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DI Beatrice Stubbs #5
Human Rites
Judgement is in the eye of the beholderAdrian 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 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 Discover Beatrice Stubbs - detective inspector, metaphor mixer and stubborn 1. Behind Closed Doors (Switzerland)2. Raw Material (England/Wales)3. Tread Softly (Basque County, Spain)4. Cold Pressed (The Greek Islands)5. Human Rites (Germany)6. Bad Apples (Portugal)7. Snow Angel (England)8. Honey Trap (Italy)9. Black Widow (France)10. White Night (Finland)11. The Woman in the Frame (Mallorca)12. All Souls' Day (Belgium)Plus the exclusive free prequel for newsletter Black Dogs, Yellow Butterflies (London)
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2015
103 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
J.J. Marsh
34 books178 followersAs a child, Jill read so obsessively she got kicked out of the school library. But her passion for words continued. She graduated in English Literature and Theatre Studies from the University of Wales and set up a theatre company. Since then, as an actor, director, teacher, writer and journalist, she’s worked in fifteen countries. She learnt something from each one.
Now, with her husband and three dogs, Jill lives in Switzerland, a country with four languages and mountains of new words.
She works as a language trainer all over Europe, collaborates with Nuance Words and Triskele Books, and contributes regularly to Words with JAM magazine. But most of the time, she writes. And reads.
Behind Closed Doors is the first Beatrice Stubbs novel, a European crime series set in compelling locations all over the Continent.
Now, with her husband and three dogs, Jill lives in Switzerland, a country with four languages and mountains of new words.
She works as a language trainer all over Europe, collaborates with Nuance Words and Triskele Books, and contributes regularly to Words with JAM magazine. But most of the time, she writes. And reads.
Behind Closed Doors is the first Beatrice Stubbs novel, a European crime series set in compelling locations all over the Continent.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 23, 2022
3++ I'm fatiguing of the Beatrice Stubbs after, what is it, 5? in the last few months, but they are passed to me and I succumb to the easy read. This one though did grip me - who is stalking Adrian???
January 5, 2016
After Behind Closed Doors, Raw Material, Tread Softly and Cold Pressed, JJ Marsh has once again excelled in the international crime genre with the fifth in her Beatrice Stubbs series, Human Rites.
By now I have become very attached to her female sleuth, Beatrice Stubbs, with all her quirks and flaws, and feel as if I’ve evolved along with this character, over the course of the books. So, whilst each story can be read as a standalone, I would recommend starting with the first, Behind Closed Doors, for real insight into the skillful development of this character, not to mention the brilliant crime mystery each book offers.
DI Beatrice Stubbs wants to retire with her partner, however she takes on an investigation into the theft of Expressionist art works, which takes her to Germany. Adrian, Beatrice’s friend and neighbour, hasn’t told her of his recent troubles, but jumps at Beatrice’s invitation to accompany her to Hamburg for a few days of culture, Christmas shopping and a visit with his ex.
Amidst yet more wonderful European locations––Hamburg and the idyllic, snow-swept island of Sylt––the author deftly links the art theft investigation with Adrian’s downhill spiral. Beatrice fears he’s either heading for a breakdown or truly being threatened by a sinister nun and homophobic messages. She worries that the stunning but remote Sylt is really not the ideal place for him to escape his concerns.
The double plots are brilliant, the settings atmospheric, the food and drink tantalising. The narrative moves along at a fast pace, the suspense making me turn the pages right to the thrilling end. A most worthy addition to the DI Beatrice Stubbs series, I would highly recommend Human Rites to lovers of intelligent crime thrillers.
By now I have become very attached to her female sleuth, Beatrice Stubbs, with all her quirks and flaws, and feel as if I’ve evolved along with this character, over the course of the books. So, whilst each story can be read as a standalone, I would recommend starting with the first, Behind Closed Doors, for real insight into the skillful development of this character, not to mention the brilliant crime mystery each book offers.
DI Beatrice Stubbs wants to retire with her partner, however she takes on an investigation into the theft of Expressionist art works, which takes her to Germany. Adrian, Beatrice’s friend and neighbour, hasn’t told her of his recent troubles, but jumps at Beatrice’s invitation to accompany her to Hamburg for a few days of culture, Christmas shopping and a visit with his ex.
Amidst yet more wonderful European locations––Hamburg and the idyllic, snow-swept island of Sylt––the author deftly links the art theft investigation with Adrian’s downhill spiral. Beatrice fears he’s either heading for a breakdown or truly being threatened by a sinister nun and homophobic messages. She worries that the stunning but remote Sylt is really not the ideal place for him to escape his concerns.
The double plots are brilliant, the settings atmospheric, the food and drink tantalising. The narrative moves along at a fast pace, the suspense making me turn the pages right to the thrilling end. A most worthy addition to the DI Beatrice Stubbs series, I would highly recommend Human Rites to lovers of intelligent crime thrillers.
March 18, 2023
I am rereading the series, and this is one of my favorites. I hadn't reviewed it individually I see, somehow just reviewed the box sets, so decided to highlight this one.
One of the things I loved about the series (and I did finish it shortly after the last one was published) is how skilled Marsh is with character development.
I love the community Stubbs has, the insights she gathers, how the friends also grow as characters. I love her therapist James, and of course Matthew, his daughters and their families etc. etc. They all feel like I can picture them in real life.
In addition the exploration of different spots in Europe made the series enticing to me. I started my first reading of the series during the height of the lockdown, and the books brought me comfort.
Anyway, while this one ends with a death of someone in Beatrice's community, it also introduces Adrian's new partner, and he soon becomes a central part of her growing circle, in the rest of the series.
One of the things I loved about the series (and I did finish it shortly after the last one was published) is how skilled Marsh is with character development.
