The Afternoon Tea Murders
(The Secret Detective Agency #4)
by Helena Dixon

Amazon / B&N / BB

Tea and cake on the terrace, views of the Devon hills… and a dead body in the local village? This is one for Jane Treen…!

London, 1942. Miss Jane Treen is at her desk in Whitehall, sipping a strong coffee, when she receives an urgent message about her colleague, codebreaker Arthur Cilento. He’s in danger in Devon, and Jane needs to get there sharpish. But before her bags are properly unpacked, the local teashop owner in Arthur’s village is found lying amidst the scones and teacakes… and she’s dead.

When Jane arrives, it quickly becomes clear that the murder is a half-baked attempt to curdle Arthur’s current codebreaking mission – but how? There seem to be suspects at every turn. Is Arthur’s boss going to extremes to cover up his incompetence? Can the teashop customers be trusted? And what about the secretary, who seems to have secret links to the village teashop…

Spurred on by scones and clotted cream, Jane and Arthur start to whip up a theory as to who the killer could be. But just as they begin to make progress, someone else is murdered – and it looks like Arthur could be next. They need to solve this case quickly, before teatime is over and Arthur meets a sticky end…

If you love twisty crime novels, top-secret intrigue, and the very best of Golden Age mysteries, then you will adore Helena Dixon’s utterly gripping cozy novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey, and Verity Bright!

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

The wind was cold and whistled through the bare branches of the trees lining the lane, making the boughs creak and groan like arthritic old men.

Everyone was silent and the tension in the room made the air feel like soup.

Noel licked his lips after speaking as if his mouth had grown dry with the revelations.

You will never win. There are many more of us, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The right things.

My Review:

Helena Dixon is a master storyteller who weaves an intriguing web of subterfuge in this well-plotted and confounding cozy murder mystery. I would never have solved these cleverly contrived and entertaining conundrums on my own. Still, I certainly enjoyed watching from the sidelines as Miss Jane Treen kept stumbling over dead bodies. The poor gal seems to be a death magnet.

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.