This book is the sequel to The Dark Lake, so I will be really careful not to put any spoilers in this review. I read The Dark Lake in June and I could not wait to read the sequel. I was fascinated by the setting of Australia, the characters, and the events that took place. The Dark Lake was a slower mystery novel, but had a great pay off. I knew that Sarah Bailey could only grow as an author after that and I was right. Into the Night has a quicker pace that brings back Gemma and puts her into a new setting to explore with new characters to get to know.

I really liked the crime Gemma had to solve in this sequel. I loved the Hollywood vibe and the drama that comes along with it! This book had more scandal and intrigue than The Dark Lake had. The Dark Lake affected just the people in the town it took place in. Into the Night affected the greater public. I think because it affected the world as a whole there was more pressure around solving this crime and could be why the pacing was a lot quicker. At the end of every chapter I had to keep going. A new clue would be on the edge of being revealed or revealed. It motivated you to keep going.

I liked the connections to the first book when Gemma would have interactions with her family back in Smithson. I wished there was more of a connection though. It was sad to see Gemma making the life decisions she was making. These interactions in addition to Gemma being the same main character were the only elements tying this book to the first book. So the fact that they were minimal made me a little bummed. I wanted Felix to make an appearance and he didn’t. I left The Dark Lake with some expectations that were not met. I’m hoping that in the third book we will see Gemma’s character grow a little more than she did in this book. In my head I was hoping that she would have learned from the mistakes she made in the first book, but she didn’t.

Overall this is a great mystery crime series and I’m ready for the next book. If you were hesitant of starting this series, pick it up! If you go into it ready for a slow pace, I think you will enjoy it more. I know someone who put The Dark Lake down for being slow, saw my review of it, picked it back up, and really enjoyed it. If you read The Dark Lake and you weren’t sure if you should continue due to the first book being slow, pick up Into the Night! The pacing gets a lot quicker and you will really enjoy the mystery! I hope you decide to pick this series up!

Sarah Bailey follows up her thrilling novel Dark Lake with Into The Night. I think all of us who read The Dark Lake were hoping there would be another and soon!

DS Gemma Woodstock has had more than her fair share of knocks and has left her young son to move to Melbourne. A big city with big city problems. Personally and professionally she is feeling out-of-place and very much alone.

Her new partner, Nick Fleet doesn't seem very friendly and talks less than Gemma. When they pick up a case of a homeless man, stabbed to death in an alley, the full impact of her own lonely and almost invisible life hits her. Even after being pulled off the case when a high-profile case is suddenly thrust upon them, she can't stop thinking about the homeless man.

Why would someone want to stab actor Sterling Wade? During a filmed scene? With so many people involved, the suspect pool is growing bigger each hour. Every one of them have secrets they would rather not share but are they worth killing over? It would seem so.

Gemma is such a flawed character. At times I want to shake her and other times make her a nice cuppa and find her a boyfriend. I actually like the fact that she is a hot mess. Haven't we all been at one time or another? So Gemma, I'll stick with you and see what you get up to next!

Netgalley/ December 4th 2018 by Grand Central Publishing

Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is working in Melbourne now, trying to negotiate relationships with her new boss, Chief Inspector Toby Isaacs, and her partner, Detective Sergeant Fleet. She has been in Melbourne for three months; this has meant leaving behind her five-year-old son, Ben, and his father, Scott. She's keeping busy with a series of cases, including that of a homeless man, Walter Miller, who was brutally killed and one with the famous actor, Sterling Wade, who was stabbed while filming a high-profile zombie film. Alone and away from her son, Gemma throws herself into her work, but will these difficult cases prove too much for her and her emotional well-being?

"I was high-functioning but deeply broken and eventually something had to give. When the opportunity to transfer to Melbourne arose, I needed to take it. Living in Smithson was slowly killing me."

This novel picks up a few years after the first Gemma book. Gemma has been haunted by the Rosalind Rose case featured in Bailey's superb first novel, The Dark Lake, as well as her affair with her former partner, Felix. We find her lost and floundering. This serves a dual-purpose for us, the reader. We get to read a novel with a complicated, realistic character in Gemma. She's true to herself. On the other hand, she's not always the easiest to like or even empathize with. This is a woman who has left her child behind, after all. I have to congratulate Bailey on having Gemma not make the easy/safe choices in life, or the ones you typically see in detective novels. Not only do we get a strong yet vulnerable female character, we get one who is flawed, real, and struggling to find her way in the world. I certainly didn't always agree with her choices, but I do enjoy reading about them.

