There are two authors with the same name and it always trips me up. That's not actually relevant to the book though. Dark Lake is dark, and twisty and beautifully plotted. I enjoyed it very much.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

The Dark Lake is a solid psychological thriller that is somewhat set apart from its fellows by how much it focuses on the Detective investigating the case rather than the case itself that the book is built upon. I found it an interesting approach as we really get to know the Detective and her life from long ago to the present.

Unfortunately, I was slow in downloading this story and it was archived before I had the chance. I'm sure it is a wonderful read.

When the teacher who had everything is found dead, DS Gemma Woodstock is called in to investigate Rosalind's death. But is Rosalind just someone Gemma went to school with or is there more to their relationship than Gemma is letting on.

I loved how this book blurs lines between Gemma's personal and work life, and I really enjoyed that Gemma herself was a really grey character and someone I utterly disliked.

The alternating timelines definitely added something to the reader and her personal storyline increased intrigue.
You could tell within the first few chapters that Sarah Bailey herself is from Australia because the setting was written brilliantly. The rural Aussie town suited the feel and plot incredibly well.

I do feel that at over 400 pages it was probably longer than it needed to be and turned what could be a gritty murder mystery into a slow burn. The upside to that is that this was a very character focused psychological thriller.

This was a brilliant debut novel that I would completely recommend.

A dark and suspenseful thriller set in Australia - liking these Aussie books - and you can smell the tense, dry atmosphere. Very good.

Dark, intense, suspenseful crime thriller which was the epitome of a page turner. The book stayed with me long after I'd finished it.

Thought this unpredictable, addictive mystery was cleverly written.
The author gives nothing away, the plot thickens and the characters secrets and lies slowly unfold keeping you in suspense until the answer to the murder is revealed.

Thank you netgalley, Arc and Sarah Bailey for allowing me to read and review this book.

The murder of a beloved teacher moves the whole city of Smithson in Australia. Rosalind Ryan is found dead in the waters of Sonny Lake after a stunning performance of her art class in their version of Romeo and Juliet. Gemma Woodstock and her partner Felix take over the investigation even though Gemma has known Rosalind for her whole life. But her superior doesn’t know that she not only knew the beautiful young woman, but that that there is much more that links the two. The investigation leads to nothing, nobody can provide any useful information, neither her family not her colleagues really seem to have a motive. Yet, somebody must have hated her so much that he killed her.

Sarah Bailey’s debut thriller “The Dark Lake” has an interesting setting. You hardly ever come across an Australian small town where everybody knows everybody and where all the characters have some kind of old common memories and histories. The most striking moment was for me, however, when everybody was complaining about the hot temperatures on Christmas – quite uncommon for most European or North-American novels. Well, things are different down-under, but the concept of a good thriller is the same, and “The Dark Lake” has much to offer in that respect.

The case is highly complicated and for a very long time I didn’t actually have the slightest clue of what was going on. The author has masterly crafted her plot and it takes some time until a lot of dub-plots suddenly make sense. The protagonist Gem is also quite interesting, she is not only the policewoman, but also a mother of a young boy and doubting her relationship with the kid’s father. An affair with her partner doesn’t make things easier – but that’s just how life is. She is somehow typically female, she follows her intuition and she has a different way of approaching suspects and of observing places. I really appreciated this different point of view in the investigation.

Even though much becomes clear when you come to the end of the novel, a downside was for me Gem’s private life in the present and the past. It was just a bit too much and slowed down the pace, even though it made perfectly sense for the story to tell it all.

Rating: 3.75/5

When the body of a young and popular teacher turns up in the waters of Sonny Lake, the first detective called to the scene is Sergeant Gemma Woodstock, a local who not only knows the area but also the victim – Rosalind Ryan, at least in passing (they went to school together).

The connection, Gem insists, is slight. The relationship between the two women non-existent. So she stays on the case, along with her partner Felix. Unfortunately, Gem isn’t quite telling the truth; she has a history with Rosalind (Rose), holding a secret that might put the case in jeopardy.

