Books in the Beatrice Stubbs series

British crime fiction where characters become people and place is part of the story."You don't attract trouble. You go looking for it."On a sabbatical from the Metropolitan Police, Beatrice Stubbs is considering her future while touring Northern Spain.In the Basque County, she encounters a distant acquaintance. Beautiful, bloody-minded journalist Ana Herrero is onto a story.Beatrice, scenting adventure, offers her expertise. The two women are sucked into a mystery of missing persons, violent threats, mutilated bodies and industrial-scale fraud. They are out of their depth. With no official authority and unsure who to trust, they find themselves up to their necks in corruption, blackmail and Rioja.Beatrice calls for the cavalry. The boys are back, and this time, it's a matter of taste. But when her instincts prove fallible, Beatrice discovers that justice is a matter of interpretation.Each book works as a stand-alone novel.If you enjoy Martin Walker, DL Sayers and Louise Penny, you'll love Tread Softly. "The novel oozes atmosphere and JJ Marsh captures the sights, sounds and richness of Spain in all its glory. I literally salivated as I read the descriptions of food and wine. JJ Marsh is an extremely talented author and this is a wonderful novel." - Sheila Bugler, author of Hunting Shadows"There are moments of farce and irony, there are scenes of friendship, tenderness and total exasperation - and underlying it all a story of corruption, brutality, manipulation and oppression with all the elements you'd expect to find in a good thriller, including a truly chilling villain." - Lorna Fergusson, FictionFire"Read this and you'll be desperate for a seat on a Vitoria balcony with a glass of white Rioja, a plate of pinxtos and the next Beatrice Stubbs to accompany them." - Annemarie Neary, author of Siren

British crime fiction where characters become people and place is part of the story.Judgement is in the eye of the beholder.Adrian Harvey, London wine merchant, has lost the Christmas spirit. Someone is stalking him, stealing his post and vandalising his shop. When the police question him after an anonymous tip-off, he's more than anxious. He's scared. And who is that nun?Long time neighbour and friend DI Beatrice Stubbs is dispatched to Germany to investigate a series of apparently related art thefts, so Adrian seizes the chance to flee the city. He follows her to Hamburg to do some Christmas shopping and visit his ex. Yet the stalker is still on his heels.While Beatrice is on the trail of a violent gang of mercenary thieves, Adrian runs from danger to the remote island of Sylt. But danger follows and Adrian has run too far.From the icy streets of Hamburg, to the canals of Amsterdam, and the snowswept beaches of Sylt, Beatrice and Adrian discover how a virtue taken to extremes can lead to deadly sin.Each book works as a stand-alone novel.If you enjoy Kathy Reichs, LJ Ross and Henning Mankell, you'll love Human Rites. "Enthralling! The menace of Du Maurier meets the darkness and intrigue of Nordic Noir. Keep the lights on and your wits about you." - Anne Stormont, author of Displacement"Human Rites has got it all: organised crime, Beatrice Stubbs, nuns, Stollen, wine, Adrian and Expressionist art, with the added delights of a German Christmas, gay men's choirs and a farty Husky. She's back and she's brilliant!" - The Crime Addict

Truth is a wild beast.Approach with patience and zeal, else it eludes you.Beatrice has developed a delicate nose for lies. It gets the old hound into trouble all the time - with criminals, Scotland Yard politics and even her friends.Battling crime by day and her own demons by night, the question remains: justice or the law?Behind Closed Doors sees Beatrice seconded to Switzerland. Wealthy, powerful men are committing suicide. Or are they? When the same DNA is found at each scene, DI Stubbs suspects someone is dispensing a personal retribution. Beneath the chocolate and charm, Zurich hides many secrets.In Raw Material, Beatrice is divided. Hunting a sex offender on London Underground while trying to investigate illegal activity on a Welsh beach stretches her to her limits. Her partner and neighbour decide to assist. But amateur detectives and professional criminals make a bad mix.Time for a sabbatical in Tread Softly. A gourmet trip to the north of Spain is exactly what DI Stubbs needs. Until she meets an old acquaintance who lures her into an investigation. Beatrice is up to her neck in missing persons, murder, corruption and Rioja. If you enjoy Kate Atkinson, Patricia Highsmith and Sue Grafton, you'll love Boxset One.Please note the paperback boxset is an omnibus edition, i.e. three novels in one big fat fabulous bookThe Beatrice Stubbs Series, recommended by:The Bookseller (Editor's Choice), Guardian Readers' Recommend, Bookmuse Award, Libris Reviews, Judging Covers, Book Reviews Plus and more"If you've never encountered Beatrice, you have the most almighty thrill coming." - The Bagster, Amazon

British crime fiction where characters become people and place is part of the story.Love is a driving passion.So is hate.December in a small Devonshire village is the perfect time for a Yuletide fête, a wedding or a murder.Now retired, Beatrice Stubbs is busy with wedding preparations. Not for herself - co-habiting with Matthew is as far as she's prepared to commit - but Adrian and Will are getting married. She's Chief Bridesmaid and the theme is Narnia.When a local celebrity dies in suspicious circumstances, Matthew encourages Beatrice to do a little private investigating. Her enquiries turn up more than predicted and she discovers her nearest and dearest are capable of deceit.A snowstorm hits the village and Beatrice chases a lead, throwing everyone's plans into disarray and threatening lives. Ancient forests conceal a complex web of connections and loyalties, false reputations and poison.Each book works as a stand-alone novel.If you enjoy PD James, LJ Ross and Agatha Christie, you'll love Snow Angel. "A classic village murder mystery, packed with comforts and crimes at Christmas with rural traditions at its heart" - Debbie Young, author of The Sophie Sayers Mysteries.

British crime fiction where characters become people and place is part of the story.A half truth is a whole lie.Ecco, the world-famous Michelin-starred restaurant in Naples, has a problem. A chef is dead and there's a spy in the kitchen, selling their secrets to competitors. What they need is a food-loving detective to go undercover. Isabella Lopez knows just the person.Over Holy Week in Italy, Beatrice Stubbs takes on her first paid job as a private investigator, accompanied by family and friends. Posing as a wannabe pastry chef, her job is to hook the worm out of the apple.Meanwhile, her men folk explore the city, the volcano and the ruins of Pompeii, followed by a man in a black beret. Who or what does he want?At the restaurant, kitchen staff are scared and mistrustful, the head chef is explosive and Beatrice's culinary skills lack finesse. The pressure is on. She sets a trap for the mole before anyone else gets killed.The Neapolitan family network and business links grow increasingly tangled, dragging in everyone Beatrice loves. This catch is bigger than she thought and she can't handle it alone.Has PI Stubbs bitten off more than she can chew?Each book works as a stand-alone novel.If you enjoy Andrea Camilleri, Peter Grainger and Donna Leon, you'll love Honey Trap."A thrilling new direction for Beatrice Stubbs amidst the chaos, beauty and gastronomy of historical Naples."- Liza Perrat, author of The Bone Angel Series"I thoroughly enjoyed Jill Marsh's presentation of a hot and flustered Beatrice Stubbs amidst Italian pots, pans and flans, who at the flick of a whisk, manages to regain her cool and resolve a tricky Neapolitan intrigue and murder." - Janys Hyde, owner at Creative Retreats, Italy