What is the title of your latest release?
THE PIE & MASH DETECTIVE AGENCY
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A young couple sign up for a private detective class, thinking it’ll be a fun adventure – but soon find themselves tangled in a cold case that’s haunted the British countryside for decades. Who is Nellie Thorne – the young woman who’s been reported missing five times in fifty years? Mystery, secrets, and unexpected twists await as the newly-formed Pie & Mash Detective Agency uncover a past that refuses to stay buried.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
It’s set in Kent (The Garden of England) – where I grew up.
Would you hang out with your heroines in real life?
Definitely. I wish we could go to the pub together.
What are three words that describe your heroes?
Loveable, funny and inexperienced!
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That writing is the easy bit. It feels like 80% of the work is editing!
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Minimal editing while drafting! But equally, I wouldn’t leave something as is if I didn’t consider it readable.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Pie and mash (obviously) – a classic British favorite consisting of savory pie and mashed potato. Though be warned, this food ironically does not feature in the book.
Describe your writing space/office!
A chaotic mega-desk, formed of an ancient standing desk and a folding picnic table. Impossible to vacuum owing to all the cables and books on the floor.
Who is an author you admire?
Janice Hallett – a queen of cozy crime. Check out her book: THE APPEAL.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I think every book changes us a little bit, however, THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by Richard Osman club supercharged cozy crime back into the public eye. Without this, maybe there wouldn’t be an appetite for Pie & Mash (the book, not the dish).
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
We were at Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range in London. Sipping beers, whacking (golf) balls and groaning about how we were never going to get published. Then we got a note from our fabulous agent saying there was an offer en route. A night to remember.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Cozy crime of course! But no genre is off limits.
What’s your favorite movie?
Everything Everywhere All At Once. I laughed, I sobbed, I left a different person.
What is your favorite season?
Summer. Though it’s the hardest time to write.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
In the local pub, The Thieves in Clapham Junction. Pop by if you’re ever in London – it has a great karaoke room and an arcade upstairs.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. Some of the finest comedy writers to ever breathe (including the wonderful Rob Reiner).
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I’ll let you guess… (but really anything in pastry).
What do you do when you have free time?
Video games – I’ve built a very efficient wine factory in Stardew Valley.
What can readers expect from you next?
The Pie & Mash Detective Agency – Part 2! Scheduled for release in Spring 2027.
THE PIE & MASH DETECTIVE AGENCY by J.D. Brinkworth
Adorable 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.
Science Fiction Suspense/Thriller | Mystery | Humor [ Berkley, On Sale: March 10, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9798217187256 / eISBN: 9798217187263 ]
Buy THE PIE & MASH DETECTIVE AGENCY: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Libro.fm | Audible | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About J.D. Brinkworth
J. D. Brinkworth is the pseudonym of London-based writing duo Jo Dinkin and Catherine Brinkworth. Catherine is a comedy writer and winner of the BBC Comedy Writing Bursary. She has written on flagship BBC shows like the News Quiz and Have I Got News For You. Jo won the 2020 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.
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