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Martin Hayden Mysteries #1
The Reluctant Detective
Martin never planned to do any actual detecting. He just wanted a quiet life. Something his mother was not going to allow. There again he never for one moment imagined he would have to look into the death of a 90-year-old lady who was gambling away her family fortune.
The Hayden Detective Agency has no need of clients. The very existence of the Agency allows Martin Hayden to claim his large monthly allowance from the family fortune - without lifting a finger.
Martin’s biggest problem is his interfering mother, who understands her idle son too well. She takes steps to find him not just clients but also a personal assistant to keep an eye on him.
Under pressure from the women in his life, Martin agrees to take on his first client. How hard can it be to follow a 90-year-old woman who spends her time losing money at roulette tables? As it turns out harder than Martin ever thought possible, especially with the old lady dying in strange circumstances.
Soon the Reluctant Detective is grappling with shady estate agents, an intellectual artist, missing charity money and an irritating Indian waiter. Luckily for Martin there is help in the form of Colin, a transvestite who, apart from having very good fashion sense, is an expert at breaking into houses.
The Hayden Detective Agency has no need of clients. The very existence of the Agency allows Martin Hayden to claim his large monthly allowance from the family fortune - without lifting a finger.
Martin’s biggest problem is his interfering mother, who understands her idle son too well. She takes steps to find him not just clients but also a personal assistant to keep an eye on him.
Under pressure from the women in his life, Martin agrees to take on his first client. How hard can it be to follow a 90-year-old woman who spends her time losing money at roulette tables? As it turns out harder than Martin ever thought possible, especially with the old lady dying in strange circumstances.
Soon the Reluctant Detective is grappling with shady estate agents, an intellectual artist, missing charity money and an irritating Indian waiter. Luckily for Martin there is help in the form of Colin, a transvestite who, apart from having very good fashion sense, is an expert at breaking into houses.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2019
224 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Spalding
20 books18 followersFinding the time to write has always been the challenge for me. The requirement to feed the family, pay the mortgage and work, all got in the way. I only found the time to write, when I began commuting each day between London and Kent. Thanks to the numerous and regular delays I encountered with South Eastern railways, I was able to actually settle down amongst my snoring fellow travellers to write fiction.
Back in the days when I had ‘real jobs’, I worked as a photographer, a journalist and a charity fundraiser, all giving me the opportunity to see first-hand the life that others lead, as well as regular press passes to Brands Hatch.
Now, a full time writer, living in Kent with my wife, I write both thriller mysteries and humorous detective books, which some say will make a great case study for a psychologist’s convention. My biggest challenge now, is no longer finding the time to write, it is to protect my biscuit tin from sneaky swoops carried out by my grandsons.
Back in the days when I had ‘real jobs’, I worked as a photographer, a journalist and a charity fundraiser, all giving me the opportunity to see first-hand the life that others lead, as well as regular press passes to Brands Hatch.
Now, a full time writer, living in Kent with my wife, I write both thriller mysteries and humorous detective books, which some say will make a great case study for a psychologist’s convention. My biggest challenge now, is no longer finding the time to write, it is to protect my biscuit tin from sneaky swoops carried out by my grandsons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 18, 2020
This wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t all that good. It took an interesting concept and beat it to death. A good editor would not have gone amiss as the story went on and on and on.
I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of the series.
I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of the series.
February 21, 2021
Somewhere between good and bad.
#433 in the ‘less than helpful’ reviews.
#433 in the ‘less than helpful’ reviews.
September 1, 2020
A good plot with some interesting and well-drawn characters. The author avoids the trend of supplying too much information about peripheral people and even with the main characters, we learn more as we go along.
Throw in an attractive, intelligent but uneducated and unsophisticated young woman together with an idle, directionless but wealthy young man who is pretending to run a detective agency and we have the basis for an interesting story. Add a transvestite and an assortment of criminals and misfits, and we surely have the basis for a series.
Throw in an attractive, intelligent but uneducated and unsophisticated young woman together with an idle, directionless but wealthy young man who is pretending to run a detective agency and we have the basis for an interesting story. Add a transvestite and an assortment of criminals and misfits, and we surely have the basis for a series.
March 13, 2021
Well worth a read. So enjoyable.
A cracking book. The story keeps pulling you in with twists and turns and an underlying humour throughout.
Having not read any of his books, this was recommended and did not disappoint.
