Body of Lies is of all the books in this series that I had the most problem with getting into, I even thought of giving up, but I kept on listening to the audiobook version since I've read the previous 3 books and I liked them and wanted to know how it all would end. Luckily, around halfway through the book got better and better and I came to enjoy the story when I started to get the sense of direction it was going and I got some answers.

DS Gemma Woodstock is on maternity leave and visits her dad in hospital when a body goes missing. Plenty of twists in this well plotted Australian thriller. Felicity Jurd's narration does this book justice. Thanks to F. W. Howes and Netgalley for this review audiobook.

This is the first book I have read in Sarah Bailey's Aussie crime series, although I listened to this on audio, approximately 12 hours and 25 minutes long, ably narrated by Felicity Jurd, so good that she kept me going when I might have been tempted to give up by story and by the central protagonist, DS Gemma Woodstock. In fact, I would rate the narration as 4 stars, let down by the heavy suspension of disbelief required and a Woodstock who it is hard to feel any empathy for. Woodstock is on maternity leave, taking care of her baby daughter, Scarlett, who tends to go everywhere with her, she lives with eldest son, Ben, and her partner, Mac, remotely working on cold cases, and who she loves deeply. She has recently returned to her home town of Smithson and in hospital visiting her father, recovering from a heart attack, when Woodstock finds herself caught up in the mystery of a body taken from the morgue.

The woman died in a strange car accident before a post-mortem examination, there is no identification on her and no-one recognised her, why would anyone want to take her body? Despite being on leave, Woodstock can't let it go, not to mention she doesn't trust in the capabilities of her colleague, DS Julian Everett, a man she knows little of, leading to the two having a fraught relationship. Then there is the matter of a abandoned baby, and a brutal murder scene in which Woodstock arrives strapped up with Scarlett. Her boss, Jonesy, who believes in her, lets her operate apart from the police investigation, with Woodstock shocked to learn he will be retiring, should she apply for his job?

Woodstock is an emotional mess as she worries about Mac and a host of other matters, facing dangers, in a case where the differing threads begin to connect and becomes all too personal, takes in cults, a pub brawl, businessman Carlyle Kirk, a retreat, and where she works with best friend, journalist Candy Fyfe. It may be that other readers may appreciate this book more than me, so please read other reviews prior to making the decision to read or listen to this, although I can recommend the audio. I understand this is the last in the series. Many thanks to the publisher and Wavesound for a ALC.

This is the first book I’ve read in this series; it works well as a stand alone and I’m certainly going to catch up on the first three outings with Gemma, the central character. The narration throughout is excellent. Well paced and with clear character voices. In recent years the Aussie crime thriller has really taken off and adds a new dimension for readers who enjoy crime stories. The Australian settings are different and Sarah Bailey does a good job with sense of location.

This is a murder mystery with a satisfyingly complex plot which has twists right the way through and kept me guessing. Gemma inadvertently involved in a death when she’s at hospital visiting her father. Although off duty, she takes an interest and this continues after the case is assigned to another colleague. He has his own views, but Gemma perseveres and so the story unfolds with more deaths. I’ve enjoyed this tale which kept my attention throughout and I’ll certainly look for future titles in the series.

I’m a fan of Aussie crime writing, ever since living there a year in my teens, and my fave audiobooks are often Australian crime procedurals. This was no exception! My second Sarah Bailey and the second book in this series for me, it worked really well. The characters are well drawn and flawed enough to feel real, the plot complex but not overwritten. The author balances the character development and the mystery well, and manages to tie up all the loose threads by the end. Recommended for fans of detective crime.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC!

This is the fourth book in a series featuring DS Gemma Woodstock. I didn’t realise it was a series and hadn’t read the previous books.

I enjoyed the story and the twists were brilliant, however I found it to be a bit slow due to the amount of filler, mostly made up of the annoying Gemma’s mess of a personal life, her secretive partner, Mac, and her constant arguments with her colleagues.

With a strong edit, this ok read would have been a brilliant read.

I listened to the audiobook and Felicity Jurd’s narration was excellent 👏🏻

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Bailey and W.F.Howes for an ARC in return for an honest review.

So many characters in this book just kept alluding to something 'going on' or things that 'they knew about' but Gemma didn't it was insane. I felt like half the book was people not saying anything with a lot of words and face-pulling. It frustrated the character, and it frustrated me too.

I think at one point while I was listening I even shouted it out loud (thankfully no one was around to see me) We got there in the end though, and it was worth it.

This was an intense Australian crime novel.
The story was told from Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock’s point of view, with each chapter starting with the date and time, so it felt like I was following along in real time.
The book starts with Gemma on maternity leave, but she gets involved with the missing body case because she happens to be visiting her Dad in hospital. She takes control until the ‘official’ police turn up and wants to find out what it’s all about about. Then two other shocking cases occur and she thinks they could be connected. However she’s patronised by a colleague warning her off, which of course makes her want to look into it even more.
I loved Gemma, and her best friend Candy was a real hoot bringing light relief to a very intense book!
The mystery was very involved, which I actually really enjoyed as it helped me to focus on the book. I had an inkling about part of the plot, but dismissed it early on only to discover I was right when the big reveal came.
This is actually book 4 of a series, but it didn’t matter too much as there was enough back story, although it did make me want to read/listen to the previous books.
Felicity Jurd a new-to-me narrator was superb! Her voice talents were excellent, apart from a very brief dodgy Scottish accent! I’d definitely listen to more books with her narrating.
Recommended on audio especially if you enjoy crime novels set in Australia.