I feel like this book moved slowly in the first half and then picked up, however I did enjoy it and absolutely read it to the end in one sitting

A great idea for a plot and a brilliant cast of characters. The book was well written and the murder mystery kept me guessing. Highly recommend

I think Gemma might be my favourite messed up Aussie detective. The plot here is a very slow burner, but stick with it! It took me a long time to join the dots and see just how all those apparently random dots connect to form a very clever and distinctive picture.

With a hugely flawed but very likeable main character, a dark setting, and a puzzling plot, this book has a lot to offer.

Into the Night is the sequel to the great The Dark Lake. In this book, has Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock left behind her old life and started over fresh in Melbourne. Her relationship with Scott has hit a dead end and their son is staying with his father. Gemma herself is a shadow of herself. She misses her son, she mourns her failed relationship with her lover Felix that moved away. And, alone in Melbourne is she spending her time working cases and picking up strange men at bars at night for one night stands. One really gets the feeling that she's not OK.

Then a homeless man gets stabbed to death, but that case is quickly overshadowed when a young popular actor is killed on set. Together with her new partner Nick Fleet is Gemma trying to solve the actor's murder. There are many people on the set and those around the actor are all trying to paint the actors as being well liked. So, who killed him, and why?

Into the Night is a great sequel. The story is bleak, and Gemma I feel is not all there. She such a broken character, depressed and lonely. I do hope life will brighten for her. I was not that surprised at the ending. I had my suspicions along the way, but it was a satisfying ending. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Gemma Woodstock is back. Now based in Melbourne far away from her home town and family she is struggling to settle in. Then along comes a huge case. A famous young actor is stabbed in broad daylight, on the film set surrounded by people. Was it random? Was it a stalker or was it personal? Gemma is taken away from a case involving a homeless man to run the new case. Feeling guilty about the homeless man, dealing with her partner who has his own personal stuff going on and dealing with such a high profile case is very challenging for Gemma.
Once again Sarah Bailey has provided us with a great story with plenty of twists and turns. Gemma is a complex character with a disorganised life who you cant help cheering on. thanks to Net galley, the author and publisher for letting me have this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I have been waiting to read the new novel by Sarah Bailey since last year, when I first read The Dark Lake. The plot was really intriguing and I found myself completely immersed not only in the investigation of the homicide at the centre of the novel, but also in the life of the protagonist, detective Gemma Woodstock. So, when I started reading INTO THE NIGHT, I was, once again, completely captivated by the story, the investigation, and the characters, and I read it in two days.

Following the events of The Dark Lake, Gemma Woodstock has left her father, her five-year-old son Ben, and the small town of Smithson behind and moved to Melbourne where she is a senior detective in the homicide squad. She is one of the lead detectives in the homicide of a movie rising star, killed while shooting a movie in the middle of the street. Between hundreds of witnesses who didn’t see anything and family and friends of the victim who hide the truth, Gemma’s investigation becomes more and more complicated.

Sarah Bailey creates gripping and suspenseful mysteries that are hard to figure out and that keep me on the edge of my seat. The story is full of twists and the truth was really unexpected and surprising. I also love the setting of Australia, atmospheric and so well-described that it really makes me want to visit it. But what I really loved about Sarah Bailey’s novels is the protagonist, detective Gemma Woodstock. I find her flawed, realistic, and well-developed. In this novel, Gemma is still dealing with the emotional scars left after the events of The Dark Lake: the homicide of someone she knew, her love affair with her partner, her relationship with her son’s father, her failings as a mother. She moved to Melbourne for a fresh start, but she is still trying to adapt to the big city and she is still getting to know her colleagues. Page after page, I find myself feeling for her and cheering for her and I am really hoping to read more about this character in the future.

I’d like to thank Corvus for accepting my NetGalley request of this addictive and terrific novel.

A thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery

Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock has moved to Melbourne from a small town and is hoping to finally be given a lead on a major murder case. She is a complex character having left her small hometown, Smithson, to become a better detective.

She has left behind her young son, Ben, with his father Scott and although she misses her child dreadfully she realises that her ambition is paramount and that she is not really cut out to be a full-time mother. She attracts potential boyfriends but prefers sex with strangers in hotels.

At the start of the book, she is investigating the apparently motiveless death of a homeless man and the death of an escort girl who fell to her death from a balcony at the home of a retired justice, Frank Jacoby.

