The Pie & Mash Detective Agency

By: J.D. Brinkworth

ISBN: 9798217187256

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: 03/10/2026

Format: Other

My Rating: TBR (ARC)

MAR 2026 MUST-READ BOOKS

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.

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About the Author

J. D. Brinkworth is the pseudonym of London-based writing duo Jo Dinkin and Catherine Brinkworth. Catherine is a comedy writer with credits across TV and radio. Jo has won the Green Stories writing prize and was nominated for Best Screenplay at the British Horror Film Festival. They both recently graduated as private detectives from a suspiciously cheap online detecting course.

Their debut novel The Pie and Mash Detective Agency will be published in Spring 2026 by by Century (UK) and Berkley (US).