Jane Treen is employed at a top secret government agency. Recently, many of her agents have been murdered. She is then sent to Devon to investigate the most recent one. Arthur Cilento is a code breaker and happens to own the estate where the latest victim was found. Though unhappy to be working together, Jane and Arthur are tasked to figure out what happened and to prevent any additional murders.

This was a good, cozy detective book and I am very interested to see where the rest of the series goes from here. I listened to the audiobook format, and I have to say that it was very well narrated and perfectly paced. I enjoyed following Jane and Arthur through the investigation and the interaction between the two characters. A great, quick mystery for anyone.

Thank you Bookouture, NetGalley, and Helena Dixon for this eALC in exchange for my honest review.

I highly enjoyed this audiobook.

The story is interesting, the characters are great.
Kristin Atherton's performance is absolutely wonderful.

The story is rather slow pasted but never boring or lengthy. 
It feels like England during the Second World War is captured well, and every character has their good reason for existence.
No character is "over the top" they all feel realistic and adequate.
Kristin Atherton does a fantastic job bringing every character alive, no matter how small the part is.

Thank you so much, Bookouture Audio, for giving me a free copy.

This book was excellent and such a great surprise. I've read this author before, but the story was so different from the Murder At the Dolphin! (Both are excellent books though.)

This book was full of intrigue and mystery, very similar in feel to Christie's Tommy and Tuppence series. The juxtaposition of the two main characters is excellent, and I love how they play off each other. The mystery kept you guessing, and that ending was beautifully done. I can't wait to read more of this series!

Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio forgiving to access to this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my goodness what a journey.

The narrator, Kristin Atherton, is exquisite. Her voices for all the characters were distinct and so ridiculously good. I'm so happy she voiced this lovely book.

The Secret Detective Agency is a great read. It reminded me a lot of the 2001 movie Enigma with a dash charming sense of humor.

Jane was an interesting FMC, I'll admit it took me quite a bit to warm up to her, but once I did I really appreciated her a lot more! (Although... if I never hear the word coffee or cigarette again it'll be too soon.)

Arthur was a bit easier to warm up to, and I really thought he was a strong, silent character who was a good complement to Jane. (And like the point above I wish he had just told her she was irritating his asthma.)

Other than that I thought they worked really well together. It was nice seeing their adversarial relationship evolve into something much softer.

The book itself was really nice and I'd give it 3.5 stars, but I'm bumping it up to 4.5 for Kristin Atherton, she made this fun book that much more enjoyable!

Helena Dixon’s *The Secret Detective Agency* is an engaging and entertaining mystery that blends wartime intrigue with classic sleuthing. Set in 1941, the novel introduces Miss Jane Treen, a sharp-witted, tweed-clad investigator whose top-secret government work is interrupted by a baffling murder case in Devon. With her ever-loyal feline companion, Marmaduke, and the reluctant but endearing Arthur Cilento, Jane must navigate a web of secrets to uncover the truth.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its atmospheric setting. Dixon vividly brings 1940s England to life, from the crackling fires of Arthur’s countryside home to the shadowy corners of a sleepy village hiding more than its fair share of secrets. The period details add richness to the story without overwhelming the plot.

Jane Treen is a fantastic protagonist—intelligent, independent, and refreshingly no-nonsense. Her dynamic with Arthur is well-crafted, balancing light humor with moments of genuine warmth as their unlikely partnership develops. The mystery itself is engaging, full of red herrings and intriguing suspects, keeping the reader guessing until the final reveal.

However, the novel does have some minor drawbacks. At times, the pacing slows as the characters sift through clues and codes, and some plot points feel a little predictable. A bit more tension or urgency in certain moments would have heightened the suspense.

