We are absolutely delighted to be presenting Adelaide Hills journalist, author, and firm friend of the bookshop, Lainie Anderson, launching her charming South Australian murder mystery, The Death of Dora Black. This uplifting cosy murder mystery is inspired by the true story of Australia's pioneering policewoman Kate Cocks. Lainie will be in conversation with journalist, Michelle Prak, at 7pm on Monday September 2nd at the Coventry Library, Stirling. Don't miss out on what promises to be a fascinating and entertaining chat about writing, little-known slices of South Australian history, formidable women, and much much more.

In The Death of Dora Black it is summer in 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.*

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. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband Max.

Tickets are $12 (& include a glass of award-winning SC Pannell wine) or you can purchase Ticket + Book for $33 (The Death of Dora Black is $33 just on its own) with the book to be collected at the event. The Death of Dora Black will be on sale for the night for $33. 

If you are unable to attend the event on the night, but would love a copy of the signed book delivered or posted to your South Australian address (free postage) after the event, please select Book Only ($33).

Location

Coventry Library - Stirling
63 Mt Barker RD, Stirling South Australia 5152

Contact Details

08 8339 3931 or books@matildabookshop.com.au