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The Secret Detective Agency

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The Secret Detective Agency

By: Helena Dixon
Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
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About this listen

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.
Animals Cosy Historical Mystery Private Investigators Crime Cats Detective
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I found that there were too many characters who lets say didn't have speaking parts and while not on the face of it a complex mystery, I lost track of who was who. So much so that at the "denouement" I really could not remember who the villain was from earlier in the story!
I might try another book because other reviews aren't bad... perhaps it was an issue with abridgement?

Good narrator, good voice characterisations, but...

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I've listened to all of the Kitty Underhay stories and they've definitely served a purpose for me as sound 'whodunnits' that are 'nice', on days when I need 'niceness' to wash over and engage me.
This start of a new series with Jane Treen is still 'cosy', but with a slightly more grit. The author's broad brush strokes of description of the deaths (there's a few) and the bombs' destruction and aftermath are enough to conjure a picture, without labouring the awfulness that some authors relish doing.
Nice period detail to take you to 1941.
Good plot and the ultimate culprit was one of my two suspects, pleasingly, although the motive eluded me for most of the book.
An enjoyable story with interesting and different characters, although the cat was superfluous to the overall plot requirements really. I feel that he was carted along on Jane's mission to add to her 'quirkiness'.
The narrator was excellent and I was easily able to distinguish different characters. She injected just the right amount of feeling at the exciting/dangerous parts of the story, but it was beautifully understated (a good thing in my opinion!) and made me think of 'Keep Calm And Carry On'.
Overall, a satisfying listen and I will be getting the next book.

Great start to a new series

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I have quite a few of the books from the Kitty Underhey series and while they aren’t bad they are a bit ‘nice’ and predictable and aren’t always my go to books to listen to.

This new book though is a completely different writing style and is absolutely brilliant. There were multiple options for the ‘who did it’ and the character are really well written. I’ve already pre-preferred the next one anyway.

Great story line - absolutely brilliant

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Narration is a little monotonous so concentration is require or you may nod off. Story line could be picked to pieces but if you’re looking for a story to just enjoy then it’s a good listen. It’s good how the individual characters, with their distinct personalities, become a joined unit.

Easy listen

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I couldn't get in to it as I found the narrator very monotonous. I could not follow the story as I kept wandering off in my brain. Listen to the sample furst. see you you think.

not for me

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