Overall, *The Secret Detective Agency* is a charming and well-written historical mystery with a strong female lead, an intriguing whodunit, and just the right amount of humor and heart. Fans of classic detective fiction will find much to enjoy. ★★★★☆

Huuge thanks to Bookouture Audio for audiobook via NetGalley🎧🩷

The story about mysteriously murdered agents written in the agatha christie style set in 1941? Count me in🙌📚And that small town vibe crackling-fireplace thing? Oh yeah😍

Jane Treen is curious character with a cut tongue, a sense of humor, and an amazing detective.🕵️ And HEAVY smoker, unfortunately😂 - she should be dead after that much cigarettes!! Smoking near asthmatic arthur? - does she wanna kill that poor man?😅🤔

Arthur Cilento, a smart quiet man who has talent for code breaking📝, is forced to step out of his safe comfort zone because of live Jane - and he doesn’t really enjoy it, but…🤭

Partnership between the two of them?😏😁 Cheeeck.
Funny moments? Check.
Protecting each other? Check.
Twists and ending you didn’t see coming?🧩 Check.

At the start it was quite confusing because lots of characters were thrown into the story and I have a bad memory when it comes to the names soo it wasn’t easy but I figured it out later on.

Overall I really enjoyed observe Jane’s and Arthur’s investigation and I’m very excited for second book.🤭💖📖
Aaand a big round of applause for the great narrator of this book, Kristin Atherton.😌👏

The Secret Detective Agency scratches that cosy mystery itch that fans of Miss Marple and the Thursday Murder club will enjoy. The book is also a period piece, of sorts, as it takes place during World War II and follows Miss Jane Treen as she tries to figure out why some of her agents are turning up dead.

The protagonist is likeable and the dynamic that Jane and the code-breaker Arthur develop, is something I quite enjoyed and look forward to reading more about in the, hopefully, more books to come in this series. As a murder mystery this first book had more of the former than the detective/sleuthing that one would expect of the latter, but for a cosy read it did the job as at no point did I feel the need to require a breather from this book. The story is easy to follow and the plot winds about just enough to keep one guessing as to the identity of the final culprit. That being said, we can only do so much with the information that is provided and the final reveal is a little underwhelming, and rushed, in my opinion.

I will definitely be reading more books in this series should they come out, and this book is a fun, cosy, and quick read for anyone who needs a pallet cleanser in their reading. Definitely recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC!

This is the first book in a quick-paced detective series. Jane Treen gives strong Miss Marple vibes but with a lot more sass, coffee, and cigarettes! Set in England during WWII, there's a wider backdrop of mystery and subterfuge going on, which adds to the urgency of solving the case. Jane has a partner in solving this crime, and while neither of them are particularly happy to be working together, they make a good team.

I thought the narrator did a great job. She managed to give all of the characters a distinct voice without going over the top.

This was a fast read and fits the "cozy mystery" genre in that there is no real graphic violence, but I'd call it witty rather than cutesy. An interesting new character was introduced right at the very end who I know will pop up again which means I'll be picking up book #2.

While I read a variety of different book genres, cozy mysteries are my favorite. I also appreciate old black and white films. The writing in The Secret Detective Agency by Helena Dixon alongside with Kristin Atherton’s narration transported me to 1941. The characters were intriguing and I liked the twists. Although the book was a bit long for a typical cozy mystery (7h 25m/324 pages), it was quite enjoyable, and could easily be turned into a movie.

A rather slow mystery that took a while to get into, but a good beginning of a series. There was a lot of focus on the animosity between Jane and Arthur that was just a bit too much at times and with little reason. The mystery was wrapped up a little too quickly, and seemed to come out of left field a bit. I enjoyed the wartime setting, and the details that really immersed you into the time period. I will most likely read more in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced audiobook, all opinions are my own.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story, and I enjoyed it, although I found it quite difficult to get into.
I thought the 2nd half was better, it kept my interest more, and it made it worthwhile.
I liked the narrator.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Helena Dixon's writing and have devoured her other series (Miss Underhay).
I found the setting of World War 2 very compelling, and the added danger and tension this added was central to the plot. I loved the developing camaraderie between Arthur and Jane, and felt their strengths worked well together. The setting of the mystery, in a small village in the English countryside was a welcome change to other books set at this time that tend to be in London. The writing was witty, and kept me guessing right to the very end.
I'd recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, cosy mysteries and to people with an interest in spies and intelligence.

I have not read anything by this author previously, but I definitely will be in the future! I thoroughly enjoyed this book as well as the narration. I wasn’t sure how I felt about each characters’ perspectives at first, but ended up absolutely loving both characters and their dynamic. This was a very well done mystery, and I felt that while this book did a great job portraying the time period and certain characteristics that draw many into reading pieces set during WWII, it didn’t go so far that I felt I had chosen historical fiction over a good mystery. Well done! I can’t wait to read the next in the series!

