The Secret Detective Agency

By: Helena Dixon

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton

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.

Engaging

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

WW 2 British secret agents

While I liked the premise of this cozy mystery, I was disappointed by the woman partner. Actually I was also a bit disappointed by the male partner too. I didn’t find either character very appealing. She continually paid no attention to his asthma with her smoking and her cat. He let her.
The reader did a fair performance. The voice for men was passable. I did like her cadence and overall read, but not by much.
I don’t normally leave this kind of review, but I just found this overall story disappointing.

Exciting and engaging

My husband and I listened to this on an extended driving trip. He found it wonderful and I found it exciting that I found a new series to follow. I have liked Helena Dixon‘s writing for a long time, and this is even better than the other series. The characters are fun and interesting, the atmosphere is tense, and the narrator brings the entire thing to life. The narrator is superb.

Get this author a nicotine patch!

I have no idea why anyone would want to add so much detail about a filthy habit like smoking. Ever heard the expression "like licking an ashtray"? Well this story is like that. Total fixation on cigarettes takes 2 entire stars off. Not only is it gross to think of how disgusting the entire scene would smell, and how gross the main characters teeth and clothes must be, the fact she continues to chain smoke in the presence of someone with serious lung issues is absurd. Just WHY???

Too many implausibilities

I liked the portrayal of wartime London. I thought the main character was insufferable and the villains actions made no sense.