way she treated her partner and her son made her so unlikeable to me that I was really sick of her by the end of the book.

I really am torn over this book. Parts of it I really liked and parts when I felt like I'd being reading it too long. I couldn't take to Gemma at all. Which can make a book for me. I continued to read till the end, which was good and unexpected, because I needed to find out who killed the beautiful Rose.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Great debut novel! Looking forward to more from this author. It's a page turner with mystery, psychological thrills and drama. The story flowed so smoothly between past and present. Great writing style.

I liked this book and character, I hope there are more with her.

Free read c/o Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rose aka Rosalind Ryan is dead. She was a stunning beauty, and a school teacher. That much we know really well from this story. Her former friend Gemma is working to solve the crime. People don't know that Gemma and Rose knew each other back when. Gemma has a messed up life. She is in an affair, even though she has a child with the man she is currently with. Her life and her relationships took a front seat to the story, while Rose's murder took a back seat. The setting, when it's in place, is interesting, the killer was an easy guess, but the writing style was strong.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

High school, we all remember it well, right? For better or worse. I loved the premise for The Dark Lake. What does a small-town detective do when the IT girl from her high school turns up dead, 10 years after graduation?

The situation is just so juicy because even though we are all over high school (right?), the thought of something happening to one of the untouchables is so gossip worth. We want to talk about it, we want to speculate and Sarah Bailey really taps into that natural human desire to pry. It’s like pulling back the curtain on a mystery of life. What separates those who seem so special from the rest of us?.

Bailey’s writing really shined as the story unfolded and we got to know Gemma, a woman who is so grounded in many ways and yet so wild in others. It becomes clear that Gemma has skeletons in her closet from high school and she’s having a bit of trouble “adulting”. She’s a bit of a mess, but her character is so well portrayed, for me she was the glue that held the story together.

The Dark Lake is Bailey’s first book and I found it a worthy debut. I did want to know more about Rosalind, and the ending was a little Scooby Doo, but I think that can happen a lot with suspense to give a twist. Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to more from Sarah Bailey!

Definitely for fans of Tana French and suspense. The book releases October 3, 2017! Happy reading:)

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

A woman is found dead on the edge of a lake in a small town in Australia. Most of the town has been there for years, and most knew the woman in her youth or as a teacher in their school. One of the lead detectives has known her the longest and is determined to solve the mystery while dealing with her own troubles at home and work. The story kept me interested from beginning to end trying to solve it, but a twist at the end brought everything together. I am looking forward to this author's future books!

In Australia, Gemma is a Detective and is called to the scene of a murder. Turns out the dead woman is someone from Gemma's past. In working this case, Gemma begins to deal with some of her past issues. There are many things that her family and co-workers don't know. Will Gemma be able to put the past behind her and solve this murder?

I really enjoyed this book. Gemma is a flawed character, which makes the story more believable. This suspenseful novel kept me guessing the whole time. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sarah Bailey for this advanced copy.

Sarah Bailey’s writing style caught my attention from the first chapter. I hope she keeps writing, for she has me hooked.
We meet Gemma, a detective in a rural town of Smithson, in New South Wales, who lives with her boyfriend and their 2-year old son, Ben. The startling first revelation is a medical issue (don’t want to spoil it for you) that Gemma responds to with little or no alarm. Quickly and without preamble, we realize Gemma is in a heated affair with her co-worker, Felix.
A dead body is discovered early one morning at a lake behind the school. Gemma is called in and realizes the victim is Rose, a student who was in Gemma’s class. Rose is a natural beauty who always kept a silent enigma, completely different than that of her father and brothers.
As Gemma and Felix dig into the private life of Rose, nothing makes any sense. She lives as a minimalist, yet hoards expensive makeup and drinks expensive liquors. Through these beginning hours/days of the investigation, we begin to see that Gemma is a very unbalanced, risk-taking, unhappy and unhealthy young lady with secrets of her own. The author’s style of throwing in an odd thought from time to time makes you work to realize this character is terribly dark and flawed.
As the investigation continues and more and more of Gemma’s life begins crashing into the history of Rose, the mystery for the reader gets more complex. Although you have compassion for Gemma, you want to shake some sense in her to realize what she’s doing to herself and her family.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark psychological thrillers and a strong, unpredictable loose cannon female protagonist. You won’t be able to stop reading until the last page.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for making it available.)