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