Even better, Gemma features in an excellent complicated and captivating mystery, with several cases that keep you guessing. The prominent one is the Sterling Wade case. Bailey brings in various Hollywood elements, and there are a lot of characters to suspect and pieces to put together. I quite liked not knowing who had killed Sterling. Even the detectives were flummoxed at times: how refreshing. Throughout all her cases, Gemma is working out where she fits in her new department and how she relates to her new partner, Fleet. There's a lot going on, but Bailey handles it all quite deftly. The excellent writing I enjoyed so much in her first novel is on display again here; you'll be impressed at the way she can pull together her story and bring out her characters.

"'Or maybe this case is just fucking with my mind,' I say, 'and making me think that Agatha Christie plots are coming to life.'"

Overall, I found this book intriguing and refreshing. Gemma is a complicated and complex character who is matched by the intricate cases she attempts to solve. Those who enjoy a character-driven mystery will be drawn to Gemma's prickly exterior, while those who simply enjoy a hard-to-solve case will find plenty to like here as well. Sarah Bailey is certainly a go-to author for me. 4.5 stars.

Full disclosure - I haven't read the first Gemma Woodstock novel, so I don't know if that would've made a difference in my opinion, but from what I saw of her here, I can't imagine that I'd like her any better. That, in a nutshell, sums up my problem with this story. I never warmed up to Gemma. Flawed characters can work really well in this type of story, but there needs to be something, some redeeming quality to make the reader want to know more about them. I didn't find that with this character. In fact, her continued bad decisions come back on her, which I would expect to happen. The problem is she doesn't learn from them, and it all just becomes irritating. The mystery is a bit too easy to figure out, but still could've made for an okay procedural if not for the repetition and conversations that go nowhere. Other than a few instances where I was left a bit confused by things mentioned - that I assume are from the first book - I was able to follow this one on its own. It just didn't hold my interest like a mystery should have and I found it a little too easy to set aside. To sum it up, what I found here didn't encourage me to want to check out that first book or to follow this series any further.

"Obsession and love are good friends..."

In this second book of the series, DS Gemma Woodstock is partnered with DS Nick Fleet as they are assigned to investigate the murder of a film star, Sterling Wade, who was stabbed on the street during a live action shot of a scene. With hundreds of extras on site, but all in costume, there are plenty of witnesses but no one is able to identify who used the knife to kill the actor. There are plenty of suspects and much work for the team in Melbourne as this police procedural shifts into high gear. This case is extremely complicated with many characters and tons of suspicious behavior. Gemma and Nick are kept very busy running down leads, talking to the principals, and looking into the background of those closely associate with Wade. There are also other cases that are ongoing in the department that may or may not be related to their current murder investigation. Can they sift through all the red herrings and figure out who killed Sterling Wade? NO SPOILERS.

I really like this series. My only problem is with the main character of Gemma who continues to be such a mess though I hope that she will get herself together and deal with her issues before the next book. She's fairly typical of female detectives in this genre and hides a vulnerable side masked by self-destructive behavior. She deals with both personal and professional problems in this book along with her tireless efforts to do her job well. She has moved to Melborne from the more rural Smithson in this book and I feel that has been both helpful and detrimental for her. I'm eager to see what happens with her in the next book! The other characters weren't as well fleshed out though we do find out more about Fleet at the end and I hope the two can have the conversation they desperately need. I love the descriptions of the city and the details -- the writing is quite good and though the book seems to drag in a few spots as Gemma and Nick run into roadblocks, the conclusion was satisfying and believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Having jumped into this series by reading <i>Into the night</i> the second novel in the Detective Gemma Woodstock series, I wasn’t familiar with the backstory but was able to catch up. Set in Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia, Detective Woodstock is still adjusting from her recent move from her small hometown police force and leaving her son behind with his father
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Taking on the role of lead, along with her partner, DS Nick Fleet, in a complex celebrity killing is a welcome challenge but nothing comes easy. Gemma is a smart but troubled protagonist with multiple issues from alcohol and one night stands to keeping her personal life, or lack thereof, to herself. Her relationship with her partner is just one of several puzzling and challenging relationships in her life.

