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.)

This was a very interesting suspense about a homicide investigator trying to solve the murder of a former classmate. Secrets and mysteries about in this one. I didn't know which characters to trust, and was on edge waiting to see what would happen.

Gemma Woodstock is determined to solve the mystery of Rosalind Ryan's murder. They went to high school together, and after a few years away, Rosalind returned to teach high school in their hometown. Gemma encounters many suspects and mysteries as she tries to find out who ended Rosalind's life. She guards her own secrets, which she hopes to keep hidden.

This one had good characters, and an interesting storyline. I'd like to see Gemma again. This book would make a good start to a series. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is a solid police procedural set in a small Australian town. Detective Gemma Woodstock is called to the scene when a teacher is found murdered. Beloved by colleagues, students and her family, Rose has no obvious enemies--she also has few friends. The case is complicated by Gemma's past relationship with the victim which is more intricate than she will admit to her coworkers.

The Dark Lake will appeal to readers who like a complex and flawed detective.

I have to say that lately I've been reading a lot of crime-who-did-it novels. This one was right on the spot. First you have the young detective, Gemma, who's in charge of a murder investigation in the small town where she lives (nothing much exciting about that so far right?) but when she realizes it is the same woman that took her high school boyfriend many years ago (same boyfriend that commited suicide) I know right!? Things starts to get more twisted as you read on... what happened to her? who killed her?
Second, you have the backstory of Gemma, the novel goes back and forth to now and then (which I love it) and sooner than you think you're wondering if she has something to do with this murder...

I think Sarah Bailey did a great job in this novel, is the type of mystery that you may or may not see how this story is going to end. You will definitely enjoy this read. It's a 4 great stars for me!

Great debut novel. Suspenseful, well detailed & an ending you won't expect.

I received an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for a truthful review. I loved this book! It is a skillfully crafted murder mystery combined with the tale of a hauntingly sad love story. Readers of Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles mysteries will fast grow to love main character, Gemma, in this novel. This novel is so fast paced that there is no time for becoming bored as you will remain on the edge of your seat!

The Dark Lake is the debut novel by Sarah Bailey. Ms Bailey takes the story back and forth in time weaving an interesting tale as the reader tries to figure out the mystery and learns of the main character's life. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

For a debut novel, this book was a good one! Her character DS Gemma Woodstock is at somewhat of a crossroads in her life. She is a cop, and a good one. She is also a new mother and isn't quite sure how she feels about that or her partner, Scott. 

Gemma has many demons. Her past with Rose, her drinking, her affairs. She's a hot mess. And now investigating Rose's life, she is not only dredging up the victims past, but also her own. Secrets she has kept for years. Guilt over decisions made and the part she played in a suicide years ago.

Rose comes across as beautiful, talented and with her wealthy father, it looks like she has it all. But she doesn't. As we find out more about her, from her mother dying right after her birth, her manipulative behavior, and rumors about inappropriate behavior with her students. 

There are no shortage of suspects here. I even suspected Gemma herself for a long while. And then she began getting threats. When her own son is targeted, things get kicked into overdrive and she literally is chasing down a killer.

A very nice thriller that had me questioning if people ever leave the events of high school behind them successfully? It is all in the perception.

Well Done Ms. Bailey!      Netgalley/Hatchette Book Group  Release Date October 3, 2017

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It's well written, descriptive and deatiled, but it's also slow and long. I felt like it took forever to get through. The point of view shifts are annoying too. I don't understand the need to go from first to third. Those along with the timing shifts are frustrating and make the book drag. The author also gives away the core mystery halfway through the book. I had to keep reading just to see if I was right, and I was. Not quite the twist I was hoping for.
On the other hand, I had to keep reading. The language and descriptions are so well done, I could imagine everything. The protagonist is just flawed enough to be interesting and sympathetic without being off putting. I will share this book with others, but with the caveat that it may be slow going.

I enjoyed reading this mystery by Sarah Bailey. I have not read any books by her before. The main character Gemma is the lead homicide police investigator of the murder of a local woman. It turns out the woman has a connection to Gemma as she stole her teenage boyfriend just before he committed suicide. Gemma is quite the messed up character and much of the book is devoted to her angst in life. The plot is good though and I really didn't figure out who done it until it was revealed. I had my suspicions but they were not on target.

There's a lot going on in the book other than just the murder. As I said, a lot of the book is devoted to Gemma and her internal struggles which are all linked back to the death of her boyfriend. Worthy of a read as it kept me turning pages to find out who killed Rosalind.

Readers of Tana French will love Sarah Bailey's The Dark Lake. Conflicted/troubled detective? Check! Past relationship with case? Check! Surprise ending? Check! Bailey's Australian setting serves to heighten the reader's uneasiness as well. Highly recommended.

This book started out reading like it was a part of a series (and this wasn't book one). I never understood what Gemma's obsession with Rosalind started with. I might have missed it, but I'm still clueless with it. The plot dragged on and Gemma seemed underdeveloped. It was hard to finish and I might have missed some of the story.