A cracking book. The story keeps pulling you in with twists and turns and an underlying humour throughout.
Having not read any of his books, this was recommended and did not disappoint.
September 11, 2023
Sorry not for me. Just couldn’t get in to it.
June 28, 2020
a funny book, well-paced and with a great story line.
Martin has to take a job to keep his family's money. he opens a detective agency but really doesnt want to work. but his mother steps in and sends him some
he takes on a PA , Susan and with her comes her transvestite side kick colin
his first case becomes a murder case
c
Martin has to take a job to keep his family's money. he opens a detective agency but really doesnt want to work. but his mother steps in and sends him some
he takes on a PA , Susan and with her comes her transvestite side kick colin
his first case becomes a murder case
c
April 4, 2021
I did enjoy this and continued to the end. However, I did wonder where it was going at times and the ending was a bit of a curve ball that didn’t quite stack up. Quite a few annoying spelling and grammatical errors slipped through the net too. Nevertheless, worth reading although I’m not sure I’d be rushing to read a follow up.
May 22, 2020
Great read
a very funny laugh out loud read unforgettable characters differently recommend look forward to the next one in the series
a very funny laugh out loud read unforgettable characters differently recommend look forward to the next one in the series
April 25, 2020
Great read
A great read with likeable characters. I am eagerly waiting for a follow up. Meanwhile I will other books written by Adrian Spalding.
A great read with likeable characters. I am eagerly waiting for a follow up. Meanwhile I will other books written by Adrian Spalding.
March 27, 2021
Very enjoyable.
The start of a great new series, hopefully. I'm looking forward very much to reading book 2 and the rest
The start of a great new series, hopefully. I'm looking forward very much to reading book 2 and the rest
November 4, 2023
Entertaining read!
I’d never read any stories from Adrian Spalding , but this was a great introduction.
The characters have developed nicely over the book. I’m very keen to read more.
I’d never read any stories from Adrian Spalding , but this was a great introduction.
The characters have developed nicely over the book. I’m very keen to read more.
March 24, 2021
A different take on private detectives
This is part mystery, part romance, part social observation. Can rich boy Martin actually solve his first case with no experience and only Susan his assistant and Colin the cross dresser to help? All is not as seems!
This is part mystery, part romance, part social observation. Can rich boy Martin actually solve his first case with no experience and only Susan his assistant and Colin the cross dresser to help? All is not as seems!
February 8, 2024
Absolute dross. Pitiful. Dreadful. Awful. And many other words ending in f-u-l. It gets 1 star only because I can't give it 0 stars but it doesn't deserve it.
I think it was meant to be a fun, light-hearted, detective romp; something a bit like The Rockford Files that is name checked multiple times; but it was badly written, repetitive, meaningless piffle that crawled along paragraph after paragraph until everyone involved, including the author, got so bored that a solution was found.
The characters were barely believable, one-dimensional, caricatures who constantly share their never-ending thoughts. Not so they reveal anything deep and meaningful about themselves, more so the plot can progress at a snail's pace. Oh, and did I mention that they keep repeating themselves? Well they do. They keep repeating themselves. And as characters they are awful to the point of 'no redeeming features'; which pretty much sums up the book.
I think it was meant to be a fun, light-hearted, detective romp; something a bit like The Rockford Files that is name checked multiple times; but it was badly written, repetitive, meaningless piffle that crawled along paragraph after paragraph until everyone involved, including the author, got so bored that a solution was found.
The characters were barely believable, one-dimensional, caricatures who constantly share their never-ending thoughts. Not so they reveal anything deep and meaningful about themselves, more so the plot can progress at a snail's pace. Oh, and did I mention that they keep repeating themselves? Well they do. They keep repeating themselves. And as characters they are awful to the point of 'no redeeming features'; which pretty much sums up the book.
September 24, 2021
A funny, heart warming read. Would recommend.
September 19, 2021
I quite enjoyed this novel. Slightly quirky detective story.
February 20, 2020
Amusing and thoroughly enjoyable
Great characters, very relatable. This is a light hearted detective book which made a pleasant change from the more usual detective books. No blood or gore! The characters are really interesting and the book also touched on modern slavery in a sensitive and thought-provoking
way. Looking forward to reading the next book.
Great characters, very relatable. This is a light hearted detective book which made a pleasant change from the more usual detective books. No blood or gore! The characters are really interesting and the book also touched on modern slavery in a sensitive and thought-provoking
way. Looking forward to reading the next book.
