Three European crime novels featuring Beatrice Stubbs: detective inspector, bipolar sufferer, metaphor mixer and serial survivor.Cold PressedTwo things people fear the most? Change and death.Santorini. Turquoise seas, ancient ruins and beautiful sunsets.And a woman thrown from a cliff.The violent death shocks fellow passengers of the Empress Louise, a grand cruise liner packed with British tourists.For newly promoted Inspector Nikos Stephanakis, the case poses linguistic and cultural problems. His request for assistance yields unexpected results.DI Beatrice Stubbs, called in as support, flies to Greece. What with tension at home, the timing couldn’t be better. She anticipates a few days in the sun and a swift resolution.Yet an earlier death at sea proves suspicious and when another elderly lady is killed in her cabin, terror spreads like contagion. Murder is aboard.And someone has...

Crystalline Mediterranean waters lap the rocky northern coast of Mallorca, blessing the town of Deià with blood-orange sunsets, balmy night skies and the legacy of a poet.This former artists' colony now attracts the rich and famous looking to party in privacy. It's the perfect place for a honeymoon until your morning coffee is interrupted by a dead body.Who would want to murder the muse of a world-famous artist?Enter Beatrice Stubbs, ex-Scotland Yard detective turned private investigator, who never rejects a job if it involves good food and fine wine.Someone - an esoteric church leader, a wild-eyed ex-muse, the woman who forgets nothing, the artist's agent or that covetous neighbour - knows what really happened and why.But when locals and incomers point the finger at one another, how can Beatrice distinguish between lies, truth and artistic licence?A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

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.

Twelve little oddities.An assortment of the bizarre, unexpected, charming, unsettling and downright peculiar. Into darkness or light, there are many ways to escape.Reviews"A wonderful, eclectic collection of literary vignettes - sometimes shocking and challenging: 'The Reservation'; fascinating and unsettling: 'Interview with Elsbeth'; touching and utterly convincing: 'Pitcher of a Lady' (a beautifully observed short story with an unforgettable narrator). An exhilarating and entertaining read - the author's flair is quite astonishing. Highly recommended.""Wonderful collection of fiction ... and fact. These short stories are a real pleasure to read, written with great style and confidence. EXCELLENT!""From the short and intriguing to the longer and challenging, these stories are certainly never dull. Sometimes transgressive, often eyeopening, always beautifully written - give yourself a treat and have a read."

Some people are just rotten to the core.Acting DCI Beatrice Stubbs is representing Scotland Yard at a police conference in Portugal. Her task is to investigate a rumour – a ghostwritten exposé of European intelligence agencies – and discover who is behind such a book.Hardly a dangerous assignment, so she invites family and friends for a holiday. Days at the conference and evenings at the villa should be the perfect work-life balance.Until one of her colleagues is murdered.An eclectic alliance of international detectives forms to find the assassin. But are they really on the same side?Meanwhile, tensions rise at the holiday villa. A clash of egos sours the atmosphere and when a five-year-old child disappears, their idyll turns hellish.From Lisbon streets to the quays of Porto, Parisian cafés to the green mountains of Gerês, Beatrice realises trust can be a fatal mistake."I loved...

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.

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...

Beatrice Stubbs of Scotland Yard: detective inspector, metaphor mixer and stubborn survivor. 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...