Secret Sleuths

Secret Sleuths

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What happened to Dorothy Arnold?
The mysterious disappearance of a young New Yorker foxed everyone - including private detectives from the famous Pinkerton's agency
Oct 21, 2024 • 
Dr Nell Darby
6

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
What happened to Dorothy Arnold?
2
Press of the Yard: Gentleman, Detective, and Fraudster
Former police sergeant Henry Press put his private detective skills, and enjoyment of performing, to criminal use
Feb 17 • 
Dr Nell Darby
11

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
Press of the Yard: Gentleman, Detective, and Fraudster
3
A fatal affair
A disturbing tale of how private detectives were used in 1890s Liverpool, in a futile effort to stop a woman ruining her life...
Dec 4, 2023 • 
Dr Nell Darby
7

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
A fatal affair
5
Arthur, the detective determined to miss the war
One young man believed he was exempt from serving in World War One - did others agree?
Apr 14 • 
Dr Nell Darby
8

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
Arthur, the detective determined to miss the war
3
The West Ham Disappearances
One private detective saw the disappearance of two girls from east London as an opportunity to promote his business...
Jun 9 • 
Dr Nell Darby
7

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
The West Ham Disappearances
The sleuthing pub landlord
In inner city Birmingham, one man combined a job running a pub with another investigating local people...
Mar 10 • 
Dr Nell Darby
7

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
The sleuthing pub landlord
1
The Ragged School detective
Opening a private detective office was the perfect cover for one man to take locals' money, claiming to be raising money for a Manchester Ragged School
Oct 7, 2024 • 
Dr Nell Darby
7

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
The Ragged School detective
1
Dora the Detective
One 1920s widow took up work as a private detective - and she was not an ordinary woman
Jan 13 • 
Dr Nell Darby
7

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
Dora the Detective
A demand for conjugal rights
One 1920s court case exposed allegations of drunkenness, adultery, and a dubious offer to a private detective
Feb 10 • 
Dr Nell Darby
7

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
A demand for conjugal rights
1
When female detective books are like buses...
The history of female detectives is becoming a popular subject, as Sara Lodge's new book illustrates
Sep 24, 2024 • 
Dr Nell Darby
6

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
When female detective books are like buses...
1
The detective, the alderman and the pub
In the 1880s, one private detective was commissioned to spy on local pub landlords. His commission would end in a lengthy prison sentence
Feb 24 • 
Dr Nell Darby
6

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
The detective, the alderman and the pub
The case of the adulterous lace manufacturer
A Nottingham private detective was asked to prove a relationship that both predated one man's marriage, and lasted throughout it...
Jan 23, 2023 • 
Dr Nell Darby
7

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Secret Sleuths
Secret Sleuths
The case of the adulterous lace manufacturer
© 2025 Dr Nell Darby
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