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…?
Helena Dixon
Helena Dixon’s writing is a delicate dance of suspense, wit, and historical intrigue. With an eye for detail and a love for the past, Dixon has crafted a unique space in the world of cozy mysteries, where readers are not only swept up in intriguing whodunits but also immersed in richly drawn worlds that feel as alive as the characters that populate them.
Born and raised in the heart of England, Dixon’s childhood was steeped in the kind of history that so often finds its way into her work. From the cobblestone streets of charming villages to the whispers of past secrets, it’s clear that the stories of the past have always been a part of her. Her love for writing began early, and it wasn’t long before she started spinning tales that captured the intrigue of the British countryside, mixing suspense with a sharp eye for detail.
The Secret Detective Agency
Step into a world where secrets lurk in every shadow, and every clue leads to deeper mysteries. The Secret Detective Agency series, set in the 1940s, introduces readers to an unlikely but dynamic duo—Jane Treen, a government operative with a sharp mind and a quiet strength, and Arthur Cilento, a reserved but brilliant code-breaker. Together, they form a pair whose contrasting skills make them an unstoppable force in the world of clandestine investigations.
The Secret Detective Agency consists of four books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
