Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall's Reviews > Into the Night

Overlong police procedural lacking in meaningful suspense with a troubled female protagonist. Solid plot but rather a slog.

Left with little choice but to leave her hometown of Smithson, New South Wales by a combination of circumstances, past mistakes and personal troubles, thirty-two-year-old Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock has transferred from the small farming community town to the bustling city and diverse culture of Melbourne. Three-months into her tenure beleaguered Gemma is still coming to terms with the implications of her decision to up sticks and leave behind her five-year-old son, Ben, and coming to terms with her new life and city policing where somehow even the crime scenes seem grittier.

Although this second novel can be read as a stand-alone there is little doubt that those who read Sarah Bailey’s debut and the dramatic events of The Dark Lake will have a far better understanding of a troubled protagonist. Dedicated to her job with a flinty exterior that belies her many hidden vulnerabilities and an exacting line in self-awareness, Gemma has a wilfully self-destructive streak. Unable to invest in a meaningful relationship Gemma gets her kicks and company through an endless series of one night stands as she drinks, smokes and neglects to eat, meaning that her Melbourne life is no more stable than the mess she left behind in Smithson.

Determined to prove her worth to her new department and make a positive impact DS Gemma Woodstock is eager for her inscrutable new boss, Chief Inspector Isaacs, to assign her to lead on a case. First on the scene to the senseless stabbing of a homeless pensioner she vows to see justice done and ensure his case doesn’t fall by the wayside or get neglected despite her frustrations when she is once again passed over to act as the principal detective. Hot on the heels of this fatality the high-profile murder of a twenty-three-year-old movie star, Sterling Wade, on the film set of his latest film with a cast of hundreds of extras in zombie costumes soon grabs all the headlines. A household name from his role in a popular soap opera with a glowing golden boy reputation, the investigation into the homicide of Wade is assigned to Gemma and the aloof, infuriating and often sarcastic DS Nick Fleet whom she partners but struggles to win the respect of.

The bizarre circumstances of the murder are just one of the areas for Gemma and Fleet to probe as they are forced to take stock of the actors life and the people that surround his world from his actress girlfriend (Lizzie Short), needy best friend (Brodie Kent), his distant family back in New South Wales to the tempestuous director (Riley Cartwright) and American co-star (Ava James) on the set. When the murder weapon is found nearby and the case ruled a cold-blooded murder, the rumours, unexpected disclosures and suspicions soon start to fly as Gemma and Fleet attempt to separate fact from fiction and identify the killers motive in a case with no shortage of likely suspects.

Sarah Bailey makes clear the overwhelming barrage of information that comes across the police radar in an investigation of such a scale and the added complication of handling a case with unprecedented media and fan interest. The novel also makes abundantly clear the difficulties of seeing the wood from the trees when every member of the public wants a piece of the grief and is clamouring to broadcast their proximity or relationship to the victim. From identifying and interviewing the extras, to cross-referencing their statements and checking the alibis of persons of interest, the pressure is on from both the media and the police hierarchy alike, with Gemma and Fleet knowing that the smallest oversight could potentially be the difference between finding a killer or the perpetrator evading justice.

Whilst I was initially very impressed with Sarah Bailey’s overview and the steady narrowing down of the case I felt that Into The Night lacked suspense and the first-person narrative of Gemma does not make for incisive reading as she has a tendency to keep her own personal troubles on the agenda throughout. As the pace of the revelations abates and making headway in the investigation becomes even harder, the slack in the narrative is taken up by Gemma’s own issues and the developments on the case starts to feel of secondary importance to Gemma’s own battles. I honestly felt that not only did the story lack impetus but Gemma and Fleet’s own commitment and drive to solve the case was somewhat lacking with their attention easily diverted.

The undeniably languid pace of Into The Night reprises that of The Dark Lake and is once again partly a character study of Gemma. Now having read both books in the series I was disappointed that I felt no closer to understanding the highly flawed Gemma or her habit of sabotaging the few positives in her life. Despite her initial feeling of dislocations in the city much about the anonymity of a life in Melbourne suits Gemma from the ability to remain invisible in a crowd to the constant buzz of the city that helps to silence the frustration of having failed her son and chosen to make a life over one thousand kilometres away. Admirably honest, it seems that even Gemma knows that returning to her hometown of Smithson is out of the question for her and is still haunted by her focal role in a town where not only did she often personally know the victim and perpetrator of a crime but felt under constant observation.

In this second case Gemma is again unwilling to reveal her own personal overlap with one of the crimes under investigation by her unit and there was little sleight of hand or doubt about her obvious targeting for information. I also thought that how neatly the other two cases being worked on by the team slotted in to the overarching storyline and all connected back to Gemma was a little too contrived. Likewise I was unconvinced by the resolution to the murder of Sterling Wade and despite a high-octane denouement with palpable tension, I was left disappointed by my second encounter with DS Gemma Woodstock and I appeared to solve the case of Sterling Wade well in advance of the Melbourne homicide unit!

Whilst I found many of the police procedural aspects of Into The Night compelling and appreciated the timely portrayal of a world where celebrity grief often borders on hysteria and the prevailing high profile sexual harassment movement of #MeToo in the age of social media, I seriously doubt that I have an appetite for more of DS Gemma Woodstock. Again, this second case was overly lengthy and could have been edited into a far more succinct format with Gemma’s first-person point of view bordering on a misery-fest. Gemma might be human, flawed and trying her hardest but accompanying her is along for the ride is often unremittingly gloomy and rather a slog. Even the banter and wry comedy moments come by virtue of her working relationship with her complicated squad partner, DS Nick Fleet! A so-so read which lacked the suspense, atmospheric tension and gritty colour of The Dark Lake and leaves the jury out on whether I go back for a third encounter.


With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.