When drama teacher Rose Ryan is found dead after a high school play, Detective Sargent Gemma Woodstock is a lead to try and solve the murder, along with her fellow officer with whom she is having an affair.

The novel is most often told from Gemma's perspective and she is a fairly reliable, if not an entirely like able narrator. The plot moves along fairly quickly, and while I did guess who was responsible, there was more to the plot than simply solving the murder. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Very good mystery book. I was glued to the novel, but did feel that the ending was anti-climatic.

This is a dark and atmospheric psychological crime debut from Australian Sarah Bailey, with DS Gemma Woodstock, set in the Aussie small town of Smithson, in New South Wales. It's a place where everyone knows everyone, yet is still full of secrets that come to be slowly revealed. The town is shocked when 28 year old Rosalind Ryan, a drama teacher, is discovered strangled in the lake, with roses surrounding her. Gemma is the main homicide detective, aided by her police partner, Felix. She is a mother, with a young son, Ben, and a partner who loves her, but whom she treats abominably. To be frank, her personal life is a car crash, she is having an affair with Felix, and obsesses over him interminably. In this character driven novel, the past comes back to haunt Gemma, and the past is where the answers to Rosalind's murder lie. This is a story of love, loss, grief, deception, secrets and tragedy, in a narrative that moves back and forth in time. The story is related primarily through Gemma's perspective.

This is a case that threatens the unravelling of Gemma, for she knew Rosalind from school. Rosalind was the charismatic, beautiful and popular girl, whom everyone adored and loved, although some, like Gemma, harboured darker thoughts of her. Gemma is a conflicted woman, she loved Jacob as a teenager, but he was seeing Rosalind. Jacob goes on to commit suicide, and Gemma has never gotten over that loss. Gemma's obsession with Rosalind in the past spills over to the present. In the meantime, Rosalind is an elusive character to get a hold of and there are a number of odd factors. Whilst being liked, she has no close friends. Her father is one of the richest people in town, yet Rosalind resides in a squalid home, but has expensive tastes, liked to drink and
was taking medication for depression and anxiety. There are a host of suspects with motives, and Gemma investigates as secrets begin to tumble out.

This is a slow paced, multilayered read that is more about Gemma than Rosalind's murder. Admittedly, Gemma is a hard woman to like, irritating, deeply flawed and psychologically teetering all over the place with her haunted past. There are strong undertones of Romeo and Juliet to story, strengthened by the fact that Rosalind had been working on a reinterpretation of the play at school. It is a character driven tale, with elements of suspense and tension. I found it an entertaining read, with beautifully written prose. Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for an ARC.

I just couldn't finish this book. I made it close to the end out of sheer determination to finish it, but there are simply too many other books to read to keep going with one I wasn't interested in. I would have liked to find out the answer to who killed Rose, but the drama around our narrator and her relationships were trying on my patience.

Twisty. Turny. Fact paced. Very enjoyable

The premise of The Dark Lake immediately caught my interest, and it reminded me a little of The Secret Place by Tana French, one of my favorite mystery writers. Bailey weaves a compelling story with an intriguing protagonist in Gemma. I liked the way the characters were described and the way the tension built, but it was a little slow paced at times. Still, an engaging story and I would definitely read books by this author in the future!

The Dark Lake is a compelling psychological mystery in the guise of a police procedural. Are the wages of sin really death? In a town where everybody has secrets, they just might be.

Set in the small Australian town of Smithson, everyone is hiding something including the detectives themselves. Detective Gem has a toddler son with her live-in boyfriend Scott. Scott wants to marry Gem but Gem is involved with her hot but married partner, Felix. Rose is a beautiful and talented actress, who has returned to the small town where she was raised to teach high school drama. On the night of her play’s debut, she is murdered and thrown into the lake. Gem and Felix are assigned the high-profile case. Will Gem’s high school history with Rose prevent her from solving the crime? Who will Gem choose between Scott and Felix?

The Dark Lake is literally bursting with plots and sub-plots. Luckily, the author skillfully manipulates the reader into believing almost everyone has the motive and means to kill Rose. There is one key clue that will unravel the mystery about 75% into the book. If missed, the end will be a real surprise!

Gem is an unlikeable lead character. As Gem reflects about herself, “How can I be thinking like this? I’m a monster.” The question is whether she is also an unreliable narrator. There are several dysfunctional families in The Dark Lake. There are secrets galore. The plot shifts between two decades of intrigue. The flashbacks to Gem and Rose’s high school years together are captivating and eventually tied well into the main plot.

The Dark Lake is a good successor to Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. It has similar twists and turns before a gripping ending. This novel hits many genres: mystery/thriller, romance, and family drama. It is reminiscent of Hitchcock films with their cool, inscrutable female leads. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, and netgalley for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on October 3, 2017.

I had a difficult time trying to get interested in the book. The characters were realistic , but just didn't grab me. It may have been me. Sorry.