THE BATHING BOX MURDERS

Melbourne 1928. A raging storm sweeps the beach at Brighton, toppling one of the bathing boxes and revealing the graves of J. Arnold Witherspoon, a successful businessman, and his wife, Hope. Crime reporter Reggie da Costa, devotee of fashionable suits and stylish automobiles, uncovers an intriguing mystery: How can the Witherspoons be controlling their financial affairs and property holdings from abroad if they are lying dead under the sand? Complicating matters, a respected shipping company owner, while attempting to rob a bank, turns the gun on himself. Is there a connection between these bizarre deaths? Can Reggie uncover the truth?

. . .

“An excellent entry in the Reggie Da Costa series, The Bathing Box Murdershas an intriguing plot, delivered with a great sense of historical place, time, and men's fashion. Beware though, you may find yourself looking more closely at the beautiful bathing boxes that still line many of Port Phillip Bay's beaches.” 

~ AustCrimeFiction

“Melbourne reporter Reggie da Costa is back sleuthing in Laraine Stephens’ enjoyable new historical mystery The Bathing Box Murders. Combining interesting 1920s historical detail, clever plotting and a rich cast of fictional and real-life characters, The Bathing Box Murders is a must read for fans of historical murder mysteries.” 

~ Jeff Popple, Murdermayhemandlongdogs.com

“Stephens provides a cracking read in The Bathing Box Murders with its depiction of the social scene, politics and grimy underbelly of 1920s Melbourne. Her sartorially elegant journalist, Reggie da Costa, acts as both sleuth and reporter as he cleverly hunts down the murderer aided by a memorable cast of characters. Fast paced and packed with twists and turns, the book is well-crafted and highly enjoyable.” 

~ Elisabeth Storrs, author of Fables & Lies and A Tale of Ancient Rome Trilogy