It is my pleasure to share with you the cover reveal for the sixth book in Laraine Stephens’ mystery series, coming August 2026. Preorders coming soon.
Publication Date: August 18, 2026
Series: A Reggie da Costa Mystery, Book 6
Genre: Historical Crime Fiction
Format: Print, Digital
Author Website: larainestephens.com
Book Synopsis
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?
About the author
Laraine Stephens lives in Beaumaris, a bayside suburb of Melbourne, Australia. With an Arts degree from the University of Melbourne, a Diploma of Education and a Graduate Diploma in Librarianship, she worked in secondary schools as a Head of Library. On retirement, Laraine turned her hand to the craft of crime writing. She has a nine-book contract with Level Best Books and was awarded a Judges’ Top Pick for both A Deadly Game and Lies and Deception at the Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference in 2024-2025.