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 … 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 of the Beatrice Stubbs Series works stand-alone.
If you enjoy PD James, LJ Ross and Agatha Christie, you’ll love Snow Angel.
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Beatrice is a joy to follow and I especially love her dialogue with her partner, Matthew. Well, with all the other characters. The plotting is intelligent, sometimes downright crafty, but always intelligible and teasing enough to make the reader desperate to read on. The contrast of soft snow and robins with a throughly despicable villain, of perfect love with redemption, of achievement and fallibility make this such an engaging read. Highly recommended.
Intelligent murder mystery in traditional English Christmas setting
From the moment Beatrice Stubbs was wrong-footed by a sexist boss in Book 1, I grew very attached to this middle-aged detective, who is British but works in a European context. I thought I’d miss the European flavour of earlier books in the series but you can’t beat a good murder mystery in traditional English Christmas setting and this one has wedding plans to up the angst. Add Beatrice’s own psychiatric problems to the mix and I was totally hooked. Malapropisms are often used for comic effect (or by accident in badly edited books) so it’s thought-provoking to see this ‘fault’ presented as a symptom of the way a brain works – or misfunctions.
The way J J Marsh interwove the three plot strands, with tension in each of them, was masterful. I also loved the ending, a resolution that was satisfying while leaving something for the reader to chew over and continue in her imagination. My favourite character in this book? No contest: the dog. Some writers know how dogs behave and this one is real.
If you like intelligent whodunnits with European flavour and a woman detective who has to work hard to be taken seriously, not least by herself – you’ll love this series. You can read this on its own or do what I did – read them all! With offers and boxsets, you can afford to treat yourself.
Cozy mysteries aren’t usually my preferred genre, but I’ll read anything J.J. Marsh writes in a heartbeat. Her books are awesome and Snow Angel is no different. What a lovely story with lots of intrigue, a gorgeous wedding, and a mystery that kept me guessing to the end! I really loved this story, and specially the relationships between the different characters. Beatrice and Matthew are the best, so are Adrian and Will, and there’s a special place in my heart for Catinca and little Dumpling!
And Vaughn Mason, I hated him with a fury! J.J. did a brilliant job with characterization in this book.
A great read you can’t miss!
I’ve read (and bought) all the Beatrice Stubbs novels – I love the ‘eggcorns’ she has, the authenticity to the emotions and friendships and that the stories feel genuine. It doesn’t hurt that JJ Marsh writes incredibly well.
Snow Angel is the latest in the series and for the first time it’s set fully in Devon. It’s always risky when authors do this; as I am from, and still live in Devon, I particularly notice the cliches that often occur when stories are set here, the speech that’s overly yokelish, the implication that we all churn our own butter and live on cream teas and cider. JJ Marsh didn’t fall into this trap; instead she created an outstanding depiction of my local area and the sort of people that live here – the incomers and the natives – nailed. So much that I could think of at least 3 pubs and villages within a 15 mile radius that could easily be Upton St Nicholas and The Angel Pub. I might have to go and investigate – just to rule them out, you understand!
Because I’ve signed up to the mailing list, I had the chance of an early ecopy to read. Because I enjoyed it so very much, I’ve pre-ordered a hard copy to put on my shelf. I might have to buy a couple as gifts too.
This book has jeopardy, suspense, humour and some of the most beautiful prose I’ve come across. Here’s an extract:
‘Above, the cloudless sky deepens to a crow-black, with the new moon invisible to the naked eye. Without its dominant glow, stars sparkle all the brighter, like crystals of salt on Cornish slate. A stillness settles over the landscape. An owl screeches.’
Did the hairs on your neck just rise? Good. This is the best Stubbs yet, and one of the best books I’ve read.
JJ Marsh knocks it out of the park with Snow Angel, book seven of the Beatrice Stubbs Series! We find a retired DI Stubbs enjoying retirement in a small village when her partner’s friend is killed. He asks Beatrice to quietly investigate amidst her responsibilities to plan her best friend’s wedding, taking care of Matthew and family, trying not to miss London and her old life not to mention getting dumped by her therapist. Oh, and there’s Christmas to plan. Well drawn characters with a murder mystery thrown in moves the story along nicely. Truly a joy to read.