Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is back in the absorbing Australian police procedural Into the Night.
Gemma has moved from her hometown and son, Ben, to Melbourne. Her relationship with Ben’s father, Simon, mutually ended after The Dark Lake. Gemma is falling into half-night stands with strangers picked up in bars despite having a nice man trying to be a part of her life. She is missing Ben but feels compelled to solve crimes regardless of the cost to her personal life.
Gemma’s first case with her new guarded partner, Nick Fleet, is a seemingly random stabbing of a homeless man. However, the murder of up-and-coming celebrity Sterling Wade while the cameras are rolling pulls all the police detectives into the high profile case. Sterling was making a zombie movie where extras were chasing and assaulting him when he is stabbed with a real knife later found at the scene. His girlfriend, Lizzie, realizes something is wrong and her screams bring help unfortunately too late. The camera footage is of little help as everyone around Sterling is dressed in masks as zombies. Who has a motive? Everyone and no one. Sterling is well-liked and respected. However, his wealth and fame present irresistible challenges to many of his co-workers, friends and family.
It is refreshing to see a female detective go through the same drinking and relationship issues so familiar to male detectives from Phillip Marlowe to Harry Bosch. Despite all her baggage, she is an excellent detective. All the clues are here for the conclusion but I didn’t guess whodunit. It was still nice to see the author twist together all the mystery’s strands into a surprising conclusion. I can’t wait for the next in the series! Into the Night is recommended for police procedural fans. 4 stars!
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.