I love the community Stubbs has, the insights she gathers, how the friends also grow as characters. I love her therapist James, and of course Matthew, his daughters and their families etc. etc. They all feel like I can picture them in real life.
In addition the exploration of different spots in Europe made the series enticing to me. I started my first reading of the series during the height of the lockdown, and the books brought me comfort.
Anyway, while this one ends with a death of someone in Beatrice's community, it also introduces Adrian's new partner, and he soon becomes a central part of her growing circle, in the rest of the series.
Read
February 6, 2016The latest book in JJ Marsh’s series of European based crime thrillers features Scotland Yard’s Detective Inspector Beatrice Stubbs. It had a lot to live up to in terms of my expectations as I’ve read and very much enjoyed the three previous books. It didn’t disappoint.
Beautifully described and fascinating settings, compelling, suspenseful and twisting plotlines and a cast of wonderful characters both familiar and new. You don’t have to have read the earlier books in order to follow this one. Like the rest, this also works as a standalone, but it is nice to be re-united with characters you’ve become fond of.
Beatrice’s old friend and neighbour, Adrian, is back, as is his now-ex lover Holger. Her grumpy boss Hamilton and her not-living-together yet partner Matthew also feature once more. However, some captivating new characters appear. What’s not to love about the septuagenarian art expert, Frau Professor Eichhorn who has a Howard Jones hairstyle and wears a red coat and black boots? Hairy and adorable Daan and his crazy husky, Mink. Catinca, Adrian’s new assistant in his wine shop, described as Bow Bells meets Bucharest makes a disproportionately big impression considering her short amount of page time. Likewise Tomas, the socially awkward, computer data-analyst member of the German police team is a minor but memorable character. And what a wonder is the tastily handsome, but also nuanced and layered, character of German Detective Jan Stein.
The plot has two main strands. The criminal investigation requires D.I. Stubbs to leave her London base and travel to Europe to work on a series of art thefts in London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Hamburg. These aggravated burglaries are efficiently organised and co-ordinated, and also target a very specific form of German Expressionist art.
The other unrelated problem is a possibly malevolent stalker threatening Adrian, one of Beatrice’s closest friends. By getting away from the stress and fear of the situation, he hopes he can regain some perspective. These two storylines provide a good balance. There’s the logic, control and rationality of the police investigation with its insights into the methods and teamwork employed. And alongside there’s the fear, suspense, suspicion and twists of the stalking situation.
The action takes place mainly in Hamburg and on the island of Sylt, just off Germany’s north-western tip. Hamburg in the December snow, with its wide streets, its waterways and bridges, and its spires, museums and galleries is so beautifully described that I’ve now added it to my ‘cities to visit’ list. And, there’s one moment when the sighting of a sinister figure against this backdrop recalled for me the mysterious appearances of the small, red-hooded figure in Venice in the Daphne du Maurier story Don’t Look Now.
The island of Sylt is vividly presented as a beautiful but remote and windswept place, the perfect location in which to isolate a character in potential danger. Woven throughout the action there are small but significant moments of introspection such as when Beatrice reflects on her bipolar condition via the concept of an ‘inner pigdog’ (yes, you read that right), or contemplates her approaching retirement from the police force and finally settling down to live with her partner. Some moments are unexpectedly poignant––one in particular stands out as unexpected but affecting. And the issues raised by the characters, their motivations and situations, also cause the reader to reflect on friendship, compassion and love, on the facts of ageing and mortality, but also on greed, obsession and hatred.
And finally, as an already smitten fan of Beatrice Stubbs, I was delighted to see several new Beatricisms. I counted six instances of her taking a well known saying and mangling it to great comic effect – for example ‘no more exciting than watching pants dry’. And I also learned two new words––imbiss which is a German word meaning snack and sphenisciphobia which is the fear of nuns or penguins. Who knew? Not me.
But what I do know is that Human Rites is a first class novel and is in the running for my favourite read of 2015.
Beautifully described and fascinating settings, compelling, suspenseful and twisting plotlines and a cast of wonderful characters both familiar and new. You don’t have to have read the earlier books in order to follow this one. Like the rest, this also works as a standalone, but it is nice to be re-united with characters you’ve become fond of.
Beatrice’s old friend and neighbour, Adrian, is back, as is his now-ex lover Holger. Her grumpy boss Hamilton and her not-living-together yet partner Matthew also feature once more. However, some captivating new characters appear. What’s not to love about the septuagenarian art expert, Frau Professor Eichhorn who has a Howard Jones hairstyle and wears a red coat and black boots? Hairy and adorable Daan and his crazy husky, Mink. Catinca, Adrian’s new assistant in his wine shop, described as Bow Bells meets Bucharest makes a disproportionately big impression considering her short amount of page time. Likewise Tomas, the socially awkward, computer data-analyst member of the German police team is a minor but memorable character. And what a wonder is the tastily handsome, but also nuanced and layered, character of German Detective Jan Stein.
The plot has two main strands. The criminal investigation requires D.I. Stubbs to leave her London base and travel to Europe to work on a series of art thefts in London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Hamburg. These aggravated burglaries are efficiently organised and co-ordinated, and also target a very specific form of German Expressionist art.
The other unrelated problem is a possibly malevolent stalker threatening Adrian, one of Beatrice’s closest friends. By getting away from the stress and fear of the situation, he hopes he can regain some perspective. These two storylines provide a good balance. There’s the logic, control and rationality of the police investigation with its insights into the methods and teamwork employed. And alongside there’s the fear, suspense, suspicion and twists of the stalking situation.
The action takes place mainly in Hamburg and on the island of Sylt, just off Germany’s north-western tip. Hamburg in the December snow, with its wide streets, its waterways and bridges, and its spires, museums and galleries is so beautifully described that I’ve now added it to my ‘cities to visit’ list. And, there’s one moment when the sighting of a sinister figure against this backdrop recalled for me the mysterious appearances of the small, red-hooded figure in Venice in the Daphne du Maurier story Don’t Look Now.
