The Secret Detective Agency

A totally gripping historical English cozy murder mystery

Meet Miss Jane Treen–the coffee-drinking cat lover dressed head to toe in tweed, who just happens to be a secret super sleuth!

London, 1941: Miss Jane Treen is at her desk, strong black coffee in hand and fluffy ginger cat by her side, when her top-secret government work is interrupted by an urgent call to Devon. A woman has been found dead in a lake in a place where she shouldn’t have been. Jane needs to gather the clues and find the killer before someone else from the agency gets hurt…

Shy and handsome code-breaker Arthur Cilento is bewildered by the arrival of the efficient Miss Treen and her cat Marmaduke. She bursts into his life unexpectedly, forcing him out of his comfort zone. The reluctant colleagues huddle near the warmth of a crackling fire in Arthur's country home, working to piece together the murderous puzzle at hand.

In the sleepy Devon village, someone is hiding something: but is it the busybody vicar and his sister, the dutiful housekeeper and her secretive son, the stern librarian, or someone else altogether? And who were the people with the woman in the lake on the day she died?

No sooner have Arthur and Jane have drawn up a list of suspects, than a parcel reveals a clue that sends them in hot pursuit of a coded diary stashed in a village church. But as the heavy wooden door slams behind them and a key turns in the lock, one thing is sure: they need to unravel the truth and crack this code before the killer decides their number is up…

But if they can catch the culprit in time, might this unusual pair become the finest crime-solving partnership since Holmes and Watson hung up their hats…?

If you love twisty crime novels, top-secret intrigue and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Helena Dixon’s totally gripping cozy novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and Verity Bright!

©2025 Helena Dixon (P)2025 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Ok for the start of a new series

Ok for a start to a series. I did get a bit tired of reading about Arthur’s lungs and Jane’s cigarettes. I greatly liked Benson. More of Marmaduke would be nice. The narrator was very good.

Engaging

Enjoyed. Bought the second one. The whining about the cigarettes and cat got old. Good twists.

Enjoyable

It was good and I love Helena Dixon. I did figure out the killer pretty early on . I will continue the series.

Intriguing

Fun, spy’s, and drama who could as for more. Not too intense but enough to be entertaining

Delightful - all aspects

This is a terrific cozy old fashioned murder mystery with a timely backstory and historical setting.