Review: Body of Lies by Sarah Bailey

Title: Body of Lies {Gemma Woodstock #4}

Published: 27th February 2024, Allen & Unwin

Status: Read February 2024 courtesy Allen & Unwin

++++++++

My Thoughts:

Body of Lies is the fourth and final book by Sarah Bailey to feature Detective Gemma Woodstock, and though I’ve (strangely) not read any of the earlier series instalments this worked perfectly well as a stand alone.

Set about a year after the events of Where the Dead Go Gemma has returned to live in her home town with her partner, their new baby daughter, and her young son from her previous marriage. She’s visiting her father, hospitalised after a heart attack, when the body of an unidentified woman killed in a car accident is stolen from the morgue. Though still on maternity leave when Body of Lies opens, Gemma can’t help but involve herself in the mystery and when an infant is later found abandoned, which she suspects is related, she decides to return to work early.

There is a lot happening in Body of Lies, and Gemma quickly finds herself with more questions than answers. Several well crafted red herrings complicate the investigation that grows to include a pub brawl, a brutal murder, and a local cult. With the main action taking place over a few weeks, Gemma slowly makes the connections necessary to piece the complex case together, unwittingly putting herself in mortal danger as she does so. The root of the crime is unexpected, and perhaps a touch fantastical, but certainly adds shock value to the plot.

Gemma’s personal life is similarly complicated in this novel. Already struggling with the dilemma of balancing motherhood with her career, the sensitivity of her son to his father’s recent death, and her insecurities regarding her current relationship with Mac, Gemma is devastated when she learns the identity of the stolen body and the secrets it reveals about her past, putting her at odds with almost everyone she is close to. Gemma is a complex character, well portrayed with realism and nuance.

A gripping police procedural with a compelling lead, Body of Lies is a great read. As this is the last book which will feature Gemma, an epilogue set around three months after the dramatic end of the investigation proves to be satisfying.

++++++++