Body of Lies by Sarah BaileyAbout the book: “DS Gemma Woodstock returns to Smithson in a mysterious new thriller from the bestselling author of The Housemate.
A car crash victim clings to life and is rushed to hospital but can’t be saved. Hours later, the body is stolen from the morgue. No one knows who the dead woman was or why her body was taken. Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is back in her hometown of Smithson on maternity leave when the bizarre incident occurs. She is intrigued by the case but reluctant to get involved, despite the urging of her journalist friend Candy Fyfe. But in the days after the body goes missing, the town is rocked by another shocking crime and Gemma can’t resist joining the investigation. Candy and Gemma follow the clues the dead woman left behind. As they attempt to discover the identity of the missing woman, Gemma uncovers devastating secrets about the people she thought she knew best. The closer Gemma gets to the truth, the more danger she’s in. She desperately needs to confide in someone – but is there anyone she can trust?“

My Review

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.

Thanks to NetGalley and W. F. Howes Ltd for my digital copy via the NetGalley app.