Spotlight & Giveaway: The Pie & Mash Detective Agency by J.D. Brinkworth

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you J.D. Brinkworth’s new release: The Pie & Mash Detective Agency

Oddball couple Jane and Simon take a private detective class and must use their (admittedly limited) skills to solve a series of mysterious disappearances in this delightful debut mystery.

Jane Pye and Simon Mash are a millennial couple with a little extra time on their hands. Jane was recently let go from her position as a back-end programmer, having never been quite sure what that meant. And Simon’s career as a corporate collaboration consultant seems to be less collaborating and more scrolling the internet in search of matching velour tracksuits and well-balanced charcuterie boards. When they sign up for a private detective class on a whim, they quickly realize they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

Their instructor, having a feeling his two worst students don’t have a chance of solving anything beyond finding the classroom, assigns them the case of Nellie Thorne, a woman recently reported missing. But she’s not the first Nellie Thorne to disappear. In fact, she’s the fifth in fifty years. Jane and Simon set out to solve the case, armed with just a few days of notes, matching trench coats, and a feeling they should have enrolled in a different class. The investigation leads the newly minted Pie and Mash Detective Agency to places they never thought they’d go, including haunted woods, mysterious archives, and, most terrifyingly for Jane, Simon’s mum’s house.

As clues emerge, more questions than answers begin to pile up. What links the missing Nellies? Why do locals think she’s a ghost? Is their teacher hiding something? So what if they’re heavy on heart but light on experience. Jane and Simon are determined to uncover the truth in time to pass the class and save the day.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from The Pie & Mash Detective Agency 

“I will of course make a report, Mr. Hooper, but please try not to worry. Many people who go missing turn up within twenty-four hours, with a reasonable explanation. Have you tried her phone?”
“As I said, her phone’s here. In the handbag.”
“Oh, right. So this isn’t like her, then? To go out without her things?”
“No.” In fact, Dev considered how it wasn’t really like his girlfriend to go out at all.
He’d expected flashing sirens on his driveway to throw red and blue light through the hallway, for police radios to buzz and crackle, for the footsteps of the search and rescue team to pound through the house, sounding the hubbub of the investigation opening. Instead, two uniformed officers stood in the kitchen—PC Boughton, who’d cheerily introduced herself on the doorstep, and a large, silent colleague, who hadn’t introduced himself and showed no desire to. He leaned on the countertop behind her, six foot four and silently solid, like a bouncer or a brick wall.
“I’ll need to take some details,” PC Boughton said. Her police hat and strands of strawberry-blond hair framed her freckled face. She pulled a tiny notebook from her vest pocket. “Age?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Sex: female, and, uh—regular address is here?” “Yes, 36 Shipwell Drive.”
“Are you worried about the missing person?” “Yes, very!”
She wrote that down.
“Any particular reason to be worried? Has she gone missing before, or do you think she’s likely to harm herself or another member of the public?”
“No! But, I mean, just because she wouldn’t hurt anyone, I still think we should worry. This is very out of character.”
“Right . . . Oh, and what’s her name, Mr. Hooper?” “Nellie Thorne.”
“Pardon?” PC Boughton didn’t write this down. “Nellie Thorne,” repeated Dev.
The silent partner bristled. Dev noticed how wide the man’s shoulders were.
“And does Nellie have any friends we can talk to?” PC Boughton’s voice had changed. It was snappy, impatient.
“Oh, well, I haven’t really met her friends . . .” “Have you checked any local favorite places?”
“Um, not yet . . .” Dev faltered. Did Nellie have favorite places? “Is she likely to have traveled abroad? Any other countries she
has links to?”
As the more talkative officer barreled out questions, Dev felt dizzy. All he wanted was for them to get out their long poles and search every inch of town for Nellie.
“N-no, I don’t think she has any links to other countries, no.” “And I’m guessing she doesn’t have a job?”
“Pardon?” Where had that come from? He hadn’t said that, had he? “Actually, Nellie does have a job,” said Dev. “Well, she’s self- employed. She has a little business where she buys clothes from the charity shop and then sells them on, erm, that app where you sell secondhand clothes? Depop? I think that’s it.”
PC Boughton scribbled on her pad, mouthing along: “No job.” She grabbed her radio.
“It’s a Nellie Thorne.” Dev felt the room spin.
“What’s a Nellie Thorne? It’s just her name. I know it’s a bit old-fashioned—”
“Mr. Hooper,” said the officer, putting the notebook back in her pocket, “you should be aware that wasting police time is an offense.”
“I’m not wasting your time, I’m reporting a missing person!” PC Boughton and her colleague exchanged a look. Dev’s time was up. They turned to walk away, and Dev lurched after them. “Where are you going?”
In the hallway, PC Boughton turned to him one last time. “I’m sorry to inform you, Mr. Hooper, that Nellie Thorne is not
real. Maybe you knew someone using that name, maybe you didn’t, but I need to escalate this internally before we take any further action. We’ll be in touch about an interview at the station.”
“Are you even going to look for her?” wailed Dev, to no reply.
The words not real echoed around his head as the police car crunched off the gravel driveway.
Dev was white hot and trembling. Part of him wanted to sit on the steps by the door, but his body wouldn’t move. His neighbor Ian came outside holding a suspiciously half-empty bin bag, keen to see what the police had been called for.
“Everything all right, Dev?”
“Have you seen Nellie? She’s missing. I can’t—I don’t know what to—”
“Nellie? That the girl you’ve been seeing?”
Dev nodded. His mouth was as dry as a tax return.
Ian shook his head. “Sorry, mate. Wish I could help you. You’ve not brought her round to meet me yet. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen her.”

Excerpt. ©J.D. Brinkworth. Posted by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved.
 

Giveaway: 1 copy of THE PIE & MASH DETECTIVE AGENCY by J.D. Brinkworth, U.S. only

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Meet the Author:

J. D. Brinkworth is the pseudonym of London-based writing duo Jo Dinkin and Catherine Brinkworth. They both recently graduated as private detectives from a suspiciously cheap online detecting course.
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