CLICK by SARAH BAILEY
Highly acclaimed Australian author Sarah Bailey is in good form with with her latest novel, Click (Allen & Unwin, 31 March 2026).
Set on the eve of the COVID pandemic in Australia in early 2020, Click brings back journalist Oli Groves, and other characters, from my favourite Bailey book, The Housemate. Click opens with Oli receiving potentially terrible personal news, which she tries to ignore while focusing on the wave of potential murders and disappearances which seem to be gripping Melbourne. The police are on the trail of a possible serial killer, who is sending cryptic notes and photos to media outlets. Oli and her partner TJ, founders of a fledgling digital news site, see an opportunity to cement their early commercial successes, by offering a fresh and alternative source of reporting on the murders, and hopefully some inside details. Meanwhile, young police detective Penelope (Pen) Kibbs is determined to stop the violence before more women are killed, and to make her mark in the investigation.
The story mainly alternates between Oli’s and Pen’s viewpoint, with Sarah skilfully using the young detective’s role in the investigation to keep the reader involved in the pursuit of the killer, while Oli largely acts as an observer in the early stages of the book.
There is a lot happening in Click, with Sarah touching on a range of related issues from online abuse and bullying to deep fake images to teenage sexting and domestic violence. There is also fascinating background information on the changing nature of news reporting and the rise of alternative news sources and podcasts. As usual, Melbourne provides a vivid background to the action, with Sarah subtly bringing it to life and giving the reader an interesting insider’s tour of the city and its surrounds. Of course, hanging over the plot is the knowledge that COVID is just around the corner for Melbourne, and that many of the issues that Sarah highlights are going to get worse over the following years. All of which adds to the sense of pending doom and tension in the book.
As I said, there is a lot happening, and in the early stages of the novel the plot tends to lag at times as various issues are pursued, perhaps unnecessarily. There are also a lot of secondary characters, including victims and potential suspects, and it takes a bit of concentration to keep the various relationships clear in your mind.
That said, the pace certainly picks up towards the end when Oli becomes more involved, and the plot delivers decent twists and some gripping flashes of violence. It also leaves some things curiously unresolved, which may mean that another book is on the cards.
In all, Click is a rich, enjoyable crime novel with well fleshed out characters and a strong sense of place and time. Warmly recommended, especially for those who enjoy their Australian crime fiction not always set in some dusty outback town or decaying rural location.
Click is released in Australia on 31 March 2026.
Here is a link to review of The Housemate from 2021: https://murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/the-housemate-by-sarah-bailey-allen-unwin/