Click

by Sarah Bailey

A taut crime thriller about a city on edge, a killer playing games, and the two women determined to bring him down.

Melbourne is gripped by fear after a backpacker's body is found with a cryptic note, and two more women vanish without trace. When photographs begin to arrive in the inboxes of the media and police, it's clear the killer isn't hiding - they are performing.

Journalist Oli Groves, founder of a fledgling digital news site, knows the story could make or break her. Rookie detective Penelope Kibbs, still trying to prove herself, is desperate to stop the violence before more women are lost. But they soon realise the danger runs deeper than one killer - and closer than they want to believe.

With Click, Sarah Bailey proves herself a master of modern crime fiction, blending relentless suspense with sharp insight into obsession, corruption and survival.

'Sarah Bailey's Click is a masterful crime thriller. A complex police procedural that takes a deep dive into the darker side of our digital lives. A gripping, propulsive story told with an eye for the real pressures of modern policing and the challenges of a relentless news cycle.' – Michael Brissenden, bestselling author of Smoke and Dust

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 31, 2026

About the author

Sarah Bailey is a Melbourne-based writer with a background in advertising and communications. She has three sons and is currently the Managing Director of the Melbourne and Sydney offices of advertising agency VML and the founder of social media brand and podcast, He Read, She Read. Her internationally award-winning Gemma Woodstock series includes The Dark Lake, published in 2017 and winner of the Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction and the Davitt Award for Best Debut, followed by Into the Night in 2018, Where the Dead Go in 2019, and Body of Lies in 2024. Sarah has also published the bestselling The Housemate and Audible original Final Act in 2021. Click is the second book featuring journalist Oli Groves.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Tabetha (tabsbooknook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review: Click by @sarah_bailey_author published by @allenandunwin and supplied by @netgalley
Release date: 31 March 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Well that was a wild ride! Click is told from two distinct POVs, Olive ‘Oli’ Groves, investigative journalist, and Detective Constable Penelope ‘Pen’ Kibbs. The story is set in Melbourne in early 2020 when Covid had not yet been labeled a pandemic.
We follow both FMCs as they investigate the disappearances and murders of multiple women across the city. Are these murders connected? Is there a serial killer on the loose trying to be the next Zodiac?
Tough issues are discussed like DV, violence against women and the manosphere, while following a 24 hour news cycle. This story is fast paced and keeps you guessing up until those final chapters. The action really kicks in at the 70% mark and I found myself not wanting to put the book down until I got to the conclusion.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved The Housemate so it was a delightful surprise to see that Sarah Bailey has written a sequel. I love way Sarah Bailey writes complicated, messy and just very human characters. Oli has come a long way since the first book and this time we see her dealing with a personal crisis while doggedly pursuing a serial killer terrorising women, the issue of teenage sexting (though ewww, did NOT need Dean returning) and her and TJ's business's growing pains. I had some inkling who the culprit might be, and alas I was completely wrong (but close enough!). I enjoyed the dual action switching between Oli and Pen, who was also a character I felt for as she battles her own trauma while witnessing the horrific aftermath of murder. I also enjoyed seeing TJ - a man who was her work rival, become a solid business partner. They both have complementary skills and I enjoyed seeing more of him.

My only quibble is that there's a error from The Housemate where TJ's wife is called Angela in that book but now she's Carol. However that didn't affect my enjoyment.

This book had everything that I love about crime -a solid, well-paced thriller featuring two complex, nuanced female characters and developments that had me guessing. Could crime loving readers please buy this book so we can have a book three (and hopefully not a five year wait!)?

[Kelly Rule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucky to have read a proof copy of this forthcoming release.
Really enjoyed the pace, good plot.