Murder Most British
(The Secret Detective Agency #3)
by Helena Dixon

Amazon / B&N / BB

Big Ben chiming in the distance, chilly walks along the river Thames, cocktails at the Ritz… and a government secretary dead? Only Jane Treen can solve the case!

London, 1941. Miss Jane Treen is faced with another mysterious disappearance within her Secret Detective Agency’s team. Tabitha Moore, a government typist, was on her way to meet Jane with vital information about some secret codes. But she didn’t turn up for work and has seemingly vanished without a trace. Then Jane and her colleague, handsome codebreaker Arthur Cilento, receive a call: a body has been found, and it matches Tabitha’s description…It quickly becomes clear that Tabitha’s death was not due to ongoing air raids, as the silk scarf tied tightly around her neck suggests otherwise. The prime suspect is Tabitha’s fiancé, Leo Cavendish, a dashing government official; however, there are several others with a motive as well. Jane and Arthur scrutinize those around Tabitha at work and at home, including a charming newsreader reporting on government affairs, a jealous pianist in love with Leo, and a notorious womanizer and gambler fond of causing trouble.

Together, Jane, Arthur, and her fluffy ginger cat Marmaduke hole up in her London townhouse, with black coffee in plentiful supply and a roaring fire in the grate. But just as they begin to piece together the puzzle, someone else is found dead. They need to step up and catch the killer on the loose in the big smoke, before it’s their turn next…

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!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

The city was busy and the air in the tube station smelt of stale humanity…The government had tried to stop people from heading there when the sirens had sounded since there was a chronic lack of facilities. Jane thought they might as well have stood on the beach like King Canute trying to stop the tide from coming in.

‘You are quite merciless when you get going,’ Arthur remarked, looking at her with a mix of wonderment and fear. Jane shrugged. ‘We need to stir things up a little if we are to get some answers.’ Arthur considered that there was a difference between stirring things up and applying gunpowder to a hornet’s nest.

He had never been good at dancing. Not even after the lessons at Miss Mornington’s Dance School for young ladies and gentlemen when he had been about twelve or thirteen. He suppressed a shudder at the memory of having to learn to waltz under Miss Mornington’s eagle eye. He had been partnered with a ghastly, round-faced girl called Petunia Waddington who had smelt of stale cabbage and who giggled at nothing. She was also heavy-footed and would often leave him with bruised toes.

My Review:

I enjoy Helena Dixon’s wry Brit humor, which is often sneakily inserted as inner musings and descriptions in the midst of more serious exchanges. Her characters vary greatly in likability, while authentically quirky, annoying, selfish, driven, and entirely human. While I don’t always like Jane, I empathize with her most of the time. I adore the beleaguered Arthur and also adore and covet his devoted butler, Benson. We could all use a Benson in our lives.

About the Author

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Helena Dixon is the author of the best-selling Miss Underhay murder mystery series and lives in Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years, she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel, and housework. She was the winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon.