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The Pie & Mash Detective Agency

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The Pie & Mash Detective Agency

By: J.D. Brinkworth
Narrated by: Rhys Tees
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Who is Nellie Thorne and why does she keep disappearing? Jane Pye and Simon Mash are on the case in this cosy crime mystery novel, perfect for fans of Janice Hallett and Robert Thorogood!

Local schoolteacher Dev Hooper arrives home from work to find his girlfriend, Nellie Thorne, has vanished.

But she's not the first Nellie Thorne to disappear. In fact, she's the fifth in fifty years.

Enter Jane Pye and Simon Mash: a millennial couple who signed up for a private detective night class on a whim. When they're assigned Dev's case for their coursework, they quickly realise they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

Armed with just six weeks of notes, matching trench coats, and questionable detective skills, they set out to solve a case that has baffled Kent's police for decades.

What links the missing Nellies? And why does everyone keep talking about ghosts!?

Is it an open and shut case? Not on your Nellie…


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'Fast, funny, mysterious and genuinely intriguing, this is classic cosy crime with vivid characters and a baffling conundrum. A delicious debut!' Janice Hallett

'Fans of Richard Osman will love it!' Jonathan Ross

'Like the dish in the title, I devoured it in one sitting' Sue Perkins

‘A blissfully cozy mystery packed with funny moments and delightful little pleasures on each page’ Kelly Mullen

‘A really funny read, with two very endearing detectives' Faith Martin


© J.D. Brinkworth 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Amateur Sleuths Cosy Detective Literature & Fiction Mystery Private Investigators Women Sleuths Funny

Critic reviews

Absolutely delightful! Fast, funny, mysterious and genuinely intriguing, this is classic cosy crime with vivid characters and a baffling conundrum. A delicious debut!
Sharp, witty and wonderfully original
Gripping and laugh out loud funny, fans of Richard Osman will love it!
A charming idea, packed with relatable characters, plenty of fun and enough twists to keep me guessing
A fun romp that sets off at a cracking pace and never lets up.
A really funny read, with two very endearing detectives
A charmingly quirky cosy mystery with warm humour
A blissfully cozy mystery packed with funny moments and delightful little pleasures on each page
Smart, funny and assured debut. Like the dish in the title, I devoured it in one sitting.
In this sparkling debut, as clever as it is comic, two literally clueless detectives-in-training take on a missing-person case as a class assignment - only to find themselves unravelling a decidedly weird 40-year-old mystery. A smart, funny and fresh take on the classic private eye novel, The Pie & Mash Detective Agency is a welcome addition to any mystery-lover’s bookshelf!
All stars
Most relevant
The premise was a good one . Very different and I thought sounded promising. Unfortunately the pair of Pie and Mash were extremely annoying. I may be too old to have patience with idiotic conversations and endless silliness. I read this because it said fans of Richard Osman would like it! As if! There was no subtlety in the supposed humour, a long way to go to be compared with him I’m afraid. A good enough plot ruined by a supposedly humorous cast.

Storyline was innovative

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the book was interesting enough, and the narrator did a good job of keeping the characters recognisable. But over all it was confusing and rather silly. not helped by the over use of detail and dropping I things that needed more exploration.

for a short book it seemed to go on for ages!

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Nice introduction to some new investigators, fun characters that keep you entertained. The story felt a little 'done', which is more down to my reading habits, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I look forward to reading the next Pie & Mash case.

Fun, amateur detective story.

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