The island of Sylt is vividly presented as a beautiful but remote and windswept place, the perfect location in which to isolate a character in potential danger. Woven throughout the action there are small but significant moments of introspection such as when Beatrice reflects on her bipolar condition via the concept of an ‘inner pigdog’ (yes, you read that right), or contemplates her approaching retirement from the police force and finally settling down to live with her partner. Some moments are unexpectedly poignant––one in particular stands out as unexpected but affecting. And the issues raised by the characters, their motivations and situations, also cause the reader to reflect on friendship, compassion and love, on the facts of ageing and mortality, but also on greed, obsession and hatred.
And finally, as an already smitten fan of Beatrice Stubbs, I was delighted to see several new Beatricisms. I counted six instances of her taking a well known saying and mangling it to great comic effect – for example ‘no more exciting than watching pants dry’. And I also learned two new words––imbiss which is a German word meaning snack and sphenisciphobia which is the fear of nuns or penguins. Who knew? Not me.
But what I do know is that Human Rites is a first class novel and is in the running for my favourite read of 2015.
January 2, 2016
An accomplished and original crime novel that’s a serious pleasure to read, “Human Rites” infuses JJ Marsh’s subtle sharpness into its menace, its urbanity and its humour. Spare, spectral, classy and down-to-earth, all at once, it manages to pack resonant detail into its natural coolness of exposition, with intriguing dives into international art theft, European police procedures and Expressionist art history, among other worlds of endeavour, along with sparky glimpses of contemporary urban romance and a suitably unhealthy dusting of religious lunacy.
The novel makes equal use of two appealing point-of-view characters, different in many ways but a match in their intelligent love of high-quality fun: Beatrice, whom I’ve met before in “Behind Closed Doors”, from where I can well remember the softness beneath her sharpness, the compassion beneath her dignity and the anger beneath her understatedness, all of which it’s a pleasure to re-encounter; and her great friend and neighbour Adrian, a hip young wine merchant whose independence, decency, flighty brightness and healthy self-regard are a convincing mix of simple and complex.
An array of locations are mined for their local colour, in crisply sensuous style, as settings for many vividly-drawn characters. No spoilers here, but I can say that the unexpected revelation at the very end suggests both an exasperated skewering of emotional repression and a lament at the individual tragedies such repression can hide. Much looking forward to reading the others in the series!
The novel makes equal use of two appealing point-of-view characters, different in many ways but a match in their intelligent love of high-quality fun: Beatrice, whom I’ve met before in “Behind Closed Doors”, from where I can well remember the softness beneath her sharpness, the compassion beneath her dignity and the anger beneath her understatedness, all of which it’s a pleasure to re-encounter; and her great friend and neighbour Adrian, a hip young wine merchant whose independence, decency, flighty brightness and healthy self-regard are a convincing mix of simple and complex.
An array of locations are mined for their local colour, in crisply sensuous style, as settings for many vividly-drawn characters. No spoilers here, but I can say that the unexpected revelation at the very end suggests both an exasperated skewering of emotional repression and a lament at the individual tragedies such repression can hide. Much looking forward to reading the others in the series!
February 8, 2020
J. J. Marsh's mystery story books deserve far more attention than many authors claiming a spot on current 'best-seller' lists. I have read a few Ruth Ware mysteries and find the J. J. Marsh mysteries are superior in intelligence, plot-device, and character development.
Marsh's detective hero, Beatrice Stubbs, is intelligent, cultured, older, unpretentious, modern and totally sympathetic. The settings are always European and they are an important part of the stories. Vividly staged, it is easy for the reader to become totally wrapt in the location. And I love being wrapt up in a location while I'm befriending the characters and becoming engrossed in a plot.
In "Human Rites", I feel like I went on an adventure to Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Stilt village on the Baltic Islands; food and weather were integral as well. The plot was captivating as a good mystery; the book becomes a page-turner as the story of the art theft becomes developed. The specifics of Expressionism as an art form were new to me (I'm always grateful to Ms Marsh for her generous exposes on art and culture. They are an important part of the Beatrice Stubbs story profile).
The story is rather a cozy in terms of genre but with an intelligent edge; it is not superficial and trite nor is it a romantic dishwater. The dialogue is good, the humor refreshing, and the story strong in its mystery entrapment. I am always ready and excited about picking up the next Beatrice Stubbs mystery.
Marsh's detective hero, Beatrice Stubbs, is intelligent, cultured, older, unpretentious, modern and totally sympathetic. The settings are always European and they are an important part of the stories. Vividly staged, it is easy for the reader to become totally wrapt in the location. And I love being wrapt up in a location while I'm befriending the characters and becoming engrossed in a plot.
In "Human Rites", I feel like I went on an adventure to Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Stilt village on the Baltic Islands; food and weather were integral as well. The plot was captivating as a good mystery; the book becomes a page-turner as the story of the art theft becomes developed. The specifics of Expressionism as an art form were new to me (I'm always grateful to Ms Marsh for her generous exposes on art and culture. They are an important part of the Beatrice Stubbs story profile).
The story is rather a cozy in terms of genre but with an intelligent edge; it is not superficial and trite nor is it a romantic dishwater. The dialogue is good, the humor refreshing, and the story strong in its mystery entrapment. I am always ready and excited about picking up the next Beatrice Stubbs mystery.
September 21, 2017
HUMAN RITES by JJ Marsh is the 5th title in the Beatrice Stubbs mystery series.
I think it is absolutely brilliant.
Adrian Harvey (Beatrice’s neighbor and close friend) is being stalked by a nun; his mail is tampered with and graffiti is found on his wine shop window. He is upset and very puzzled with this harassment. Who is targeting him and why? He joins Beatrice for a few days in Hamburg where she is working on a series of related art thefts, and arranges to meet ex-boyfriend Holger - a ‘get-away-from-it-all’ rest period of sorts.
