Detective, modest and attractive (5)
I believe the answer is:
dishy
'attractive' is the definition.
('dishy' can be similar in meaning to 'attractive')
'detective modest' is the wordplay.
'detective' becomes 'di' (Detective Inspector abbreviation).
'modest' becomes 'shy'.
'di'+'shy'='DISHY'
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for dishy that I've seen before include "Good-looking (informal)" , "Attractive" , "Fair" , "Good-looking (colloq.)" , "Gorgeous" .)