Book Review: The Bathing Box Murders by Laraine Stephens

Laraine Stephens combines an ingenious murder mystery with richly detailed Australian history in The Bathing Box Murders, another entertaining installment in the Reggie da Costa mystery series. Set in Melbourne in 1928, the novel offers an absorbing mixture of buried secrets, financial deception, social unrest, family tragedy, and old-fashioned investigative work.

The mystery begins after a ferocious storm strikes Melbourne’s bayside suburbs. When the weather clears, a solitary walker ventures onto Brighton Beach and discovers that one of the bathing boxes has been knocked from its foundations. Beneath it are two shallow depressions in the sand. His curiosity turns to horror when he begins digging and hooks his finger through the eye socket of a human skull.

The remains belong to wealthy businessman J. Arnold Witherspoon and his wife, Hope, who were believed to have left Australia for an extended European tour eight years earlier. During their supposed travels, their lawyer continued receiving letters containing instructions about their house, money, investments, and other affairs. If the Witherspoons were dead all that time, who wrote those letters—and who benefited from keeping the couple officially alive?

That compelling question draws senior crime reporter Reggie da Costa into the investigation. Reggie is not a police detective, but his experience, contacts, curiosity, and instinct for detecting inconsistencies make him an unusually effective investigator. He works closely with Detective Inspector Clary Blain, although their relationship is never entirely selfless. Clary appreciates Reggie’s insights, while Reggie depends upon the inspector for information that will help him produce sensational stories for The Argus.

Reggie is a wonderfully distinctive protagonist. Intelligent, observant, charming, and frequently vain, he takes almost as much pride in his immaculate suits and carefully maintained moustache as he does in his investigative achievements. His self-confidence sometimes borders on conceit, but it is tempered by humor and genuine affection for the people around him. His marriage to Ruby brings warmth to the story, while his interactions with his mother, Mavis, produce some of the novel’s funniest moments.

Will “Dusty” Rhodes, Reggie’s assistant and brother-in-law, provides an effective contrast. Dusty retains a strong sympathy for Melbourne’s working class, particularly the waterside workers whose bitter strike forms an important secondary storyline. Reggie, meanwhile, understands that The Argus expects its reporters to support the government and police. Their disagreement raises interesting questions about journalistic objectivity, class loyalty, and the compromises people make to advance professionally.

Stephens does an excellent job of connecting the murder investigation to the wider tensions of 1928 Melbourne. Violence on the waterfront, attacks against strikebreakers, gambling debts, blackmail, suspicious financial ventures, and the apparent suicide of a businessman initially seem like separate matters. Gradually, however, links begin to emerge. The discovery of additional remains beneath other bathing boxes makes the case even more disturbing and expands the investigation far beyond the deaths of the Witherspoons.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its sense of time and place. The streets, beaches, hotels, newspaper offices, houses, clothing, automobiles, and social divisions of Melbourne are described vividly. Historical events are integrated into the plot rather than merely added as background decoration. The waterfront dispute is especially effective because it affects both the city and the relationships among the characters. Period newspaper articles written by Reggie and Dusty appear throughout the novel, reinforcing the journalistic perspective while providing concise accounts of important developments.

The investigation unfolds through interviews, newspaper research, legal and financial records, personal correspondence, school documents, and physical evidence. Stephens allows clues to accumulate gradually, giving readers an opportunity to consider competing explanations. The solution reaches back across decades and involves a particularly dark story of identity, mistreatment, resentment, and greed. Although the final revelation is complex, the essential clues are planted earlier, making the conclusion feel earned rather than artificially imposed.

With several investigations and historical subplots operating simultaneously, the middle portion occasionally moves more deliberately than the opening. There are also many names, financial connections, and past events for readers to remember. Nevertheless, the apparent digressions ultimately contribute to the larger picture, and the short chapters help maintain momentum.

The Bathing Box Murders is a thoughtful and engaging historical mystery with an unusual premise, an appealing cast, and an exceptionally well-developed setting. It should satisfy readers who enjoy traditional mysteries built around patient investigation, buried family secrets, and carefully assembled clues. The novel also works as a portrait of a city caught between prosperity and hardship, respectability and corruption, and the lingering past and an uncertain future.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Review:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8948218943