What ensues is anything but a restful and relaxing getaway. Ms. Marsh weaves a very interesting, suspenseful and intriguing mystery.
The sense of place in this series is spectacular - we spend most of our time in London, in Hamburg Germany and coastal areas of Denmark. A northern European travelogue.
Personal relationships are key to the story and we are introduced to several new characters (with Daan and his dog, Mink, stealing the show).
There are art thefts, art history lessons, organized crime rings, convents, homophobia, beautiful scenery, Christmas shopping, food (always food and wine), police procedures, deaths, a surprise office romance, suspense, danger and a brilliant Beatrice.
I heartily recommend this title and this series.
I think it is absolutely brilliant.
Adrian Harvey (Beatrice’s neighbor and close friend) is being stalked by a nun; his mail is tampered with and graffiti is found on his wine shop window. He is upset and very puzzled with this harassment. Who is targeting him and why? He joins Beatrice for a few days in Hamburg where she is working on a series of related art thefts, and arranges to meet ex-boyfriend Holger - a ‘get-away-from-it-all’ rest period of sorts.
What ensues is anything but a restful and relaxing getaway. Ms. Marsh weaves a very interesting, suspenseful and intriguing mystery.
The sense of place in this series is spectacular - we spend most of our time in London, in Hamburg Germany and coastal areas of Denmark. A northern European travelogue.
Personal relationships are key to the story and we are introduced to several new characters (with Daan and his dog, Mink, stealing the show).
There are art thefts, art history lessons, organized crime rings, convents, homophobia, beautiful scenery, Christmas shopping, food (always food and wine), police procedures, deaths, a surprise office romance, suspense, danger and a brilliant Beatrice.
I heartily recommend this title and this series.
May 6, 2021
Human Rites by J. J. Marsh 3/22/2021 Kindle
This is the fifth in the Beatrice Stubbs, D I series and her in and out neighbor-friend Adrien plays a major part in this addition. The wine merchant Adrian is seemingly stalked by, of all persons, a nun! This parallel plot is secondary but adds to the fun. Once again, Beatrice is putting off her decades-old boy pal from marriage and her boss from protests over her proposed retirement. She jumps at a getaway chance to spend a few days in Germany, trying to tie together international art thefts of very valuable paintings.
Adrian joins her, but his stalker seems to follow. Beatrice manages her crime chore by discerning a common genre of the stolen art, thereby isolating where the next theft may occur. She is helped in this endeavor by an interesting character, Frau Professor Eichorn.
As usual, we are offered a detailed view of the local as Stubbs and her local help jump around Germany and nearby countries. It’s Christmas time so the decorations are at full beauty. Lessons in some art history are also added to keep this story entertaining.
This is the fifth in the Beatrice Stubbs, D I series and her in and out neighbor-friend Adrien plays a major part in this addition. The wine merchant Adrian is seemingly stalked by, of all persons, a nun! This parallel plot is secondary but adds to the fun. Once again, Beatrice is putting off her decades-old boy pal from marriage and her boss from protests over her proposed retirement. She jumps at a getaway chance to spend a few days in Germany, trying to tie together international art thefts of very valuable paintings.
Adrian joins her, but his stalker seems to follow. Beatrice manages her crime chore by discerning a common genre of the stolen art, thereby isolating where the next theft may occur. She is helped in this endeavor by an interesting character, Frau Professor Eichorn.
As usual, we are offered a detailed view of the local as Stubbs and her local help jump around Germany and nearby countries. It’s Christmas time so the decorations are at full beauty. Lessons in some art history are also added to keep this story entertaining.
April 19, 2021
Again, enjoyed this greatly. Am grateful to have found this series. I heard on NPR a writer who lost it over receiving a four star review, so I want to make it clear that I think that is a highly positive rating. I save the five star for books that, as a former colleague of mine would put it, would knock my socks off. You know, Toni Morrison. But I find these book luscious and plan to read them all, plus the novella.
This latest almost lost me. I don’t think this requires a spoiler alert. She introduced a great dog and at one point I thought she was going to kill it off, in which case I would have quit the series, but happily she didn’t. Don’t know why I can accept the killing of characters that I find attractive or even compelling; that would not stop my reading, but killing an animal is too cruel for me to stomach. But there it is. Read "Someone is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe" and will never ever read anything else by her because of the conclusion. Some sickness I cannot deal with. But Beatrice Stubbs’ series is great fun.
This latest almost lost me. I don’t think this requires a spoiler alert. She introduced a great dog and at one point I thought she was going to kill it off, in which case I would have quit the series, but happily she didn’t. Don’t know why I can accept the killing of characters that I find attractive or even compelling; that would not stop my reading, but killing an animal is too cruel for me to stomach. But there it is. Read "Someone is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe" and will never ever read anything else by her because of the conclusion. Some sickness I cannot deal with. But Beatrice Stubbs’ series is great fun.
March 1, 2019
This Beatrice Stubbs series is excellent. A slightly flawed but highly intelligent female protagonist who is a police officer with Scotland Yard. In this book she is in Germany in connection with a series of art thefts. Her friend and neighbor Adrian, a gay wine merchant who loves to cook, is apparently being stalked and victimized in various ways that seem to point to disapproval of his life style. He keeps seeing nuns, too, and is rapidly becoming paranoid about the whole thing - and rather frightened. Adrian follows Beatrice to Hamburg for a break, to do some Christmas shopping and to visit one of his ex-boyfriends, but the stalker is still after him. The two threads of Beatrice's art thieves and Adrian's stalking keep escalating into a very exciting ending.
