Where the Dead Go by Sarah Bailey is the third book in the Gemma Woodstock series.

Blurb
Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock and her son Ben are feeling lost after a personal tragedy. When a case pops up in the coastal town of Fairhaven, Gemma eagerly takes it on, temporarily moving to the town with her son.

A fifteen-year-old girl has gone missing after a party, and the following day, her boyfriend is found murdered. Gemma must find her place within the local tight-knit police force and work with them to solve the two cases whilst she’s still haunted by an eerily similar case from her past.

Review
There is a lot happening in this novel, but Bailey deftly weaves the current crimes with a mystery from the small town’s past and a case from Gemma’s past which she is haunted by. I was thoroughly invested in the characters, particularly the victims, and the intricate storylines. Like the previous books in the series, Gemma has a lot going on in her personal life which contributes to the drama and stakes.

I love how Gemma is a flawed protagonist who is a little reckless at times. And I love how Bailey shows Gemma’s struggles with navigating parenthood but her love for her son shines through.

I recommend this book to anyone who’s 18 years and older and wants to read a crime fiction novel with intricate story threads.

Einfach nur furchtbar. Habe bis fast zum Ende durchgehalten und dann bei 80% einfach keine Lust mehr. Die Frau wird immer hassenswerter, sie ist so furchtbar zu ihren Mitmenschen und auch keine gute Polizistin. Es ist nicht wirklich glaubwürdig, dass sie ihren Sohn so sehr liebt. Viel tell und kein Show.

3.5 ⭐️

Set in a fictional town north of Byron Bay, this is about the investigation into a missing girl and the murder of her on again-off again boyfriend. Gemma Woodstock is brought in as a stand-in detective to lead the investigation after the local inspector is involved in a car accident. She finds a town full of secrets, very Broadchurch in feel.

This is the third book featuring detective Gemma Woodstock and while there is some back story, it can be read as a standalone. Each of the books has been set in a different location and some time apart. She is a flawed character and I am finding her somewhat too flawed, to the point where she makes irrational and annoying decisions to, I don't know, make her more interesting to the reader. The mystery is convoluted but the book has good momentum and kept me interested throughout.

The setting bothered me. I've visited that part of Australia a few times and it didn't feel realistic to me. It seemed like the author was trying to make it seem far more remote than it is. It would have been just outside Tweed Heads and the sprawl of the Gold Coast but it's like those places didn't exist. Setting it south of Byron Bay would have made more sense to me.

This was very readable but not memorable.

A fifteen year old girl has gone missing after a party and her boyfriend was found brutally murdered less than twenty four hours later. Was the girl the culprit or is she also missing and who would want to kill these kids?

Tragedy leaves Gemma back in her costal home town of Fairhaven with her son. Escaping reality she begs to be out on the murder case so she can flee with Ben and bury herself in work. Putting off the hard conversations of what happens next with her family and the life she wants to love.

While Gemma is searching for answers and navigating friend she’s also working out her new colleagues. The case is very similar a case Gemma worked previously and it brings so many emotions crashing back down. That cases ended in tragedy, will this be the same or will she solve the case before time runs out and someone gets hurt?

Book three is the Gemma Woodstock series, I found them gem second hand and have slowly been collecting all of Bailey’s backlist. Another story full of twists and turns and that familiar relatability in Gemma!

When I read the second book in this series ([b:Into the Night|38508765|Into the Night (Gemma Woodstock, #2)|Sarah Bailey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537316216l/38508765._SY75_.jpg|60146694]), I was a little surprised at the discontinuity between it and the first book in the series ([b:The Dark Lake|33835739|The Dark Lake|Sarah Bailey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487134314l/33835739._SY75_.jpg|54766981]). The same applies here. We've jumped forward in time. Gemma is no longer living in Melbourne, she's now living in Sydney, with a new boyfriend, and suffering from trauma as a result of a case that ended poorly in the intervening period. I don't really understand having a series where you have to get to re-know the main character every book because her circumstances are so changed. Surely that intervening case could have been a book in its own right?

Anyway, this book opens with Gemma attending the funeral of her ex-partner, her son's father. As she's leaving the funeral, she hears her boss on the phone. A small beachside town in northern NSW is looking for someone to run a missing person and homicide case. Gemma volunteers to go, and takes her grieving son with her. It's okay, nothing special.

3.5 stars. Another great Australian crime author.

These books are getting better and better each time. Love Gemma. She is flawed and relatable. Great to have her kid in it more too.