This fourth instalment in the Gemma Woodstock series is a perfect jumping-on point for readers new to one of Australia’s top-shelf crime writers.

“Body of Lies” has a killer hook—the unidentified corpse of a car crash victim is stolen from the Smithson morgue—and Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock, back in her hometown on maternity leave, is compelled to investigate.

Bailey expertly renders Woodstock’s multifaceted investigation, ratcheting up the personal and professional stakes, and keeps readers off-balance right through to its nerve-racking end. You’ll be hard-pressed not to wolf it down in a single sitting. Bailey just keeps getting better.