Everything changes when a hugely popular up and coming young actor, Sterling Wade, is stabbed to death while filming a movie. The problem is that the scene being filmed involved more than 400 zombies attacking Sterling in masks. It is impossible to see what happened even though the knife used is left on the scene.

However, Gemma is thrilled to be given the lead on this crime despite having to share it with DS Nick Fleet with whom she has an ambivalent relationship.

As with any murder case the victim’s life becomes open to everyone but in Sterling’s case he has a grieving fiancée, Elizabeth Short but also a male friend, Brodie Kent, who insists that Sterling was in fact in a gay relationship with him and was using Elizabeth as a shield to avoid any rumours being made public. Various other characters from within the film industry become potential suspects and Gemma and Nick must try and work out what has happened. The situation is not helped when connections crop up between this case and the other two cases that Gemma has been working on.

I enjoyed this book. It is fast-paced and full of interesting characters and various twists and turns keep the reader guessing. The outpouring of grief from everyone connected with Sterling is almost overwhelming but how much is genuine and what was the truth about Sterling’s relationships?

Although this is the second book in the series, there is no need to have read the first book although I am planning to if possible. I hope that this series will be continued as Gemma is a character I would like to see develop and find out how she continues her life both professionally and personally.


Dexter

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

Into The Night, the second novel in the Detective Gemma Woodstock series, was just as enthralling as The Dark Lake and certainly exceeded all of my expectations. As references are made to past cases, I would recommend reading the previous book before this one otherwise, it could become quite frustrating. Main character and protagonist Gemma comes across as quite cold and unlikeable, but it is clear she is a complex individual and is trying to find her way out of a maze of problems. Some of her issues are stereotypical of the detective/crime genre, however, I must admit I found her very interesting albeit damaged. She is intelligent, tenacious and dedicated to her job, but her personal life is a calamitous affair. What makes her a memorable character, in my eyes, is that she understands herself, her flaws, her limits and is brutally honest about them, and I recognised some of myself in her in terms of us both being introverts.

Set in the film industry based in and around Melbourne, Australia, Bailey touches on the topic of exploitation and sexual assault that has been exposed as existing in the industry and which gave birth to the "Me Too" movement. Told in first person from Gemma's perspective, it is a straightforward read with plenty going on to keep the reader engaged. There is a focus on details and realism and the author has made sure to ground the book to make it as authentic and believable as possible. I thoroughly enjoyed the parts in which Gemma and Fleet sifted through the lies, rumours and gossip in order to try and find evidence to make the case. Needless to say, it was easier said than done! There are plenty of surprises and revelations that came around very unexpectedly and I enjoyed the unpredictable nature of it all. It's a rarity these days that a book can creep up on me and take me by surprise, but Bailey did it with aplomb. Crafted and paced to perfection and thoroughly gripping, I was sad when it came to an end. I look forward to the upcoming additions to the series. Fully deserving of five stars!

Many thanks to Corvus for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is a really good read.
DS Nick Fleet and DS Gemma Woodstock are called out when the body of a homeless man is found in a tunnel, stabbed to death.
Gemma is still finding her feet as she has only recently moved to Melbourne.
Her relationship with her partner, DS Nick Fleet is often strained but some of his comments made me smile.
Alongside this story, an actor is stabbed in the middle of an action shoot on the movie set but no-one apparently saw anything.
Gemma soon makes a discovery and begins to put it all together.
This is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Bailey and I look forward to reading more.
Thanks to Corvus and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a new author for me. I have not read the first in this series The Dark Lake. I think I should have done so first but I think it would have depressed me even more. This book keeps mentioning her past cases and it was getting very annoying. Also the main character Gemma Woodstock my god she is so depressing. I just did not get this book. Personally I cannot understand a detective who is so depressed could stay on the job and solve the case ?
This book is not for me.
I would like to thank the author Sarah Bailey, Atlantic Books and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Into the Night is the second in a series featuring Australian detective, Gemma Woodstock, now moved from her small hometown (the setting for the first book, The Dark Lake) to Melbourne to take up a more senior post.

The police investigation into the apparently senseless murder of a homeless man, Walter Miller, is rapidly eclipsed when a high-profile young - Sterling Wade - is killed (memorably, during a “zombie attack”) on the set of his new film. Accident or murder? Sterling seems a likeable young man with no obvious enemies, but of course there are secrets to be uncovered...

