Today I am delighted to be taking part in the Bookouture blog tour for fifth installment in The Secret Detective Agency – The Crossword Murders by Helena Dixon
Synopsis
A crossword that’s tricky to crack, a hot cup of coffee… and hidden clues? Can Jane Treen work this mystery out?
England, 1942. Jane Treen is hot-footing it to Devon, having received an urgent message from her colleague and fellow sleuth, Arthur Cilento. He had been deeply worried for his mentor, crossword writer Professor Watkins. And the invitation he’s sent Jane is to the Professor’s funeral… he’s dead.
Arthur suspects foul play, but before they have time to fill in the blanks, their clues lead them into a secret vault nearby. Jane, fluffy ginger cat by her side, begins to connect the dots. But then another man is murdered, and she realises that Professor Watkins’ death is one piece in a much larger and deadlier game.
But who could be behind the untimely deaths? Could the professor’s beloved sister be responsible? Or a wealthy and influential benefactor and her assistant? And someone else close to the professor – also no stranger to compiling a crossword – seems to be increasingly cryptic too.
It’s clear that the killer isn’t playing by the book. And when the clue the professor left in the last crossword he wrote doesn’t help them to solve the crime, Jane and Arthur are back to square one and must think outside the box to crack the code. But just as they start to figure out what’s happening, they find themselves trapped, their lives at stake…
Can the duo solve the puzzle and escape before it’s too late?
If you love twisty crime novels and top-secret intrigue, then you will adore Helena Dixon’s utterly gripping cozy novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright!
It is a slightly wet, grey Sunday afternoon as I sit typing this. Autumn is here and it is the perfect time of year to retreat into a cosy crime novel. A little puzzling to solve and the chance to return to some familiar characters – characters who are becoming more and more likeable as the series goes on. It has been lovely reading this series from the beginning and so if you love a little cosy crime and haven’t yet discovered The Secret Detective Agency series then may suggest you give yourself a treat and start at book number 1 – The Secret Detective Agency. But today, I am here to talk about book 5.
It was a pleasure to return to Jane and Arthur and accompany them along on their next adventure. This time, a friend of Arthur’s has died and although seemingly from a heart attack, there is the small matter of the cryptic message he sent to Arthur just before his death. Arthur and Jane smell a rat and so begin to investigate and find themselves at the heart of the Governments efforts to save the nations art treasures from the hands of the enemy. Someone is not who they seem within the top secret storage facility and the nations security and the very future of the war could be at stake if Jane and Arthur are unable to discover just what it was his friend uncovered before his untimely death.
Helena obviously does a great deal of historical research for her novels and the details make for fascinating reading. It is an engaging and endearing series. I am enjoying watching the feelings between Arthur and Jane deepen but I can’t quite decide if they are heading towards a romantic or just very close friends relationship. The crimes themselves of course take centre stage within the novel but it is fascinating watching the dynamics between the characters and getting to know them better with each new book that comes along. It is a lovely series to escape back to the past, a past filled with danger and an unknown future but always with hope for a better tomorrow. A new case is ready and waiting for Jane and Arthur at the end of the book and I look forward to going along for the ride when the time come.
Thank you to Sarah at Bookouture for inviting me to take part in this blog tour and for sending me a copy of the book via Netgalley. It has been a pleasure as always.
If you would like to find out more about the book then please visit here: https://bookouture.com/books/4229/. It is available to buy now and I’m sure will be obtainable from your local bookshop.
Thank you for visiting today. I do hope you come back again soon.
Happy reading!
Shelley
