The Pie & Mash Detective Agency, J.D. Brinkworth (Review by Melissa Buchanan)

Rating: 4.0/5 Stars

The Pie and Mash Detective Agency follows a delightfully quintessential millennial couple, Jane Pye and Simon Mash, as they bumble, charm, and caffeinate their way through a decades‑long mystery. Armed with nothing but one community‑center detective class between them, an overinflated sense of confidence, and a shared Google Doc of “investigative strategies,” they somehow manage to keep the case—and the plot—moving forward. Their hunt for the elusive Nellie Thorne, the fifth woman of that name to vanish in as many decades, is stitched together with razor‑sharp banter, questionable decision‑making, and a wholehearted commitment to the philosophy of “fake it ’til you make it.”

Along the way, they encounter a cast of characters who are quirky, curmudgeonly, and occasionally so bizarre you begin to wonder whether the entire village is in on the secret. Every conversation feels like a clue, every oddball neighbor a potential suspect, and every dusty corner of the local library a doorway to something stranger. As Jane and Simon dig deeper, readers are left asking the same question the duo can’t shake: Who is Nellie Thorne—and why does she keep disappearing?

Reminiscent of The Thursday Murder Club, this charmingly offbeat British cozy mystery invites you to imagine yourself slipping into the role of a millennial sleuth. You may find yourself wondering whether you, too, could solve a crime armed with nothing but enthusiasm, a trench coat purchased on sale, and a suspiciously detailed knowledge of your local woodland paths. What secrets are tucked between the stacks at your library? Who’s wandering the woods behind your home? And more importantly—should you start your own detective agency?