Gemma is still a complete relationships disaster of a person, her young son and former partner left behind in her hometown of Smithson. She’s got some issues, there’s no doubt about that. But she’s also very good at her job.

I do love a good police procedural and this was a great one as Gemma and colleagues step into the weird and wonderful world of actors, film directors and the rest, navigating the intense media interest in the process. It’s a very well constructed story and I didn’t guess whodunnit until very near the end.

While I enjoyed The Dark Lake, I thought this was even better. Recommended.

Melbourne is quite a different setting for Gemma than small town Smithson that’s for sure! They say New York never sleeps, well Melbourne doesn’t even get a chance in this book!

A movie is in town and she’s on the case of a movie star stabbed on set. The city is evoked with style and there’s lots of street references and nuances such as when a possum lands on her as she’s on the job.

What works here for me is the fact that Gemma speaks in the first person so the action is all the more immediate. There’s a lot of procedural detail here which was interesting but it did get a bit bogged down in this from time to time. Soon moved on though, and back to the zombie filn set which I thought was very interesting. Not been on a movie set in a book in a while.

And with what goes on behind the scenes of movie sets being in the news recently, there should be no surprise that this plays a role in the novel. The novel seems more real and immediate as a result. There are a LOT of secrets on this movie set!

As for Gemma - an interesting character. Bit of a loner who has random sex and has a drink issue (yawn) but she loves her job and is passionate about what she does.

Book three please!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of Into the Night, the second novel to feature Detective Gemma Woodstock.

Gemma has transferred to Melbourne and after three months is champing at the bit to be given the lead in a case. She is, therefore, disappointed not to be put in charge when a homeless man is stabbed to death, despite being first at the scene. Her wish becomes a bit of a poisoned chalice when she and colleague, Nick Fleet, are put in charge of investigating the high profile murder of film star, Sterling Wade, on the set of his latest zombie movie because nothing is obvious, including footage of the murder and the stories they are being told.

Wow, what a read. I haven't yet read the first novel in the series, The Dark Lake, so I wasn't sure what to expect but Into the Night has far exceeded any expectations I may have had. Told in the first person from Gemma Woodstock's point of view it is detailed, realistic and gripping with more immediacy and impact than a third person narrative could offer. I love the procedural detail and the sheer scope of he investigation, something that I've never thought of before,is conveyed very convincingly. I know, this makes the novel sound boring but, while it's striking it's just background noise to the meat of the investigation which is Gemma and Fleet picking their way through the lies they are being told, rumours, innuendo and massive press interest. I found Ms Bailey's plotting and attention to detail spellbinding and couldn' get enough.

Not content, however, wih an excellent plot Ms Bailey has created a memorable protagonist in Gemma Woodcock. She is a smart, intuitive detective but her personal life is an unmitigated disaster and she seems to have a death wish. She has no interests outside of work, doesn't eat properly, drinks too much, has started smoking again and has a one night stand addictiion. Her head is such a mess that she has left her young son wih her former partner to take a job in another state. I love that Ms Bailey has transposed the typical gender stereotypes. All this should make the prickly loner a very unlikeable character but her searing honesty and self knowledge draw the reader into rooting for her and living every minute with her.

No novel set within the acting community would be complete nowadays without reference to sexual assault and/or exploitation so peripherally Ms Bailey tackles this as well. She makes some interesting points and successfully muddies the waters around the issue.I'm not sure I agree wih all her thoughts but she certainly clarifies modern thinking on the subject.

Into the Night is a gread read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

An actor is killed while filming a movie in central Melbourne. His death is on film and there are hundreds of witnesses. For Detective Gemma Woodstock and her partner, Detective Nick Fleet, this should be an easy case. Except nothing is as simple as it seems and the film crew have a whole raft of secrets between them to hide...

There was a lot I enjoyed about this book, especially some of the twists and complications. It was pacy and kept me reading avidly, hence the four stars.

However, I had some real reservations about the main character. I found her quite unsympathetic and it felt that her own issues detracted from the main thrust of the murder investigation. An unresolved private incident (I'm really trying not to give spoilers) quite late on in the novel was particularly unnecessary and really did not add anything, I felt.

Overall, I'd be intrigued to read more in this series (I think this is the second, although I haven't read the first), but I need a little more convincing on the main character who is just a little too unstable to be credible at the moment.