Lainie Anderson – författare

The indomitable Miss Cocks and Ethel Bromley return for Book Two in the bestselling and charmingly cosy Petticoat Police Mystery Series, inspired by one of Australia's first policewomen.Adelaide, September 1917. Six months after solving the Dora Black case, Kate Cocks and Ethel Bromley are back walking the beat. The city is unsettled. Winter won't leave. Soldiers are returning from the Front with broken bodies and troubled souls. And now a powerful board governor has been found dead in the Art Gallery - dumped beneath a scandalous nude painting that has attracted both pious outrage and record crowds.When Ethel receives an anonymous tip, she's elated at being seconded to the Detective Branch. The murder goes to the heart of Adelaide's elite, where this society girl is in her element. Miss Cocks is left grappling with six o'clock swills, shadows in alleyways and a brutal assault on a schoolgirl. She needs Ethel to catch her killer, and quickly.Alas, murder in Adelaide is never a simple affair . . .Inspired by the true story of Australia's pioneering policewoman, Kate Cocks.'Immersive, well-researched period detective fiction with a pioneering crime-fighting duo whose contrasting methods and personalities add drama and social complexity to each mystery they tackle' THE AGE'A captivating mix of history and invention, with an unforgettable real-life heroine at its heart. I loved it' VIKKI WAKEFIELD, author of To the River'There's morality, art, history - a really engaging read. It's quite extraordinary' ABC THE BOOKSHELF'Compelling . . . Anderson skilfully blends truth and fiction. It touches the heart as well as the mind - while inspiring a desire to play history detective' THE CONVERSATION'Vivid. Refreshing. Propulsive and engaging. These books are such fun, and perfect for anyone who loved Sulari Gentill's Rowland Sinclair series, or Robert Gott's William Power and Titus Lambert books' READINGS'All the genius of the perfect cosy crime: characters to fall in love with and sumptuous attention to detail, blended with gruesome death and bleak truth. Thank goodness Kate and Ethel are back' MICHELLE PRAK, author of The Rush

The irresistibly charming and cosy first novel in the bestselling Petticoat Police Mystery series, inspired by the true story of Australia's pioneering policewoman, Kate Cocks 'An outstanding debut - funny, poignant, historically fascinating, and an absorbingly good crime read - The Death of Dora Black keeps you guessing to the very end' PIP WILLIAMS Summer, 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?'The perfect cosy read. How refreshing to read historical crime fiction set in Adelaide during the Great War and focused on women' ANGELA SAVAGE'Will have you engrossed and addictively flipping those pages' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Armchair detectives will love this debut novel' WOMAN'S DAY'Compelling . . . Anderson skilfully blends truth and fiction. It touches the heart as well as the mind - while inspiring a desire to play history detective' THE CONVERSATION'Engrossing and entertaining . . . Anderson is an accomplished storyteller and she has crafted a cosy crime read that is equal parts intriguing mystery and fascinating historical study' BOOKS+PUBLISHING'There is something profoundly addictive about Anderson's writing. It's warm, fast-paced and full of rich details that make it feel as though the story is oozing off the pages . . . Stunningly thought-out and accurately detailed' BETTER READING