Travel back in time to 1917 Adelaide where female police officer Kate Cocks and her off-sider Constable Ethel Bromley who “never enters a room when she could burst into it” are investigating the puzzling death of Dora Black, whose body was found in the water off Glenelg Pier. The established police suspect suicide. Two bottles of liquid opium were found in Dora’s purse. But the accessory itself is suspicious – the beaded treasure wouldn’t look out of place in the hand of an aristocrat. Something doesn’t add up.
Declaring Dora’s death a suicide would bring shame upon her family, and both Kate and Ethel want to ensure all other possibilities are thoroughly investigated before that happens. The traditional cops see Kate and Ethel as little more than “the petticoat police” and they are told to stick to women’s business. But they won’t be thrown off so easily. This is the opening act of Lainie Anderson’s delightful new murder mystery series which is based on the life of the real Kate Cocks, who was the first woman in the British Empire to be given the same salary and powers of arrest as men.
Lainie, a journalist and historian, embarked upon a PhD to research the life and times of Ms Cocks. The result is a delightful novel that is not only an entertaining crime read, but a fascinating and eye-opening window into Australia during the first world war.
The real Kate Cocks provides rich material for a ripping read. She was a woman of eccentricities and contradictions. She was morally upright, conservative and deeply religious. Yet she loved to shop and adored fashion. Moore’s Department store provides a focal point for the novel, and we get to see Ms Cocks apply her wit and Holmesian powers of observation to crack a shoplifting case.
Kate’s official duties include chaperoning unaccompanied women and children, helping widows arrested for drinking too much brandy out of the watchhouse with a little sympathetic lying, and taking violent husbands to task. She wields the Lord’s Prayer as a tool for reform and carries a five-foot cane to impose her views on pre-marital flirting.
In contrast, Ethel offers a more modern take on society. Together, they make a very likeable, highly readable pair. Other characters who fill out the world are drawn from real-life examples, as are some of the elements that sound like they’re added for comic effect. Women Police in South Australia at the time were all taught Jiu Jitsu. They were not taught the law.
Every page of this enjoyable story glimmers with detail. The reader can sense Lainie’s relish as she delved into the archives at the South Australian police historical society and dug out gems from the past to assemble into this fine jewel of a novel.
Buy The Death of Dora Black here and read our interview with author Lainie Anderson here.
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