Into the Night

The stabbing murder of Sterling Wade, a promising young actor, on a Melbourne movie set kick-starts Australian author Bailey’s disappointing sequel to 2017’s The Dark Lake. Det. Sgt. Gemma Woodstock digs into Sterling’s complicated life and unearths several suspects: Brodie Kent, Sterling’s roommate and same sex lover; Lizzie Short, Sterling’s fiancée; Riley Cartwright, Sterling’s drug-addicted director; and Sterling’s parents—who are on the brink of declaring bankruptcy and set to inherit his fortune. Meanwhile, Gemma struggles with her hot and cold relationship with partner Nick Fleet, and with her recent gut-wrenching decision to leave her school-age son with his father and move to the city. She’s also troubled by the high priority placed on the Wade case at the expense of solving a homeless man’s murder. Gemma’s case seems to be going nowhere until she discovers evidence that proves Sterling and the homeless man were killed with the same murder weapon. Burdened by too many subplots, the story never gathers much steam and struggles to find its way. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Dec.)