Book review: The Housemate by Sarah Bailey

Tuesday, August 31, 2021 Permalink

Sarah Bailey is one of my favourite Australian novelists. I’m a fan of her Gemma Woodstock series which may – or may not – have ended after the third instalment last year. She seems to also be a generous person and happily answered questions for a piece I was writing for my Masters last year (about how / when crime writers decide to end a series).

At the time she was focussed on a new novel, The Housemate, released today in Australia. Again she offers up a likeable but flawed female lead and bounces her off several strong personalities that bring out the best, and worst, in her. I know the whole journey analogy is wanky but I very much liked the journey (well, personal development arc!) Bailey takes our lead, Olive (Oli), on here and the way it complements the unfolding mystery.

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four-stars

Book review: Where The Dead Go by Sarah Bailey

Monday, August 5, 2019 Permalink

I’ve really been enjoying Sarah Bailey’s crime fiction series featuring Gemma Woodstock. The first novel, The Dark Lake was set in Gemma’s rural hometown of Smithson. The second (which I enjoyed more), Into The Night leapt forward a few years and was set in Melbourne.

And in this latest novel Gemma is on leave when she takes a case in Fairhaven, near Byron Bay. It’s another small Australian town but one characterised by beaches, tourists and caravan parks – offering up a quintessential Aussie coastal town, that’s a little different.

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four-stars

Book review: Into The Night by Sarah Bailey

Tuesday, May 22, 2018 Permalink

Aussie Sarah Bailey’s debut novel, The Dark Lake published last year was hugely popular and on many a ‘best of 2017’ list. I enjoyed it, though possibly not as much as most but I loved her writing in particular and my review shared a stack of quotes (usually a sign that I made notes of paragraphs and phrases I enjoyed). And I ended that review with the hope of meeting the main character/s again.

And thankfully, that time has come. (Sooner than I probably expected!)

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four-half-stars