One of my favourite things to do while travelling is to buy books about a certain place or by local authors so when Dex, our Adelaide Walking Tour Guide mentioned 'The Death of Dora Black' while walking along North Terrace last week I knew this was a book I had to find while staying the Adelaide. Thankfully, Imprints Booksellers was a quick walk from the hotel so within 24 hours I had my own copy of The Death of Dora Black. 

What was immediately striking to me about this novel was the character of Kate, a true female pioneer and a notable figure within the city of Adelaide, a particularly progressive place. I enjoyed how much I learnt about her work, in particular the care she had for women and children and whilst I acknowledge that she is not the perfect character, her legacy, in relation to her work as a police woman is significant. 

I think it is also worth mentioning the character of Ethel (Kate's partner) was a nice touch to represent the reader and more modern views on gender, sex and relationships. 

I felt like many of the plot points were blatantly laid out and perhaps some of the mysteries unravelled too quickly for my liking. Overall  I really appreciated the mentions of places in Adelaide (and surrounds) that I had seen or visited while staying the city recently. It was the exact reason why I wanted to purchase the book in the first place. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series. 

I purchased my copy from Imprint Booksellers, Adelaide. 

Podcast recommendation: Stories Behind The Story: Lainie Anderson on Kate Cook's life as South Australian's First female police officer.