In 1915, Australia’s first female police officers were appointed. In Adelaide, Kate Cocks became the first policewoman in the entire British empire to be paid the same as her male counterparts. Before this, women had worked for the police, but didn’t have the same rights or responsibilities as the men. And while it would be another 30 years before policewomen in South Australia were given proper training, and they patrolled their beat in long skirts and worked at least six days a week, having these indominable women on the force was a huge step towards providing genuine help to those in need. And I simply cannot believe I had never heard of this particular Kate until now. She should be on every school syllabus in the country!

Fortunately, historian Lainie Anderson has brought Kate to life in her new novel, The Death of Dora Black, so we can all read of her heroic exploits. And while the story may be fiction, you won’t forget that this woman really did exist, and that her devotion to others was lifelong and an inspiration.

In this first instalment of the ‘Petticoat Police’ mysteries, Dora Black, a young employee of a large department store in Adelaide, is found dead in the water at Glenelg. At first, Miss Cocks and her junior constable, Ethel Bromley, are not permitted to investigate the death. Instead, they use their connections within the local community, they ask the right questions, and when another woman goes missing, they are already on the case. As Kate and Ethel put their own lives in danger tracking down kidnappers and drug lords, they save many more simply by being there for the women and children let down by society and struggling to survive. Full of warmth and humour, this is a cracking crime novel that will intrigue and impress.