The Dark Lake

This was a solid debut from a new Australian crime writer. The Dark Lake is a police procedural with a complex plot. I occasionally found it difficult to accept all of the professional screw-ups by our characters but it wasn't enough to warrant more than an eyeroll from me. The character development was superb though, to be honest, the “emotionally damaged detective” trope isn't my favorite. Gemma as a character is rather unlikable and I soon grew tired of hearing about her dumpster fire of a personal life. That being said, the fact that I had such a strong reaction to her says something, even if it wasn't a strong positive reaction. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next from Sarah Bailey.

Oh man, I had high expectations for this book, I really did. It didn't help that the last book I read was so extraordinary in my eyes and I was really hoping for another book afterwards to blow me away. Oh well, guess we can't always get what we want. The book itself wasn't too bad, it was just....mediocre.

The plot wasn't anything too creative but it was interesting enough to keep me reading because I was curious to see how it unfold and ends. I liked that the chapters were short but even with the short chapters, the story stretched on and was unnecessarily dragged out. I would have liked to see more excitement and action in equal amounts all throughout the book and I would have liked to be given more in terms of trying to figure out who killed Rosalind, so I could solve it for myself. I am very clueless and usually can't figure out who the killer is in most cases but in this case, I don't think we were given anything for a long time to lead us in the right direction of who the actual killer is.

In addition, the style of the writing would have been much better in my eyes if it wasn't written in “present” tense. It made the book a little more confusing for me and it took me a little bit to get used to it. It's very possible that it just wasn't my cup of tea but this alone might deter me from reading the rest of the books in the series and by the same author. I guess it also depends what you're used to but this tense made me feel uncomfortable and affected how the story flowed for me and unfolded. In my opinion it was the biggest negative aspect of this book.

Further on, the characterization is also lacking in my eyes. The characters have potential to transcend beyond the book and into the real world but they don't quite make it there. It's almost like they are only partially completed and I would have liked to see more of their soul peak through. There was some depth there and I got to know the main heroine of the story to an extent but she didn't quite become real in my eyes.

I actually think that the book for me is closer to three stars then four but it definitely has potential and the raw material that could have been turned into something exceptional. I will try to give more of Bailey's books a chance in the future but for now, I am going to need a break. All in all, the book wasn't bad, it jut wasn't particularly great. I would recommend it to people who are not bothered by the “present” tense and who like books with less action and less on the crazy and twisted side. It could potentially be an enjoyable read if you aren't expecting the book to be life changing in any way.