Bailey, Sarah. Into the Night. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2018. 416p. ISBN 978-1-5387-5995-0. $26. Fiction
Set in the author's hometown of Melbourne Bailey's second novel (after The Dark Lake) finds Det. Sgt. Gemma Woodstock and her partner Nick Fleet desperate to solve two murders. The victims--one an elderly homeless loner, the other a rising star in the movie business--couldn't be less alike, but each was stabbed once in the heart. The latter case is particularly baffling. Sterling Wade was killed in the street, on camera, in the midst of a zombie attack with hundreds of extras swarming. He was so well liked that finding a motive and narrowing down potential killers is challenging. Gemma recently moved from a small town, and she struggles to find her place in the police department. Her investigating partner's sarcasm is an annoyance, and she misses her five-year-old son, who's back home with her ex. She finds it difficult to give up sleeping with strangers, despite being pursued by a handsome lawyer. Will she place herself and others at risk to solve the crimes? VERDICT Bailey delineates a host of characters with consummate skill. While the requisite twists are not always startling, the plot is pleasingly complex. Admirers of Nicci French's "Frieda Klein" series will enjoy this absorbing mystery