I always appreciate it when an author makes their characters 3-dimensional and layered. The flip side is giving them so much stuff, especially when revealed one after another, it minimizes the impact. Revelations should be savored, which is hard to do when they come at you like a geyser. They also start to feel less realistic. Overall the story was interesting. Gemma is a difficult main character, so those who prefer likeable leads, she probably won't be your favorite. There were times I disliked her quite a bit, which I oddly appreciate because no one is likeable 100% of the time. I also wished she had a few more redeeming characteristics to balance her flaws because I wanted to root for her.

So what are the chances of two crime novels being published within a month of each other, both featuring small-town police detectives named Gemma, each investigating the murder of a high school teacher? Nor do the similarities between Emily Littlejohn's A Season to Lie (St. Martin's/Minotaur, digital galley) and Sarah Bailey's The Dark Lake (Grand Central, digital galley) end there. Both Gemmas have live-in boyfriends with whom they have a child, both face on-the-job challenges, both are attractive, determined and flawed. And both deal with bad weather, although that means different things to the detectives. Gemma Monroe (A Season to Lie) battles blizzards in Cedar Valley in Colorado, while Gemma Woodstock (The Dark Lake) has to worry about a Christmas heat wave and wildfires in the Australian town of Smithson.  A Season to Lie is the second outing for Monroe, who was six months pregnant in Littlejohn's Inherit the Bones. Now that baby Grace is three months old, her mom is hoping to ease back into work, but on her first night back, she and her partner discover a murdered man on the snowy campus of a private high school. The victim is famous author Delaware Fuente, a visiting lecturer using an alias while at Valley Academy. Fuente has other secrets, as do the close-knit townspeople who are split over the question of development by outsiders. There's also an anonymous bully known as Grimm, who is terrorizing the academy students. And does another death mean a serial killer is at work? It's a neatly plotted procedural. The Dark Lake, Bailey's first novel, is more intricate in its secret-keeping. Gemma Woodstock went to high school with beautiful Rosalind Ryan, the popular drama teacher whose drowned body is found after opening night of her modernized version of Romeo and Juliet. Past collides with present as Gemma recalls the suicide of her high school boyfriend, whose younger brother is playing Romeo. Gemma also is juggling an affair with her married partner and her homelife with staid boyfriend Scott and toddler son Ben. Bailey alternates present-day events with Gemma's flashbacks to high school and her rivalry with Rosalind. The time jumps make for an uneven pace as the investigation unfolds, but a nail-biting showdown atop a water tower offers a killer ending.
from On a Clear Day I Can Read Forever 11/20/17

I get the comparison to Tana French but didn’t feel quite the level of connection with Gemma that I have with French’s detectives. A little too basic for me.

Set in Australia, this murder mystery was so dark eery it was perfect for a fall weekend. Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is a detective in the small town where she grew up, so when a murder happens she is close to the victim as they grew up there also. As the story progresses the reader realizes how close she really is and questions keep popping up . . .

I love a who dun it and I love when they are a little on the creepy side! I loved how Sarah Bailey paced the book. I loved how she spaced out the bits of information and they were each timed perfectly just when I felt like I knew it all, she threw out more!

The small town feel was real in this book. Growing up in a small town, I could feel how everyone knew everyone else and how a secret can travel a mile a minute! Sarah Bailey set a stage so well, there were moments where this story could have taken place anywhere and I liked that. I liked the any small town feel and would encourage fans of the murder mystery genre to pick this one up and start this "fingers crossed" long series.

This book is labeled as book #1 in Goodreads, so I am hoping that this is a series and we have more from Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock. I enjoyed following her through the investigation and would love to read more from her.

