Into The Night by Sarah Bailey – Blog Tour Review.

About The Book

Senior Detective Gemma Woodstock is a small-town policewoman working on the biggest homicide cases in Melbourne. When an up-and-coming movie star is stabbed to death while the cameras are rolling on his new blockbuster, Gemma, eager to prove herself, is assigned to the case.

With the whole thing caught from multiple angles, how hard can it be to catch the crazed culprit? And who would want to hurt Australia’s adored boy-next-door? As Gemma uncovers the deadly underside of fame, her investigation turns into a dangerous game against those with money, power and everything to lose…

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.Into The Night is the second book to feature Gemma Woodstock. I hadn’t read the first but had no problem following the storyline. It was one of the more original crime fiction novels that I have read this year.
The initial murder investigation is a sad but fairly normal case, the stabbing of a homeless man who has nobody apart from an estranged daughter to mourn his loss. But when somebody more prominent is also murdered everything changes.
I enjoyed this book for so many reasons. Initially, because it was set in Melbourne, somewhere I have visited a few times and I knew the areas that were mentioned, albeit with different weather conditions. I can’t imagine Melbourne being cold, having only experienced an Australian summer.
There was the morbid fascination with the second murder. The way that the murder of the homeless man was suddenly a lot less important in the eyes of the slightly grotesque media. Not just social media but also journalists from the TV and the newspapers.
Gemma, who has some severe personal issues is initially difficult to like. She is partnered with Fleet who was a character whose issues were more elusive. At times they seemed at odds but their relationship changed slightly and left me wondering what could happen next. By the end of the novel though I had warmed to Gemma a lot more.
And finally the crime. I didn’t have a clue but seeing the murderer revealed was a fascinating read. The chapters covered a day and time from the start. At first, when interviews were taking place and lot of witness statements were being taken time seemed to go slowly. But the days got shorter as the evidence started to dry up. I thought this worked very well, just how I imagine a real life investigation to be. What also worked well was how the murder of an unimportant man in the eyes of society took a back seat to the murder of a younger, wealthier and more famous victim.
I hope that this book will be part of a long one series, it’s definitely one I would like to read more of.