October 21, 2018
Beatrice Stubbs has totally grown on me. She's a familiar character that for some reason, I find comfort in.... like putting on an old, ratty but comforting sweater. .. Adrian (the gay neighbor downstairs) was at the center of the story this time. But, I kept getting fustrated with him. Uncharacteristically, he displayed a lack of trust and a lack of open honesty that he usually gives to Beatrice. Perhaps this is the author's way of making him "human"? I didn't like it. But, I am glad he got center stage. And gets some chapters of first narrative in the next iteration as well
March 23, 2021
Picked up at the library because the cover mentioned Nordic Noir. Didn't read the blurb properly. Not a bad story and I've ordered the first novel from the library. A couple of points arose in the reading. I was told she was bi-polar but that had nothing to do with the story. Then there were two unusual expressions - looking for a 'weevil in a haystack' and 'at the drop of a cat'. Maybe that's what they say where Marsh comes from.
April 6, 2021
Simply put, I love this new-found series and will feel bereft when I've finished all twelve. I've been a mystery fan since my Nancy Drew days in the early 1960ies and Beatrice Stubbs is among the best! Top of the pops, because this is an adult series that occupies a rarified territory between cloying cozies and stomach-turning serial killer genres, and I've read my fair share of both.
Each book skillfully manages to be a down to earth procedural that is thoughtful, exciting, and leavened with humor and humanity. Best of all, they are believable, and each case is beautifully interwoven with storylines involving Beatrice's family and friends, each of whom are fully-realized, complex characters. Each book gives you more insight into all of them, especially Beatrice's struggles with the Black Dog as she juggles international crimes and family concerns.
All are cracking good reads that are nigh impossible to put down! Kudos to J.J. Marsh!
Each book skillfully manages to be a down to earth procedural that is thoughtful, exciting, and leavened with humor and humanity. Best of all, they are believable, and each case is beautifully interwoven with storylines involving Beatrice's family and friends, each of whom are fully-realized, complex characters. Each book gives you more insight into all of them, especially Beatrice's struggles with the Black Dog as she juggles international crimes and family concerns.
All are cracking good reads that are nigh impossible to put down! Kudos to J.J. Marsh!
January 14, 2019
A real page turner with two plots being followed. What a masterpiece of writing. The characters all are so sympathetic and unique with human flaws. Highly recommend any of the Beatrice Stubbs books. I have read them in order and suggest other readers do the same. The development of the characters as well as the complexity of the writing increases with each successive outing.
October 6, 2019
Lots of tension
There are two story lines in this book, both very well done. While Beatrice is chasing art thieves, her dear friend Adrian is being harassed by a religious nut. I actually had to stop reading at one point because I was so worried about Adrian. On to the next in the series!
There are two story lines in this book, both very well done. While Beatrice is chasing art thieves, her dear friend Adrian is being harassed by a religious nut. I actually had to stop reading at one point because I was so worried about Adrian. On to the next in the series!
January 19, 2021
Adrian is the star in this book
The treatment of idioms in these books is distressing. At first, I thought they were bad editing. Then, I thought humor. Now, it is just irritating. It is also only the author who believes Beatrice is so attractive to men that she needs to always have someone fall in love with her in most books.
The treatment of idioms in these books is distressing. At first, I thought they were bad editing. Then, I thought humor. Now, it is just irritating. It is also only the author who believes Beatrice is so attractive to men that she needs to always have someone fall in love with her in most books.
January 28, 2021
With Beatrice travelling to Germany to tackle a major art fraud case, this really was a double mystery in one book, with her good friend and neighbour Adrian taking centre stage of a nasty plot against him.
Again, the characters are what makes these books so enjoyable and JJ Marsh excels at introducing fully formed and likeable people to add to the usual cast. A really good read.
Again, the characters are what makes these books so enjoyable and JJ Marsh excels at introducing fully formed and likeable people to add to the usual cast. A really good read.
November 14, 2015
An exciting and well-paced plot, another combination of great settings, and the introduction of several great new characters ensured that this was as gripping a read as its predecessors.
This is latest book in JJ Marsh's series of European based crime thrillers. As before it features, Scotland Yard's Detective Inspector Beatrice Stubbs. It had a lot to live up to in terms of my expectations as I've read and very much enjoyed the three previous books. It didn't disappoint.
There are beautifully described and fascinating settings, compelling, suspenseful and twisting plotlines and a cast of wonderful characters both familiar and new.
You don't have to have read the earlier books in order to follow this one. Like the rest of them this one will also work as a standalone, but it is nice to be re-united with characters you've become fond of. Beatrice's old friend and neighbour, Adrian, is back, as is his now-ex lover Holger. Her grumpy boss Hamilton and her not-living-together yet partner Matthew also feature once more.
However, there are also some captivating new characters too. What's not to love about the septuagenarian art expert, Frau Professor Eichhorn who has a Howard Jones hairstyle and wears a red coat and black boots? Then there's the hairy and adorable Daan and his crazy husky, Mink. There's Cucinca, Adrian's new assistant in his wine shop, described as Bow Bells meets Bucharest and who makes a disproportionately big impression considering her short amount of page time. Likewise Tomas, the socially awkward, computer data-analyst member of the German police team who is another relatively minor but memorable character. And what a wonder is the tastily handsome, but also nuanced and layered, character of German Detective Jan Stein.
The plot has two main strands.
There is the criminal investigation which, as before, requires D.I. Stubbs's to leave her London base and travel to Europe to work in co-operation with colleagues there. This time the crimes requiring investigation are a series of art thefts in London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Hamburg. These are aggravated burglaries that seem to be efficiently organised and co-ordinated, and also seem to target a very specific form of German Expressionist art.
Added to this there's unrelated problem of a possibly malevolent stalker threatening the wellbeing of Adrian one of Beatrice's closest friends. He decides to accompany Beatrice when she goes to Germany. By getting away from the stress and fear of the situation, he hopes he can regain some perspective on the reality of any threat to his wellbeing. And he can also visit his ex-lover, Holger, who lives in Hamburg and with whom he is still on good terms.