Interesting and complex, <i>Into the night</i> is not what you would call a page-turner. Gritty and dark, it requires the reader to have patience as the layers are peeled away and the multiple story lines, timely issues, and characters are pieced together.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Sarah Bailey for the opportunity to read and review her latest work. This is the follow up to The Dark Lake, which I absolutely loved, and this one comes in as a very solid read. 4.5 stars.

We are once again in Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock's world but now she has moved to Melbourne and working for the police force there. Still bruised and aching from leaving her life behind, she is dealing with being the new person on the force, dealing with a new partner, and battling demons in her down time.

She is investigating the murder of a homeless man when she is suddenly thrust into the limelight of investigating the murder of a very famous young actor on the city streets while filming an action movie. There are hundreds of people around, all in zombie costumes, making finding the killer almost impossible. All of the suspects are unreliable and Gemma is feeling the pressure.

Great read - highly recommended! Definitely could stand alone but always best to read the first in a series. I'm now anxiously awaiting the next book in this series - please don't let us wait too long to find out what happens next!

Sarah Bailey in Into the Night kept me engaged in this interesting and multifaceted book. Gemma Woodstock has recently moved to Melbourne, leaving her son and family behind. She is a Detective Sargeant who works hard and involves herself in.risky behaviors and unhealthy relationships. We follow her as she pursues justice for murdered victims. Gemma begins to resolve her personal issues in the midst of her work and relationship struggles. Although a good read, I had difficulties understanding many of her decisions, both personal and work related.

Set down under, this series offers a different take on the olice procedural, but gives the reader a mystery that will keep you guessing til the VERY end! Gemma is flawed as she can be- estranged from her husband and child, in a big city far away from home, and struggling to find her way in the set clique of the squad room and to prove to her boss that she can do the job as a lead detective. I'll be looking forward to the next book in this series!

DS Gemma Woodstock has moved to Melbourne after the harrowing experiences in Sarah Bailey's previous novel The Dark Lake.

Unfortunately, her attempts to start fresh are stymied by her troubled personality. Drinking too much, one night stands, lonely in a new city, and guilty for leaving her son Ben with his father, Gemma has brought her problems with her.

Despite having really liked The Dark Lake and expecting to feel the same about this one, I didn't have the sense of involvement. Into the Night doesn't have the same absorbing quality that made her first novel stand out for me.

NetGalley/Grand Central Publishing
Police Procedural. Dec. 4, 2018. Print length: 416 pages.

When I started reading I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. It seemed like a walked into something that had already started. After finishing this very good mystery l found out there was a previous book with Gemma Woodstock. I'm sure that all my character questions will be answered when I read the first book. I recommend reading the first book, then this good mystery will be perfect.

This is the second Gemma Woodstock novel by Sarah Bailey. I did not read the first.

Gemma has moved away from her former lover and young son to start over in Melbourne. Adjusting to a new supervisor and less than welcoming partner, she is investigating both the murder of a homeless man and that of a popular actor.

A character I didn’t particularly like, Gemma is another tortured, self loathing police detective. Yet, by the end of the book, she had evolved somewhat and there is hope for her for the future.

I don’t try to figure out who the guilty parties are when I read a mystery/police procedural, yet this one was known to me fairly easily, albeit with a twist.

Into the Night was well written and despite this character not being a favorite of mine, I do look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Into the Night is a great read with superb characters and plot by Sarah Bailey. Looking forward to more

Having never read the first in this series I was unsure what to expect, but this ended up being a pretty decent mystery/thriller.

Gemma Woodstock is an interesting character though incredibly flawed as these detectives usually are. The story moved along at a good pace and keeps the reader interested. Enjoyed the Melbourne setting and the complicated array of characters.

Would love to read more about Gemma and Nick Fleet. I did kind of feel icky about that one scene and Gemma's response to it. Why ruin a good relationship between the two that way? Felt unnatural so I removed a star.

Recently transferred to Melbourne from small town Smithson, Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock has a difficult relationship with her partner, Nick Fleet, and is unable to judge what her commanding officer, Chief Isaac, thinks of her. Nursing wounds from a break-up and separation from her son, Gemma’s personal life is a mess. Yet, Melbourne suits her, and she finds comfort in the crowds and the anonymity.

