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ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Set in Adelaide in the summer of 1917, this is based on the true life of Miss Kate Cocks, a fascinating woman who became the first policewoman in the British Empire to be paid the same as her male colleagues, and with the same duties (and who was also a churchgoing woman who knew jujitsu, helped 'fallen' women and abhorred the men who placed them in that position).
This vastly enjoyable mystery centres around the death of a shopgirl found drowned on Glenelg Beach, and the efforts Miss Kate Cocks and her junior colleague, Ethel Bromley (a very modern young woman indeed), to uncover the truth.
Full of authentic historical details, fascinating characters and an interesting storyline, this is great reading and highly recommended – and better still, is the first in what I hope will be a long-running series!
I do have one quibble though – don't judge this book by its cover, as it seems the designer wanted a certain jauntiness, so used an ENGLISH magpie instead of an Australian one!!! Let's hope that cultural cringe disappears... Lindy
A charming, uplifting cosy murder mystery inspired by the true story of Australia's pioneering policewoman Kate CocksSummer, Adelaide, 1917. The impeccably dressed Miss Kate Cocks might look more like a schoolmistress than a policewoman, but don't let that fool you. She's a household name, wrangling wayward husbands into repentance, seeing through deceptive clairvoyants, and rescuing young women (whether they like it or not) with the help of a five-foot cane and her sassy junior constable, Ethel Bromley.
When shop assistant Dora Black is found dead on a city beach, Miss Cocks and Ethel are ordered to stay out of the investigation and leave it to the men. But when Dora's workmate goes missing soon after, the women suspect something sinister, and determine to take matters into their own hands. After all, who knows Adelaide better than the indomitable Miss Cocks?In 1915, Fanny Kate Boadicea Cocks became the first policewoman in the British Empire employed on the same salary as men. This novel is a rich exploration of that little-known chapter of Australian history.
By:
Lainie Anderson Imprint: Hachette Australia Country of Publication: Australia Dimensions:
Height: 233mm,
Width: 153mm,
Spine: 27mm
Weight: 400g ISBN:9780733652066 ISBN 10: 0733652069 Series:Petticoat Police Pages: 320 Publication Date:01 September 2024 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Lainie Anderson is a writer whose 35-year career in journalism and public relations includes 17 years as a columnist with Adelaide's Sunday Mail, as well as stints at Melbourne's Herald Sun, London's The Times and the South Australian Tourism Commission. After being awarded a Churchill Fellowship, Lainie published her debut novel Long Flight Home in 2019. In 2024, Lainie completed a PhD with the University of South Australia, researching the life of Kate Cocks, the inspiration behind The Death of Dora Black. Lainie is a board member of Reconciliation South Australia, an ambassador with the Hutt Street Centre, sits on the executive committee of the History Council of South Australia and the selection committee of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. She is a History Guardian for the History Trust of South Australia and was announced as the 2023 Emerging Historian of the Year by the History Council of South Australia. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband Max.
Reviews for The Death of Dora Black (#1 Petticoat Police)
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Set in Adelaide in the summer of 1917, this is based on the true life of Miss Kate Cocks, a fascinating woman who became the first policewoman in the British Empire to be paid the same as her male colleagues, and with the same duties (and who was also a churchgoing woman who knew jujitsu, helped 'fallen' women and abhorred the men who placed them in that position).
This vastly enjoyable mystery centres around the death of a shopgirl found drowned on Glenelg Beach, and the efforts Miss Kate Cocks and her junior colleague, Ethel Bromley (a very modern young woman indeed), to uncover the truth.
Full of authentic historical details, fascinating characters and an interesting storyline, this is great reading and highly recommended – and better still, is the first in what I hope will be a long-running series!
I do have one quibble though – don't judge this book by its cover, as it seems the designer wanted a certain jauntiness, so used an ENGLISH magpie instead of an Australian one!!! Let's hope that cultural cringe disappears... Lindy