These two storylines provide a good balance to the action. There's the logic, control and rationality of the police investigation with its insights into the methods and teamwork employed. And alongside there's the fear, suspense, suspicion and twists of the stalking situation.
And then there are the wonderfully described settings. The action takes place mainly in Hamburg and on the island of Sylt which sits just off Germany's north-western tip.
Hamburg in the December snow, with its wide streets, its waterways and bridges, and its spires, museums and galleries is so beautifully described that I've now added it to my 'cities to visit' list. And, there's a moment in the book, when the sighting of a sinister figure against this backdrop recalled for me the mysterious appearances of the small, red-hooded figure in Venice in the Daphne du Maurier story Don't Look Now.
Then there's the island of Sylt. It is vividly presented as a beautiful but remote and windswept place, the perfect location in which to isolate a character in potential danger.
Woven throughout the action there are small but significant moments, moments of introspection such as when Beatrice reflects on her bipolar condition when she's introduced to the concept of an 'inner pigdog' (yes, you read that right), and when she contemplates her approaching retirement from the police force and finally settling down to live with her partner. There are also unexpectedly poignant moments––one in particular stands out as it's so unexpected but affecting. And the issues raised by the characters, their motivations and situations, also cause the reader to reflect on friendship, compassion and love, on the facts of ageing and mortality, but also on greed, obsession and hatred.
And finally, as an already smitten fan of Beatrice Stubbs, I was delighted to see several new Beatricisms. I counted six instances of her taking a well known saying and mangling it to great comic effect - for example the description of something as being 'no more exciting than watching pants dry'.
I also learned two new words––imbiss which is a German word meaning snack and spheniciphobia which is the fear of nuns or penguins. Who knew? Not me.
But what I do know is that Human Rites is a first class novel and is in the running for my favourite read of 2015.
(I was given a free pre-publication review copy as I've reviewed previous books by this author. There was no pressure either to write a review or, if I did, that it had to be positive).
This is latest book in JJ Marsh's series of European based crime thrillers. As before it features, Scotland Yard's Detective Inspector Beatrice Stubbs. It had a lot to live up to in terms of my expectations as I've read and very much enjoyed the three previous books. It didn't disappoint.
There are beautifully described and fascinating settings, compelling, suspenseful and twisting plotlines and a cast of wonderful characters both familiar and new.
You don't have to have read the earlier books in order to follow this one. Like the rest of them this one will also work as a standalone, but it is nice to be re-united with characters you've become fond of. Beatrice's old friend and neighbour, Adrian, is back, as is his now-ex lover Holger. Her grumpy boss Hamilton and her not-living-together yet partner Matthew also feature once more.
However, there are also some captivating new characters too. What's not to love about the septuagenarian art expert, Frau Professor Eichhorn who has a Howard Jones hairstyle and wears a red coat and black boots? Then there's the hairy and adorable Daan and his crazy husky, Mink. There's Cucinca, Adrian's new assistant in his wine shop, described as Bow Bells meets Bucharest and who makes a disproportionately big impression considering her short amount of page time. Likewise Tomas, the socially awkward, computer data-analyst member of the German police team who is another relatively minor but memorable character. And what a wonder is the tastily handsome, but also nuanced and layered, character of German Detective Jan Stein.
The plot has two main strands.
There is the criminal investigation which, as before, requires D.I. Stubbs's to leave her London base and travel to Europe to work in co-operation with colleagues there. This time the crimes requiring investigation are a series of art thefts in London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Hamburg. These are aggravated burglaries that seem to be efficiently organised and co-ordinated, and also seem to target a very specific form of German Expressionist art.
Added to this there's unrelated problem of a possibly malevolent stalker threatening the wellbeing of Adrian one of Beatrice's closest friends. He decides to accompany Beatrice when she goes to Germany. By getting away from the stress and fear of the situation, he hopes he can regain some perspective on the reality of any threat to his wellbeing. And he can also visit his ex-lover, Holger, who lives in Hamburg and with whom he is still on good terms.
These two storylines provide a good balance to the action. There's the logic, control and rationality of the police investigation with its insights into the methods and teamwork employed. And alongside there's the fear, suspense, suspicion and twists of the stalking situation.
And then there are the wonderfully described settings. The action takes place mainly in Hamburg and on the island of Sylt which sits just off Germany's north-western tip.
Hamburg in the December snow, with its wide streets, its waterways and bridges, and its spires, museums and galleries is so beautifully described that I've now added it to my 'cities to visit' list. And, there's a moment in the book, when the sighting of a sinister figure against this backdrop recalled for me the mysterious appearances of the small, red-hooded figure in Venice in the Daphne du Maurier story Don't Look Now.
Then there's the island of Sylt. It is vividly presented as a beautiful but remote and windswept place, the perfect location in which to isolate a character in potential danger.
Woven throughout the action there are small but significant moments, moments of introspection such as when Beatrice reflects on her bipolar condition when she's introduced to the concept of an 'inner pigdog' (yes, you read that right), and when she contemplates her approaching retirement from the police force and finally settling down to live with her partner. There are also unexpectedly poignant moments––one in particular stands out as it's so unexpected but affecting. And the issues raised by the characters, their motivations and situations, also cause the reader to reflect on friendship, compassion and love, on the facts of ageing and mortality, but also on greed, obsession and hatred.
And finally, as an already smitten fan of Beatrice Stubbs, I was delighted to see several new Beatricisms. I counted six instances of her taking a well known saying and mangling it to great comic effect - for example the description of something as being 'no more exciting than watching pants dry'.
I also learned two new words––imbiss which is a German word meaning snack and spheniciphobia which is the fear of nuns or penguins. Who knew? Not me.
But what I do know is that Human Rites is a first class novel and is in the running for my favourite read of 2015.