July 4, 2021
My first adventure of Adrian 's
My 1st and not going to be my last of the Martin Hayden mysteries. Loved the humour and managed to follow the plot which I normally find difficult . This attests to Adrian 's skill as a writer in this genre which is not my usual style. Thanks for an enjoyable read! ❤
My 1st and not going to be my last of the Martin Hayden mysteries. Loved the humour and managed to follow the plot which I normally find difficult . This attests to Adrian 's skill as a writer in this genre which is not my usual style. Thanks for an enjoyable read! ❤
July 15, 2023
I got a third of the way through this and decided life is just too short. Flabby writing, sloppy punctuation, flat characters. Some decent ideas, but all buried in the verbal equivalent of sludge.
DNF
DNF
October 7, 2019
The Reluctant Detective
A good detective story enlivened by humorous characters. The plot has a bit of pace to it and held my interest.
A good detective story enlivened by humorous characters. The plot has a bit of pace to it and held my interest.
January 27, 2020
A really enjoyable read
Although the book is not my usual type of read I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope that this book is the forerunner to many more cases for the quirky team.
Although the book is not my usual type of read I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope that this book is the forerunner to many more cases for the quirky team.
January 18, 2026
The Reluctant Detective: High Stakes, Low Ambition, and a Very Pushy Mother
If you enjoy your mysteries served with a side of dry wit and a protagonist who would much rather be napping than sleuthing, The Reluctant Detective by Adrian Spalding is a refreshing treat. It kicks off the Martin Hayden Mystery series with a premise that is as charming as it is chaotic.
The Plot: Work is for Other People
Martin Hayden has life figured out. Thanks to a clever loophole in his family’s trust fund, he "runs" a detective agency that does absolutely nothing. This allows him to collect a hefty monthly allowance while maintaining a strictly "pro-leisure" lifestyle.
Unfortunately for Martin, his mother is onto him. To force her idle son into productivity, she maneuvers him into taking his first real case: trailing a 90-year-old grandmother who is gambling away the family wealth. What starts as a simple surveillance job quickly spirals into a murder investigation, dragging Martin into a world of shady real estate deals and missing charity funds.
The Real Stars: The Supporting Cast
While Martin provides the perspective, the women in his life provide the momentum. This book thrives on the friction between Martin and his "handlers":
The Meddling Mother: Martin’s mother is the ultimate catalyst. She understands her son’s laziness perfectly and uses her influence (and the family fortune) to dismantle his quiet life, proving that no one is more dangerous than a parent with a plan.
Susan, the Personal Assistant: Hired by Martin’s mother to keep an eye on him, Susan is the organized, professional foil to Martin’s chaos. She is the backbone of the "Agency" and ensures that Martin actually stays on the trail, even when he’d rather turn back.
Colin the Safe-Cracker: A standout addition to the team, Colin is a transvestite with impeccable fashion sense and a very specific set of criminal skills. His expertise in breaking and entering provides the practical "detecting" that Martin is too polite (or too scared) to do himself.
The Verdict
The Reluctant Detective is a fantastic start to a series. It’s perfect for readers who love a good puzzle but prefer their detectives to be a little less Sherlock and a little more "someone who just wants to get home for tea." It’s clever, quirky, and incredibly fun.
If you enjoy your mysteries served with a side of dry wit and a protagonist who would much rather be napping than sleuthing, The Reluctant Detective by Adrian Spalding is a refreshing treat. It kicks off the Martin Hayden Mystery series with a premise that is as charming as it is chaotic.
The Plot: Work is for Other People
Martin Hayden has life figured out. Thanks to a clever loophole in his family’s trust fund, he "runs" a detective agency that does absolutely nothing. This allows him to collect a hefty monthly allowance while maintaining a strictly "pro-leisure" lifestyle.
Unfortunately for Martin, his mother is onto him. To force her idle son into productivity, she maneuvers him into taking his first real case: trailing a 90-year-old grandmother who is gambling away the family wealth. What starts as a simple surveillance job quickly spirals into a murder investigation, dragging Martin into a world of shady real estate deals and missing charity funds.
The Real Stars: The Supporting Cast
While Martin provides the perspective, the women in his life provide the momentum. This book thrives on the friction between Martin and his "handlers":
The Meddling Mother: Martin’s mother is the ultimate catalyst. She understands her son’s laziness perfectly and uses her influence (and the family fortune) to dismantle his quiet life, proving that no one is more dangerous than a parent with a plan.