Rosalind Ryan, a popular yet mysterious teacher, is found dead by local the lake. She's been murdered, her body left floating with red roses surrounding her. Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock and her partner, Felix, are called in to investigate Rosalind's case. Nothing about Rosalind adds up--everyone seemed to like her, but no one really knew her. She lived in a cheap apartment, but clearly had expensive taste in wine and makeup. She was the youngest of four, with three brothers, one of with whom she'd quarreled recently. Her father, George, is ill and runs a large business conglomerate in Australia, yet seemed to adore his inscrutable daughter. As for Gemma, she has memories of Rosalind from their time together in high school, when the beautiful Rose seemed enigmatic even then. Gemma and Felix have their hands full, focusing on Rosalind's co-workers, students, family, and more. Who is responsible for the death of this lovely teacher?

This is an intriguing and compelling two part mystery, with the present-day case focusing on Rosalind, combined with flashes to Gemma's past, focusing on her history with her former boyfriend Jacob, who died as a teen. The majority of our story is told from Gemma's present-day point of view, but we get a few key snippets from the townspeople and occasionally Gemma's point of view flashes to the past.

I really liked Gemma as a narrator. The intersection of the case with her past was extremely well-done. I read some reviews where the readers didn't care for Gemma, but that wasn't the case for me, though I could understand, as the story wore on, how they came to that point of view. She doesn't always make the right decisions, and I'm intrigued to see what she'll be like in the next novel (Goodreads tell me this is the first book in the series). But for me, I identified with her in many ways and, because she was so well-written, really enjoyed the story from her point of view, even if I didn't always agree with her actions. It was also great to get to see a character dealing with the challenges of being female and a mother in a small police force--in a small town no less--in what seemed to be, overall, a fairly realistic fashion.

The story itself is great. There are several twists that really got me, so major kudos to Bailey. I read a lot of thrillers, and it's not always easy to surprise me! For a huge portion of this book, I had *no idea* where this was going to go, or who killed Rosalind. Several times I found myself genuinely shocked by the happenings and was completely enthralled by the story and Bailey's characters. (I also can't believe this is a debut novel - wow.) She does an excellent job at creating tension in the story and the characters, slowing unfurling plot points and details as we go along. This novel is truly a puzzle, the pieces fitting into place as we go along, and putting them together is a joy. It is so well-done and Bailey's weaving together the past and the present is excellent. I wound up really liking Gemma, and her boss Jonesy, and I'm quite excited this is a series. I can't wait to see where Bailey takes us (and Gemma) next. 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Sarah Bailey for the opportunity to read her debut novel - a definite winner!

Set in Australia, Gemma Woodstock is a Detective Sergeant. A high school classmate of hers, Rosalind Rose, is found murdered and Gemma is assigned to investigate the death. The investigation brings back past memories for Gemma of her high school boyfriend, Jacob, and his death.

The story is told from Gemma's viewpoint. There are also flashbacks into Gemma's past and her relationship with Jacob. Gemma's not exactly a likeable character although this story gives lots of explanations into her behavior. Her current personal life is also a mess - she's in a relationship with Scott and they have a small son, Ben. However, she's in a relationship with a coworker and is obsessed with him.

I thought this was an amazing debut novel and I can't wait to read more books starring Gemma. If you like police procedurals with an emphasis on characters, I highly recommend this one!

decent over all. the main character was flawed but likable. the story line was interesting enough. my complaint is that 75% of the book is just the police having hunches and then just being dead wrong. it got old after a while, i wanted them to be right about something for once or at least have some kind of a suspect but it was just them running in circles. it got to a point where it was almost a little boring at times cause i knew they were going to be wrong once again.

This is the second debut author I've read this year and absolutely loved! Coincidentally, both are police procedural mysteries, which happens to be a favorite genre of mine. I read and loved The Dry by Jane Harper earlier this year so when I heard the buzz about this new author who wrote a crime novel set in Australia, I requested it right away.

Now that I've read it, I can tell you it was worth the wait. From the beginning, I couldn't put it down. Bailey's writing makes you feel as if you know the town and the characters. I will admit that I didn't care for the sub-plot about the detective's life. I felt it distracted from the primary investigation. Most suspense novels don't include a lot of character development; they focus on the plot only. I'm hoping that she included all of this to introduce her starring detective in a series of upcoming suspense novels! One can hope...

All that aside, I will definitely recommend this to my crime fiction friends. I'd say that if you like Tana French, Louise Penny, or Jane Harper(!) you'd enjoy this, too! It's a quick book you could read in a weekend.

This book was well written and very dreary so to speak. The title is perfect as the book has a dark murky tone. I was not a fan of the heroine - she was unlikable but in turn maybe that was part of the appeal of the novel. I would read another book in the future by this author.

Definitely a solid debut effort. I read this genre repeatedly so it's hard to wow me anymore. This was a good story though - plot driven, series beginner and a full on character build of Gemma, our main protagonist. The author did a great job of putting in those moments where the realizations hit of what she was working up to. Gemma as a character - top notch. Overall plot - great. Not sure how I feel re the police procedural aspect. Gemma is in law enforcement and clearly good at it but there wasn't much in the way of her work as much as her personal life so this read more as a crime thriller than police procedural.

Fantastic debut though and definitely am curious to where Gemma will be going.

She was found in the water, facedown, roses surrounded her. She was a teacher, a popular one, one that had returned to her hometown to teach in the school that she once attended. Rosalind was just as private as an adult, as she was as a child.

Sergeant Woodstock has had her share of loses but things are looking up now. There are three men in her life: her young son Ben, her son’s father Scott and her partner, Felix. Felix and Woodstock have more than a working relationship, their private relationship is what keeps Woodstock moving forward. Woodstock is assigned the Rosalind’s case. Rosalind is a girl that Woodstock knew and admired from a distance in high school.

There doesn’t seem to be any leads and they are getting nowhere. It becomes a vicious circle. When the killer starts to infringe on Woodstock and her family, the novel begins to intensify. What is it with individuals who live in small towns? Their secrets never stay silent.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Rosalind Ryan is dead, murdered and left in the lake surrounded by red roses. Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock, who has personal connections to Rosalind from their school days, attempts to solve the case while figuring out her own complicated personal life, past and present.

Gemma is a complex, complicated character with imperfections and truths all her own. Taking the journey with her as she struggles to not only solve a case, but the uncertainties of her own life, really connected me to the book.

Bailey does an excellent job of building up suspense through the integration of well-timed flashbacks, giving readers information and motivations piece by piece that change everything we thought we knew about the story.

The mystery is also a good one, with an ending I did not see coming. Looking back though, I can see how so many of the clues were in place, hidden but there.

There wasn't really anything I didn't like. I did feel the book could have been tightened up a little here and there, but there wasn't really anything specific.

This isn't my favorite psychological thriller I've ever read, but it is a good one. It's definitely worth a read when you get the chance.

I'm going to be giving this as a gift this season. I haven't read many books from Australia, and this makes me want to read more. I quickly became invested with the characters and the setting, and I think it's a crowd pleaser. I'm hoping to see more from this author!

I love crime dramas and I really wanted to love this book and it sounded really good but 7% in I was bored. I was tired of reading about Gemma's love for Rosalind, or at least it seemed like it. Gemma just kept thinking about how much she remembered her being so beautiful, so loving, such a wonderful person. Gag me. Okay I got it, you really liked this person growing up and evidently you still do as an adult. It just didn't interest me and I had no drive to move forward in this book which is a bummer cause I really wanted to like it. :(

Smithson is a small town in New South Wales. It's one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone else, and gossip travels faster than the common cold virus. Homicide investigator Gemma Woodstock has an edge there, since she grew up in Smithson. But when one of her high school classmates ends up dead in the lake, surrounded by long-stemmed roses, Gemma is thrown for a loop. 

Rosalind Ryan was a young teacher at the local secondary school, the same school where Gemma sat in English class and stared at the smart, beautiful, mysterious Rosalind. Rosalind had gone away for several years, teaching in Sydney, but she had moved back home and started teaching locally the year before. And in addition to teaching, she wrote and directed a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story that premiered the night that she ended up in the lake. 