(I was given a free pre-publication review copy as I've reviewed previous books by this author. There was no pressure either to write a review or, if I did, that it had to be positive).
February 13, 2022
There are two mysteries in this book. One is international art thefts being investigated by Beatrice and a team in Germany. The other is someone stalking and terrorizing Adrian. I liked the second plot better than the first.
April 25, 2025
Though I’ve read this before, it’s been long enough I’d forgotten much of it. Great of case for Beatrice, harrowing experience for Adrian, and satisfying conclusion. Can’t say I’m a fan of AI narration. I miss the emotional impact and the more varied voices.
May 1, 2025
J.J. Marsh is joining the ranks of my favorite authors. Her plots are so intricate that I often have no idea what is truly going on. This one is a doozie. Adrian seems to be being stalked but the appearences surely seem impossible. You need to read it.
February 16, 2019
These books are great. Page-turney great.
February 3, 2022
My favorite of the series so far. Love the characters
September 5, 2025
Beatrice is involved in an international art theft case. Adrian is being stalked and joins Beatrice in Europe. But things don’t improve.
August 8, 2016
I wasn't sure what to expect from Human Rites by J.J. Marsh when I first started the book. For some reason, I was afraid it was going to be a cozy mystery.
As I continued to read, I became more involved with the characters and the plot(s). The book is the fifth installment in a series featuring Scotland Yard D.I. Beatrice Stubbs.
There are two intertwining plot lines. One is the harassment (that becomes more and more sinister) of Beatrice's gay friend Adrian Harvey. The other is the case Beatrice is working on involving brutal art thefts of Expressionist paintings.
One of the stolen paintings is Salon II by Otto Dix. I was unable to find any images of Salon II which went missing during WWII, but the description sounds very similar to Salon I.
Expressionist art was considered degenerate by the Nazis, and "A total of about 16,000 works (mostly confiscated from the best art museums and galleries in Germany, such as the National Gallery in Berlin and the Kunsthalle in Hamburg) were officially deemed degenerate, involving several hundred artists, mainly from Germany." ( Degenerate Art)
Chagall, Dali, Dix, Ernst, Kandinsky, Miro, Picasso, Egon Schiel, and Kurt Schwitters were among the hundreds of artists considered degenerate at the time. I ended up looking at the works of a number of German Expressionists whose names were unfamiliar, but who were also mentioned in the novel.
I get so side-tracked!
Anyway, J.J. Marsh's book turned out to be more than satisfactory in a number of ways, and I've already ordered the first in the series.
The photo of Salon I and links to source material are on my blog. A Garden Carried in the Pocket. The blog review is scheduled for Aug. 12, 2016.
NetGalley/Cameron Publicity & Mkt.
Mystery/Police Procedural. July 25, 2016. Print length: 250 pages.
As I continued to read, I became more involved with the characters and the plot(s). The book is the fifth installment in a series featuring Scotland Yard D.I. Beatrice Stubbs.
There are two intertwining plot lines. One is the harassment (that becomes more and more sinister) of Beatrice's gay friend Adrian Harvey. The other is the case Beatrice is working on involving brutal art thefts of Expressionist paintings.
One of the stolen paintings is Salon II by Otto Dix. I was unable to find any images of Salon II which went missing during WWII, but the description sounds very similar to Salon I.
Expressionist art was considered degenerate by the Nazis, and "A total of about 16,000 works (mostly confiscated from the best art museums and galleries in Germany, such as the National Gallery in Berlin and the Kunsthalle in Hamburg) were officially deemed degenerate, involving several hundred artists, mainly from Germany." ( Degenerate Art)
Chagall, Dali, Dix, Ernst, Kandinsky, Miro, Picasso, Egon Schiel, and Kurt Schwitters were among the hundreds of artists considered degenerate at the time. I ended up looking at the works of a number of German Expressionists whose names were unfamiliar, but who were also mentioned in the novel.
I get so side-tracked!
Anyway, J.J. Marsh's book turned out to be more than satisfactory in a number of ways, and I've already ordered the first in the series.
The photo of Salon I and links to source material are on my blog. A Garden Carried in the Pocket. The blog review is scheduled for Aug. 12, 2016.
NetGalley/Cameron Publicity & Mkt.
Mystery/Police Procedural. July 25, 2016. Print length: 250 pages.
July 29, 2016
I would like to thank Netgalley and Cameron Marketing and Publicity Ltd for a review copy of Human Rites, the fifth novel to feature DI Beatrice Stubbs.
Beatrice is dreaming of retirement and a cushy months long secondment to the Caribbean to ease her out of the Met but it's not to be as Superintendent Hamilton has earmarked her for Operation Horseshoe, a new interracial initiative. When Hamilton goes into hospital unexpectedly Beatrice and her colleagues take advantage to assign Dawn to Operation Horseshoe and send Beatrice to Germany to liaise with Interpol over some stolen paintings. At the same time Beatrice's friend, Adrian, is being stalked by a nun and harassed by a homophobe. To escape he accompanies her to Hamburg but he is followed.
Human Rites is a well crafted novel told in the third person from both Beatrice and Adrian's points of view. The reader and Adrian both know that the stalking is real so it is interesting to see his reaction when he realises his friends think he is delusional and how their thought processes bring them to think so. It's enough to make you paranoid.
The characters of Beatrice and Adrian are well observed and extremely likeable. Beatrice is very human, nippy if she feels the situation requires it but supportive and empathetic. She is also smart and hardworking. Her appreciation of Detective Stein "the European George Clooney" is both natural and funny. Adrian is extremely fearful in the novel and his reactions are well depicted but despite this his inate kindness and optimism shine through. I'd love to have both of them as friends.
I really enjoyed Human Rites and read it in one sitting so I have no hesitation in recommending it as an excellent read.
