Detective Dopeyworth and the Mince Pie Mystery

By Elizabeth Green

It has been a quiet few weeks since Detective Jim Dopeyworth captured the Green Emerald Gang and became a hero. Jim is starting to worry that his old boss Mr "sausage fingers" Hart was right and he just isn't good enough to be a famous detective, like his hero, Sherlock Holmes.
Christmas is only a few days away and Jim needs to find another job quickly so that he can buy his pet hamster, Watson, a special gift.
Down at The Rolling Pin Bakery, Jim's best friend, Percy Caramel, is in trouble. A mysterious burglar is targeting all the local bakeries and runs away with Percy's money. Not even Percy's new assistant, the beautiful Linda Butterworth, can catch him.
Will Detective Dopeyworth be able to help Percy and his friends in time to save Christmas and solve "The Mince Pie Mystery?"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grosvenor House Publishing
• Release date: Nov 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9781803816012

Elizabeth Green

Elizabeth Green graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in theater arts. They have contributed to McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Hobart, Wigleaf, Necessary Fiction, fwriction : review, and others. Their hobbies include native gardening and aikido. Hailing from Upstate New York—Greenwich, to be specific—Elizabeth now lives outside Philadelphia with their husband and two cats.

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Dedication

To all my wonderful friends who have encouraged me to follow my dreams. Thank you for loving Detective Dopeyworth as much as I do.

And to Linda and Marian, my very own Tinsel Twins – this one’s for you.

Contents

Dedication

About the Author

Also by Elizabeth Green

Acknowledgements

Keep in touch with Elizabeth

It’s Time To Find a Mystery

The Plot Thickens

The Buttered Bap

Jim Gets Down to Business

The Return of Old Sausage Fingers

Watson’s Big Adventure

It’s Hero Time

A Very Jolly Christmas

Copyright

About the Author

Elizabeth Green was born and raised in Bolton, Lancashire but now resides in North Yorkshire with her husband.

Elizabeth wrote the original version of The Adventures of Detective Dopeyworth when she was fourteen years old, after receiving a typewriter for Christmas. Forty years later, she found the forgotten story in her parent’s writing desk and, after a bit of a rewrite, she decided to share it with the world.

Elizabeth has been encouraged by Detective Dopeyworth fans worldwide to continue his adventures.

Also by Elizabeth Green

The Adventures of Detective Dopeyworth

The Owl Who Could Only Growl

Acknowledgements

I owe so much to the team of people who have helped me to bring this book to publication. Firstly, my editor Eva Maria Dietrich Carreño, you have changed me as a writer with your wonderful encouragement and support. To my illustrator, Will Crawford, thank you for picking up the reigns and creating such amazing illustrations that tell stories without words needed.

A huge thank you, as always, to my wonderful team at Grosvenor House Publishing with a special mention to Julie for her unwavering support and guidance.

To Alan, thank you for listening to the many versions of each chapter and for the advice and input when I get stuck (which is quite often).

And to everyone out there who loves Detective Dopeyworth and wants to see him succeed. You have kept me going. Thank you.

Keep in touch with Elizabeth

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Author Elizabeth Green

It’s Time To Find a Mystery

It was a beautiful winter’s morning on Sherlockton Avenue and, as Jim flung back his curtains and looked out at the pale blue sky and the bright morning sun, he felt excited about the day ahead.

Today’s going to be a good day, he turned and addressed his pet hamster, Watson. It’s almost Christmas and I just know that something wonderful is going to happen.

Watson stared back unimpressed, his cheeks full of sunflower seeds. He had heard all this nonsense before, and the day usually ended with Jim throwing himself on his stripey duvet at bedtime and whining loudly that he would never be a good detective. Sometimes Jim was so upset that he wouldn’t even read Watson his favourite bedtime story, Hänsel and Gretel. All Watson wanted was a peaceful life.

It had been an eventful few weeks. Jim had been ecstatic when he had finally caught The Green Emerald Gang. Brutus and all of his nasty friends were now safely put behind bars. There had been a lot of interest from the papers and Jim had even featured on the local news, but now people seemed to have forgotten that Jim was a hero and being a prívate detective was jolly hard work.

There had been a few little mysteries to solve that had kept Jim occupied for a day or so. Mrs Plumpton, his nosy neighbour, had lost her very fat cat Donut and offered a small reward for his safe return. Jim had stumbled upon Donut trapped in the litter bin on the next street, his head jammed into a discarded ice cream tub that had looked too tempting not to explore.

Oh, my poor baby, Mrs Plumpton had exclaimed as she opened her front door to a very dishevelled-looking Donut who was glaring furiously at Jim for daring to drag him away from his delightful litter bin picnic. Look how thin you are! Let’s go and get you some cream and your favourite biscuits. Donut had only been missing for a few hours, but Jim knew that he was the apple of Mrs Plumpton’s eye, so he was happy to help.

Mrs Plumpton thanked Jim profusely and pressed a couple of pound coins into his hand.

Thank you, young Jimmy, she ruffled his hair, making Jim blush, go and buy yourself an ice cream on me.

But today would be different. Jim was sure that the reward had been one hundred pounds, but he didn’t want to argue so he meekly slunk off down the drive. A couple of pounds would only be enough to keep Watson in hamster