This is the first in a new cozy mystery series starring Jane Treen and Arthur Cilento which was a pleasure to listen to and an entertaining murder-mystery set during World War 2.

The author has created three great characters in Jane, Arthur and his 'man-servant' Benson; they make a great team although I admit it took me a while to warm to Jane as she is quite a prickly person; she certainly tests Arthur's patience with her love of smoking and no-nonsense manner.

The story does take a little bit to get going but once it does, it is intriguing and compelling with a very satisfying ending. The narration was excellent although I think it would have been even better had there been a male narrator as well but Kristen did a great job nevertheless.

Overall, despite the slow start, I thoroughly enjoyed it and many thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of this very enjoyable cozy murder-mystery and a decent start to a new series and one which I look forward to following.

I would definitely say this is a "cozy mystery". In my personal preference, I am not a big fan of these types of mysteries. I would have liked more thrill to hold my attention. The writing style was nice and people who like "cozy Mysteries" will enjoy it.

Not memorable.

The Secret Detective Agency follows Miss Jane Treen, a coffee-drinking cat lover who is also a secret detective. She's been asked to help with a case in Devon involving a woman who was found in a lake. Mr. Arthur Cilent, who specializes in code-breaking, comes along for the ride. Together, they take this once quiet village by storm, uncovering clues that point to a hidden coded diary and a dangerous killer.

I wanted to like this book, unfortunately, it was just so slow and not very attention-grabbing. Maybe I need to give this another go.


Thank you to Helena Dixon, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the audio-digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'd describe this book as a cozy mystery with a kinda humor in it.

This is a typical cozy mystery in a historical setting. Writing was atmospheric but never improved in my opinion. The characters had more potential where the story starts with secret detectives within the military agency. I liked the character combo of a gineuse home-body, his manservant and military agency coordinator who are a mismatched team that comes together to solve a military mystery.

The feeling of a small town and close relationship between the characters was fun to enjoy. The banter between sort the main characters was so fun, yet I think there's so much potential. But since this is the first book, it felt like a setup for a slow-paced build up to a series. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading cozy mysteries in small towns.

If you are looking for a cozy murder mystery set in the World War II, then you've picked up the right book. Miss Jane and her begrudging partner Arthur, are thrown together to solve the case of a woman who's body was found on Arthur's property.

Miss treen enters Arthur's life like a bit of a storm, forceful and in a swirl of cigarette smoke. She also brings her cat and an overnight bag as she plans to stay for a while, whether he likes it or not. In some ways, I find her attitude of moving into his space, and potentially his sanctuary, in an incredibly aggressive manner. I think I am a far more a fan of Arthur, than Miss Treen and her brusque manner which I see as rude and imposing on the people around her.

The mystery itself is certainly one I enjoyed as the unlikely duo must determine who their suspects are and who had the motive, means, and opportunity. Because as the case evolves we learn the woman on the edge of Arthur's property was not the only victim, and she certainly isn't the last either.

I feel as though the author did a good job with weaving a spy narrative with cozy mystery, murder and intrigue. Though finding her footing in this series, I do hope future books in the series will be just as fun and entertaining.

I really enjoyed this first book in The Secret Detective Agency series. This cozy mystery with interesting twists. The book is set in England in 1941 and Jane Treen is tasked with solving murder that could impact the ongoing war. As a fellow cat lover my favorite character was Marmaduke the one eyed ginger cat. Helena Dixon’s story is engaging and full of unique characters. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. Kristin Atherton did an excellent job with the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture Audio for letting me read this ARC.

The Secret Detective Agency by Helena Dixon is a captivating historical cozy murder mystery that keeps the reader hooked from start to finish. Set in a charming English town, the story brilliantly blends intriguing characters, a compelling plot, and rich historical details. Helena Dixon’s writing transports you to a time of suspense and secrets, while Kristin Atherton’s narration brings each character to life with warmth and precision. (I received an advance listener copy and all opinions are my own.) If you love a good mystery with a dash of British charm, this book is an absolute delight!