And it isn’t her only secret. In fact, Gem has so many it’s hard to keep up. She is a complicated woman and a messy one, drinking too much and lying to her friends and family rather than face the truth – her life is falling apart. I have to say, it made her hard to like, or any of the other characters for that matter.

I should have had sympathy for the dead teacher, but as her life was unpicked, I found I didn’t have much. I maybe should have liked Felix (he was British after all), but he was quite the ass, I have to say. And Gem’s partner Scott, who was a pretty gentle soul, just wasn’t filled in enough for me to take to him. It’s a bit of a shame, as the plot itself was pretty good.

It was one of those that just threw everything at you. There was so much going on, with the current murder of Rose to be investigated, Gem’s personal life falling apart, and a secret from her past threatening to come crashing down at any moment (told in flashbacks to her last year in school); I struggled to keep up at times, I have to admit, but I really enjoyed the ride.

It meant a mixed bag for me with this book but one that, on reflection (I finished it a couple of weeks ago), was generally a positive one. The pace was fast, the writing good, and the ending not one I saw coming. Yes, I’d have liked to like at least one character, but I can forgive that because everything else was so good. Definitely an enjoyable read!

The Dark Lake is set in a small Australian town where everyone knows everyone else. When the enigmatic schoolteacher Rosaline (Rose) is found murdered after the first night of the successful school play she has adapted and directed everyone is shocked.

But how well did everyone know Rose? Why did she live in a small slightly tatty cottage when her family were one of the wealthiest in town? Why did she leave the prestigious city school to return to her hometown?

Gemma, a local detective has her own problems trying to sort out her emotions about the father of her child and her affair with her police partner She also has a history with Rose as they were in the same class at High School- the same school where Rose had been teaching. Rose seemed to be able to enchant those who knew her-obviously someone had not fallen under her spell.

This story kept me guessing. I often found Gemma irritating but that did not stop me wanting to know the answers. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

This is a first novel from Sarah Bailey and I cannot wait to read more. I loved this book.
A young teacher is found murdered in a small town just before Christmas. Everyone seems to love her so who could do this? But the town is full of secrets, some that are revealed and some that stay hidden. Detective Gemma Woodstock is assigned the case, with her partner Felix, and she has her own history with the deceased. The back story is explored in pieces so it all adds to the mystery.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

The premise and the cover have great appeal but I have to confess that getting through to the end of this was something of a slog....it was just so slow. I'm all for reading about a flawed heroine but there was so little to redeem Gemma that I really couldn't engage with her and I worked out who had killed Rosalind in advance of the 'big reveal'. Disappointing.

This book was a slow burn but definitely worth it. How does the murder of rose connect with things that happen decades earlier or is there really no connection. This book will keep you guessing and interested right to the end. Very clever book.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Would recommend it as an interesting read.

I just loved this book, loved it. It was beautifully and sympathetically written from the start and had depth and compassion for all parties. A stunning debut.

Thank you to Netgalley for my arc copy of this book

There seemed to be a lot going on this book flitting between past and present and how the past ultimately led to Rosalind's demise. But there was so much focusing on Gemma and her poor me attitude that we never really got to see any development from any other character.
Gemma was an awful character. Full of self pity, married but having an affair with her partner then constantly thinking about her dead ex but wanting to jump into bed with his much younger brother. Eurgh. I also didn't understand the random chapters from random people that added absolutely nothing to the story.
I understand that a lot of people liked this book but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book. There is a lot packed into this book. Jealousy, secrets, affairs and lies are all part of the plot. At times though the pace lagged and I found it hard to keep reading. The ending brought everything together and made sense. I probably would read another book by this author.

This book had the potential to be really good, but I am afraid that it dragged the story out for far far too long. After reading it for ages I was astonished to see that I still had over 3 hours reading left!
It was reasonable, but not mind glowingly interesting, and it took a long time to sort out the murderer. The sub plot of her fascination with her fellow detective really irritated me, as it bordered on obsession that was unhealthy for all concerned.

This is quite melodramatic with some rather lurid twists and turns involving madness, the ubiquitous psychopath, spurned lovers, jealousy, secret affairs, kidnapping - pretty much every noir trope you can think of! Not really for me - sorry.