The Death of Dora Black: A Petticoat Police Mystery: Book 1

By Lainie Anderson

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

'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

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0733653618
• ISBN13: 9780733653612
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Hachette Australia
• Length: 320 Pages