When a homeless man is found, stabbed dead in a tunnel, Gemma is first to arrive on the scene. Yet, Isaac assigned another detective to lead the investigation. But shortly after, Gemma and Nick are able to test their mettle when rising star Sterling Wade is stabbed and killed while filming a key action scene for a Hollywood zombie movie. Yet, everyone they encounter, from Wade’s director Riley Cartwright, to his brother, Paul Wade, seems to have a motive and lack an alibi.

Into the Night falls into the category of literary mystery and has a lot to recommend itself. The writing is solid and the characters multidimensional. In fact, when one very likeable character commits an unforgivable betrayal, it hurts. Gemma herself is complicated, and she has a challenging relationship to the identity of motherhood not often depicted. I enjoyed the backdrop of the zombie movie production and the Melbourne setting. Additionally, the novel shows how a detective squad often has to balance multiple investigations, sometimes privileging one over others due to time or notoriety.

Bailey raises themes relating to celebrity and who gets to claim grief when one dies, the media, and their symbiotic but sometimes antagonistic relationship to law enforcement, and the invisibility and anonymity of the city which can be comforting but also dangerous, all of which were interesting to consider.

My main criticism of the book is that the Bailey chose to write the story in present tense; it didn’t quite work for me, instead feeling a little jarring, unless that was the intent. Plus, at times I found Gemma irritating, rather overdramatic and self-pitying, though I suppose we can all be accused of that at times.

Not until I read the Author Biography at the end of the book did I realize Into the Night was the second novel in the Gemma Woodstock series. The first was The Dark Lake published last year (2017). I plan to circle back and read that at some point because despite the few issues I had with the book, I did enjoy it overall. It will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy literary mysteries by authors such as Tana French.

4 stars

It’s a cold night in Melbourne at 12:14 a.m. DS Nick Fleet and his partner DS Gemma Woodstock respond to the call of a body in a tunnel. It is a homeless man who has been murdered – stabbed to death. Later, they find out the man’s name was Walter Miller. Chief Inspector Toby Isaacs is their boss.

Gemma has recently moved to Melbourne. She has a five-year old son named Ben and her husband Scott asked her to leave for their relationship was no longer working. She is at loose ends in some ways and feels disconnected from her colleagues and in some ways her life.

Her partner, DS Nick Fleet is often uncommunicative and disappears for periods of time. But he has his moments of brilliance, even if he does have a smart mouth sometimes.

A twenty-four year old actor named Sterling Wade who was filming as movie called Death is Alive about zombies was stabbed in the middle of an action shoot on the movie set. No one says that they saw anything. What happened? How could a man be stabbed and no one saw anything? Was it a prank gone wrong, or did someone intend to kill him? Of course, it was all filmed, so the police hope to get something off of the tape. Unfortunately the tape is a mish-mash and the police cannot ascertain anything for certain from it. The investigation continues not only for the Wade murder, but also for Walter Miller.

Gemma makes a startling discovery and begins to put the pieces together. Walter Miller and Wade’s deaths are connected – and other murders. In a tense and action-filled conclusion, the murderer(s) is/are identified.

There are some confusing parts in this book. I was flummoxed about Gemma having two places to live? Or am I reading that wrong? She also has sex with nameless guys – one night stands. I didn’t appreciate that. This book is extremely well written. It follows a linear plot line and makes perfect sense all the way through. I can understand what Gemma is going through, although I might not like her way of coping. I liked Fleet. He wasn’t such as bad guy as the initial review made him out to be. “…Often hostile…”, I didn’t get that. Besides, Gemma and he got along okay at the end – more or less. I liked the story and admire the way Ms. Bailey put her words together and wove a fine tale of murder and the police investigation. I certainly want to read more of her work.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read, enjoy and review.

DS Gemma Woodstock made the move to Melbourne because she didn’t feel she had a choice, and now she finds herself adrift, with no real connection to anyone or anything. Her new job has been miserable and she’s saddled with a partner who makes it clear Gemma is not wanted. Then two murders in quick succession, one of a homeless man, the other a movie star in the middle of making a movie, take precedence in the partnership between Gemma and DS Nick Fleet. Putting personal feelings aside, they have to work together to unravel the mystery of the actor’s death. Bailey is a huge talent, her writing creates rapid fire tension. A nail biter