Beatrice is dreaming of retirement and a cushy months long secondment to the Caribbean to ease her out of the Met but it's not to be as Superintendent Hamilton has earmarked her for Operation Horseshoe, a new interracial initiative. When Hamilton goes into hospital unexpectedly Beatrice and her colleagues take advantage to assign Dawn to Operation Horseshoe and send Beatrice to Germany to liaise with Interpol over some stolen paintings. At the same time Beatrice's friend, Adrian, is being stalked by a nun and harassed by a homophobe. To escape he accompanies her to Hamburg but he is followed.
Human Rites is a well crafted novel told in the third person from both Beatrice and Adrian's points of view. The reader and Adrian both know that the stalking is real so it is interesting to see his reaction when he realises his friends think he is delusional and how their thought processes bring them to think so. It's enough to make you paranoid.
The characters of Beatrice and Adrian are well observed and extremely likeable. Beatrice is very human, nippy if she feels the situation requires it but supportive and empathetic. She is also smart and hardworking. Her appreciation of Detective Stein "the European George Clooney" is both natural and funny. Adrian is extremely fearful in the novel and his reactions are well depicted but despite this his inate kindness and optimism shine through. I'd love to have both of them as friends.
I really enjoyed Human Rites and read it in one sitting so I have no hesitation in recommending it as an excellent read.
December 21, 2015
Human Rites is the fifth in the Beatrice Stubbs series and I’m glad to say that it sparkles as brightly as the rest. Inspector Stubbs herself is a really appealing heroine. A woman of a certain age she has the fictional sleuth’s obligatory demons, but also a relish for life that is enormously attractive.
As this book begins she is looking forward to early retirement with long-term partner, Matthew, but is soon globe-trotting again to a freezing December Hamburg on the track of a gang of international art thieves. With her goes her friend, wine-seller and gourmet cook, Adrian. He is eager to explore the city and meet up with an old boyfriend, Holger.
Adrian is my favourite of all the brilliant characters JJ Marsh has created, but things are looking bleak for him amongst the Christmas cheer. Is he, as Beatrice fears, heading for a breakdown or is he really being menaced by sinister nuns and threatened by homophobic messages? And is the beautiful, but remote island of Sylt the best place for him to escape from his fears?
There are so many pleasures here: the two complex mysteries, the wonderfully atmospheric settings and the tantalising hints of what is in store for Beatrice Stubbs in her home and professional lives. And that’s without the lip smacking descriptions of food and drink!
Human Rites works perfectly well as a standalone, but if you read it first I guarantee you will want to go back and luxuriate in the previous four.
As this book begins she is looking forward to early retirement with long-term partner, Matthew, but is soon globe-trotting again to a freezing December Hamburg on the track of a gang of international art thieves. With her goes her friend, wine-seller and gourmet cook, Adrian. He is eager to explore the city and meet up with an old boyfriend, Holger.
Adrian is my favourite of all the brilliant characters JJ Marsh has created, but things are looking bleak for him amongst the Christmas cheer. Is he, as Beatrice fears, heading for a breakdown or is he really being menaced by sinister nuns and threatened by homophobic messages? And is the beautiful, but remote island of Sylt the best place for him to escape from his fears?
There are so many pleasures here: the two complex mysteries, the wonderfully atmospheric settings and the tantalising hints of what is in store for Beatrice Stubbs in her home and professional lives. And that’s without the lip smacking descriptions of food and drink!
Human Rites works perfectly well as a standalone, but if you read it first I guarantee you will want to go back and luxuriate in the previous four.
December 24, 2015
Ever since Conan Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes, writers of detective fiction have understood that their detective must have identifiable characteristics. For many, it seems a case of the odder the better. When JJ Marsh created the Scotland Yard policewoman Beatrice Stubbs, she hit on a novel idea: to make Beatrice an absolutely recognisable normal human being – someone just like you or me with all the problems normal people have and making the mistakes normal people make. Refreshing does not begin to describe the feeling of reading about the woman Marsh calls Beatrice and I have come to think of as Stubbsie.
The opening leads the reader straight into the atmosphere and the story and Stubbs aficionados (of whom I am one) will sink into it as into a comfortable armchair. All the usual Stubbsie goodies are here – a carefully worked out and clever plot; a sense of location that enables us to see clearly places we have never been to; human vulnerability; real emotions and genuine affection; and a threat that is only warded off by the cleverness and dedication to which we have become accustomed.
If you already know Beatrice Stubbs then – obviously – you have to read this one. If you don’t, I envy you. What a treat you have in store!
The opening leads the reader straight into the atmosphere and the story and Stubbs aficionados (of whom I am one) will sink into it as into a comfortable armchair. All the usual Stubbsie goodies are here – a carefully worked out and clever plot; a sense of location that enables us to see clearly places we have never been to; human vulnerability; real emotions and genuine affection; and a threat that is only warded off by the cleverness and dedication to which we have become accustomed.
If you already know Beatrice Stubbs then – obviously – you have to read this one. If you don’t, I envy you. What a treat you have in store!
January 5, 2016
This is the 5th Beatrice Stubbs book but the first one I read, and this review is going to be short because I can't wait to catch up with the others in the series. It's a pacy and intelligent crime novel, beautifully written, in other words streets ahead of most books in this genre. Beatrice is perfect, by which I mean she is the opposite. In fact all the characters are compelling (including the dog). By turns scary and moving, Human Rites is one to savour, and you could enjoy it without being a fan of crime fiction. My only worry is that Beatrice Stubbs may retire. What shall we read then?
October 13, 2019
Another fascinating foray into Beatrice's and Adrian's lives and adventures. It was interesting to be given a taste of information about the Expressionist art movement.
"The things we do for love" are both the best review and the sorrow and hope that embody this book. The reader will need some silence when finishing this book.
"The things we do for love" are both the best review and the sorrow and hope that embody this book. The reader will need some silence when finishing this book.
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