As Gemma and her partner Felix start to investigate, memories come flooding back to Gemma, of the school, of her friends, of the heartbreaking loss of her first boyfriend. As the investigation takes her back to all her old stomping grounds, she moves deeper and deeper into the mystery. Meanwhile, her boyfriend wants to marry her, her lover wants as much of her time as possible, and the surprise bouquet of long-stemmed roses on her doorstep means that someone wants her as their next victim. 

Sarah Bailey's fiction debut The Dark Lake is a twisty psychological thriller of the highest caliber. Dark and luscious, this story is smart and compelling and it sucks you in. The characters are genuine, three-dimensional and honest. Although it's set in Australia, it's available here in the States, where winter is coming, and this is the perfect novel for snuggling in and reading all weekend long as the cold and snow comes our way. To me, this is a five-star book, and Sarah Bailey is a name you should keep in mind. I mean, if her first novel is this good, what's her second going to be like? 



Galleys for The Dark Lake provided by Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

Great read. Read this book in 5 days. A fascinating story with great character structure. A thriller and mystery.

3.5 STARS

"Rose was lit by the sun, her beautiful face giving nothing away. Even back then, she was a mystery that I wanted to solve."

I know my rating doesn't fully convey it, but I really did think this was a solid debut. As an avid reader of mysteries and crime fiction, it's getting insanely difficult to blow me away in this genre, which makes it harder to find those 5 star poppers that are memorable long term. The Dark Lake was a complex story, as there was a plot driven case pertaining to this particular installment of the new series, plus heavy characterization regarding our main character Gemma and her personal life, past and present. The structure of the book was on point; I really enjoyed the way this was told and how varied the information was that we received. I only had a few specific issues with the novel, but I felt they were large enough to warrant rounding my rating down rather than up.

"These violent delights have violent ends
And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume."
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act II: Scene VI

I feel like there are so many aspects of this story I can't discuss here for fear of minor spoilers more than the major ones. One of the best parts of this book were all the tiny AHA moments that came about rather than the whodunnit at the end. As I read I felt I was rating it as two separate books; the police procedural and the atmospheric character development. When it comes to the procedural, I felt it was just ok. It wasn't bad by any means, but it felt a bit standard and underwhelming. I will say I was somewhat taken aback by the who in one of the final scenes; it had crossed my mind at one point but the author managed to help me forget about my suspicions until it was revealed in the end, which was a nice experience. I did feel the stronger part of the story was the personal side, our introduction and courting of Gemma and finding out about many of her issues and faults. It's no secret that I'm attracted to damaged, flawed female leads, especially those in law enforcement, and she clearly fits the bill and wears it well. Gemma is definitely not a likable character, but she is by far intriguing to read about and made me want to continue along even though I wasn't crazy about the plot based drama.

I'll be honest, there's a whole lot going on here; between the present day case, Gemma's personal life in the past and also in the present, some readers may feel it's a bit too much to follow and cost them from wholly investing. Personally, I found it was fine to connect with all of this happening and felt it necessary to give us backstory and set the stage for future Gemma Woodstock novels. While I did have my issues, the author managed to completely hook me in a way that makes me desperate to find out where Gemma's personal life will take us. Off the top of my head, I can't really think of a series to compare this to, but it definitely had that wonderful vibe of UK crime fiction (although I know this one was not set there). As a current Book Of The Month choice for October, I can see why many folks are raving about it as a debut and why it was chosen for the subscription. The quality of writing was on par with many bestselling thrillers of late and I'm giddy to see where Bailey's potential takes her, and us.

Reminded me of a Tana French novel - cop with a history, mysterious death, memories surfacing to solve not only a mystery now, but a mystery in the past, too. Gemma was a likeable main character, although sometimes slightly annoying. I quiet liked the chapters inserted from the point of view of someone seemingly inconsequential to the overall story, too. From a mystery standpoint, it's all to easy yet completely difficult to figure out who killed the beautiful Rosalind. By the end of the story, you'll not only know who killed her, but a half dozen other secrets that were thought to have been buried, too.