Susan, the Personal Assistant: Hired by Martin’s mother to keep an eye on him, Susan is the organized, professional foil to Martin’s chaos. She is the backbone of the "Agency" and ensures that Martin actually stays on the trail, even when he’d rather turn back.
Colin the Safe-Cracker: A standout addition to the team, Colin is a transvestite with impeccable fashion sense and a very specific set of criminal skills. His expertise in breaking and entering provides the practical "detecting" that Martin is too polite (or too scared) to do himself.
The Verdict
The Reluctant Detective is a fantastic start to a series. It’s perfect for readers who love a good puzzle but prefer their detectives to be a little less Sherlock and a little more "someone who just wants to get home for tea." It’s clever, quirky, and incredibly fun.
March 6, 2022
an Excellent First Novel
I thoroughly enjoyed this off beat detective procedural. There are plenty of wacky eccentric characters that we Brits can relate to.
There is a social message but it’s not the main element of the story which some of the reviews here imply. Folks need to look a little closer at themselves if something like this offends them.
Highly recommend and I’ll be reading the next instalment very soon.
I thoroughly enjoyed this off beat detective procedural. There are plenty of wacky eccentric characters that we Brits can relate to.
There is a social message but it’s not the main element of the story which some of the reviews here imply. Folks need to look a little closer at themselves if something like this offends them.
Highly recommend and I’ll be reading the next instalment very soon.
March 10, 2023
What a delightful book, gentle, sometimes naughty but witty book. A super idea about a man who has no interest in anything other than living well, but who, during the story starts to care about mankind. You can see that his Assistant Susan has the potential to be his loved interest. Other participants are fun too. Love Susan, recognise myself in her occasionally. It’s a super book. Definitely going to start book 2. Enjoy!
August 26, 2023
A strange book. I liked the characters, I liked the premise. Perhaps a little unlikely, but believable enough. But I found the writing at times strangely clunky. It felt as if the author hadn’t found their style, and therefore there were inconsistencies throughout which diminished my enjoyment. Perhaps very much a first novel which would have benefited from more editorial oversight.
And sadly with so many books to read, I think that means I won’t be reading any more in the series.
And sadly with so many books to read, I think that means I won’t be reading any more in the series.
March 5, 2025
This is more of a 3.5 stars - I really loved the concept of this, and there were parts of it I enjoyed. However, it was quite a bloated book - after a while it did start to feel like the characters were repeating themselves, and it's not a good sign when I check my Kindle to see when I can finish. I wouldn't necessarily immediately seek out the next one, but I can see the series being a decent holiday read.
November 9, 2022
I enjoyed getting to know this group of people. Martin is great in his lack of interest in any form of work until ultimately being forced into doing something by his mother sending clients to his detective agency. The characters are great especially enjoy meeting Colin! The second book in the series will be on my book to read list
March 5, 2023
I love this author's style. The characters keep you reading. The book tells the story of a private detective that doesn't want a case to solve. But as luck would have it, a case draws him in. And you get to see him and his team set about solving it.
I love humorous fiction, and this one made me smile.
I love humorous fiction, and this one made me smile.
August 1, 2024
Clumsy written and progressively got duller
It's not easy to write a book, I get that, but this feels like the author stated it with vision and enthusiasm and then just got bored. The writing is never engaging but halfway through it's like a school child takes over and line after line sounds clunky and just painful. Avoid.
It's not easy to write a book, I get that, but this feels like the author stated it with vision and enthusiasm and then just got bored. The writing is never engaging but halfway through it's like a school child takes over and line after line sounds clunky and just painful. Avoid.
July 19, 2025
The book wasn't bad. The characters were not very interesting to me personally and did seem a bit Central Casting, but the story was, on the whole, fine. The editor should have recommended cutting about 20% and fixing the awful use of punctuation. At times the lack of full stops and commas made for difficult reading.
November 26, 2023
Pleasantly surprised
Bought this book based on an Amazon recommendation and found it thoroughly enjoyable. Funny and fast moving while highlighting the real life issue of modern day slavery.
Bought this book based on an Amazon recommendation and found it thoroughly enjoyable. Funny and fast moving while highlighting the real life issue of modern day slavery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews