The Death of Dora Black (Lainie Anderson, Hachette)

Award-winning historian and journalist Lainie Anderson brings her research skills to the world of crime fiction in this engrossing and entertaining novel about Kate Cocks, the first policewoman in the British Empire to receive the same salary as men. In Adelaide in 1917, policewoman Kate Cocks spends her days barking at young couples who are caught canoodling, arresting clairvoyants preying on grieving war widows, finding work for wayward boys, and supporting unmarried women who find themselves ‘in the family way’. She is respected by some and ridiculed by others. Part of the ‘petticoat police’, Cocks and her fellow officer Ethel Bromley are not educated in the law and, unlike their male colleagues, are not permitted to carry a gun. Despite these limitations, Kate and Ethel set out to solve the murder of Dora Black, a shop assistant found drowned at Glenelg Beach. The author’s skill as a historian brings Adelaide to life as Kate and Ethel move between high society galas and opium-riddled brothels, exposing the corrupt and immoral underbelly of the City of Churches. Kate Cocks is not like Phryne Fisher; she is a teetotaler and a strict Methodist. However, this novel will still appeal to fans of Miss Fisher’s adventures. Anderson is an accomplished storyteller, and she has crafted a cosy crime read that is equal parts intriguing mystery and fascinating historical study. Hopefully, there are more Kate Cocks adventures to come.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Coco McGrath is a freelance editor and former bookseller. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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