The Secret Detective Agency

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!

What readers are saying about The Secret Detective Agency:

‘I ATE this up. what more could I ask for???… Loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Hooked from start to finish… This book is an absolute delight!’ reading_barefoot_on_the_beach

‘DANCE WITH BOOK GLEE AND READ HAPPILY!!… I love the characters! One moment I thought I knew who it was! The next minute a dead body shows up! I devoured it!… Must Read!… Bravo!!! 🍭’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely hooked from the start. Full of action but cosy!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘The reveal. WHOOSH! THAT was unexpected. I was so sure of who it was…I was V E R Y wrong 🙂 . A really great read!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I just loved this book! I read this book within a couple of hours in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was hooked from the very beginning. I LOVED the cat. I need more Marmaduke!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Oh my goodness what a journey. So ridiculously good.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Terrific! Wonderfully paced and beautifully written, kept me enthralled for the entire book.’ Novel Kicks, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Reels you in, I didn’t want to put it down… Kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Keeps you racing and guessing through every moment! Absolutely loved it!’ writergirl5786

‘I devoured The Secret Detective Agency in a single sitting—it was that good! The twists really kept me guessing!’ NetGalley reviewer

‘Oooh! A Second World War spy thriller-cum-murder mystery! Who could resist?’ Reading, Writing, Wandering, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A joy to read! I was glued to the pages!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