
Private Inquiries
The Secret History of Female Sleuths
Caitlin Davies(Author)
The History Press Ltd
Published on 21. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
372 pages
978-1-83705-272-1 (ISBN)
Description
'Private Inquiries is a must-read - a riveting mythbuster, with its revelations of the real histories of women PIs.' - Val McDermid
The female private detective has been a staple of popular culture for over 150 years, from Victorian lady sleuths to 'busy-body spinsters' and gun-toting modern PIs. But what about the real-life women behind these fictional tales? Dismissed as 'Mrs Sherlock Holmes' or amateurish Miss Marples, mocked as private dicks or honey trappers, they have been investigating crime since the mid-nineteenth century - everything from theft and fraud to romance scams and murder.
In Private Inquiries, Caitlin Davies traces the history of the UK's female investigators, uncovering the truth about their lives and careers from the 1850s to the present day. Women like Victorian private inquiry agent Antonia Moser, the first woman to open her own agency; Annette Kerner, who ran the Mayfair Detective Agency on Baker Street in the 1940s; and Liverpool sleuth Zena Scott-Archer, who became the first woman president of the World Association of Detectives. Caitlin also follows in the footsteps of her subjects, undertaking a professional qualification to become a Private Investigator, and meeting modern PIs to find out the reality behind the fictional image.
Female investigators are on the rise in the UK - and despite the industry's sleazy reputation, nearly a third of new trainees are women. After a century of undercover work, it's time to reveal the secrets of their trailblazing forebears.
The female private detective has been a staple of popular culture for over 150 years, from Victorian lady sleuths to 'busy-body spinsters' and gun-toting modern PIs. But what about the real-life women behind these fictional tales? Dismissed as 'Mrs Sherlock Holmes' or amateurish Miss Marples, mocked as private dicks or honey trappers, they have been investigating crime since the mid-nineteenth century - everything from theft and fraud to romance scams and murder.
In Private Inquiries, Caitlin Davies traces the history of the UK's female investigators, uncovering the truth about their lives and careers from the 1850s to the present day. Women like Victorian private inquiry agent Antonia Moser, the first woman to open her own agency; Annette Kerner, who ran the Mayfair Detective Agency on Baker Street in the 1940s; and Liverpool sleuth Zena Scott-Archer, who became the first woman president of the World Association of Detectives. Caitlin also follows in the footsteps of her subjects, undertaking a professional qualification to become a Private Investigator, and meeting modern PIs to find out the reality behind the fictional image.
Female investigators are on the rise in the UK - and despite the industry's sleazy reputation, nearly a third of new trainees are women. After a century of undercover work, it's time to reveal the secrets of their trailblazing forebears.
Reviews / Votes
'Intriguing and informative, Private Inquiries is a fascinating piece of detective work.' -- Martin Edwards, President of the Detection Club 'Davies is a great storyteller and this is feast of true crime and women's place in history. Fascinating and utterly riveting.' -- Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, KC 'Private Inquiries is a must-read - a riveting mythbuster, with its revelations of the real histories of women PIs.' -- Val McDermid 'Every page teems with larger-than-life characters - women who broke the mould and the accepted rules to make their way in a traditionally male world of private investigation. It is a story told with style and panache by an author who not only talks the talk but has walked the walk, training as an investigator herself.' -- Daniel Smith, author of <i>Scandal at Dolphin Square: A Notorious History</i>More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Stroud
United Kingdom
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
30 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
330 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83705-272-1 (9781837052721)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
CAITLIN DAVIES is a novelist, non-fiction writer, award-winning journalist and teacher. She is the author of six novels, six non-fiction books, and several short stories. She has written for The Independent, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. Her books include Bad Girls: a History of Rebels and Renegades, a history of Holloway Prison, and Queens of the Underworld about female crooks. She lives in London.
Content
Cover
Title
Copyright
Contents
Prologue: Case No. 480
1 A Consulting Detective
2 How to Become a Private Eye
3 Inspector Field and the Peephole Servants
4 A Special Detector
5 Clubnose
6 Secret Watchings
7 A Profession for Charlatans
8 Assessment Day
9 Antonia Moser: Detective Expert
10 Adventures of a Woman Detective
11 Kate Easton: 'I Can Shoot Straight'
12 A Dominant Face for a Woman
13 Lady Detective and Wizard
14 The Lady Copper
15 The Women 'Tecs of Baker Street
16 An Underground Job
17 A Clean Profession
18 May Storey: A Great Career for a Girl
19 A Modest Woman
20 Annette Kerner: The Mayfair Detective Agency
21 Truth and Lies
22 The Case of the Disappearing Whisky
23 A Woman Private Dick
24 Do You Want to Know a Secret?
25 Zena Scott-Archer: Scott's Detective Bureau
26 Merseyside's Mrs Sherlock Holmes
27 Duly Served
28 A Dangerous Profession
29 Anne Summer: 'I Couldn't Do That!'
30 A Toothsome Sleuth
31 Lady Gumshoe
32 'She-lock Holmes'
33 Private Lives
34 Death Investigator
35 Twenty-First-Century Detectives
36 Rogue Daters
37 The Art of Shadowing
38 The Best Disguise is a Woman
Sources
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Picture Sections
Title
Copyright
Contents
Prologue: Case No. 480
1 A Consulting Detective
2 How to Become a Private Eye
3 Inspector Field and the Peephole Servants
4 A Special Detector
5 Clubnose
6 Secret Watchings
7 A Profession for Charlatans
8 Assessment Day
9 Antonia Moser: Detective Expert
10 Adventures of a Woman Detective
11 Kate Easton: 'I Can Shoot Straight'
12 A Dominant Face for a Woman
13 Lady Detective and Wizard
14 The Lady Copper
15 The Women 'Tecs of Baker Street
16 An Underground Job
17 A Clean Profession
18 May Storey: A Great Career for a Girl
19 A Modest Woman
20 Annette Kerner: The Mayfair Detective Agency
21 Truth and Lies
22 The Case of the Disappearing Whisky
23 A Woman Private Dick
24 Do You Want to Know a Secret?
25 Zena Scott-Archer: Scott's Detective Bureau
26 Merseyside's Mrs Sherlock Holmes
27 Duly Served
28 A Dangerous Profession
29 Anne Summer: 'I Couldn't Do That!'
30 A Toothsome Sleuth
31 Lady Gumshoe
32 'She-lock Holmes'
33 Private Lives
34 Death Investigator
35 Twenty-First-Century Detectives
36 Rogue Daters
37 The Art of Shadowing
38 The Best Disguise is a Woman
Sources
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Picture Sections