The Joe Sixsmith Mysteries Series

Saving a woman’s life puts British PI Joe Sixsmith’s own life in danger in this mystery by “a master of form and style . . . grace and wit” (The New York Times).   Best known for his gritty Dalziel and Pascoe novels, which were adapted into a hit BBC series, Reginald Hill “could not have created a protagonist more different” than Joe Sixsmith, the laid-back British PI and church chorister of West Indian descent, who makes for an engaging addition to crime fiction in this winning mystery, available for the first time as an ebook (Publishers Weekly).   It looks to be a melodious weekend for Joe Sixsmith and his chapel choir. They’re headed for the first annual choral festival in Llanffugiol, a village said to be the heart of musical life in rural Wales. But the locals are far from welcoming in this off-the-map hamlet where dread lingers as heavy as the mist. Never more so than when Joe comes to the rescue of a naked amnesiac screaming for her life in a burning cottage. No one claims to know her, or what she was doing on a stranger’s property, much less why anyone would want to set her ablaze. Secretly recruited by the owner of the cottage to investigate and, oddly enough, just as surreptitiously by the man’s wife, Joe soon discovers that arson is the least of the burning secrets in Llanffugiol.  

A British PI novel from the Diamond Dagger Award–winning author: “Entertaining, sly, jokey . . . cynical, well written, and teems with sparkly dialogue” (The Times, London).   British private investigator Joe Sixsmith needs some help to resolve a dispute with his insurance company, so he turns to Luton, England’s most prominent law firm. But he winds up storming out, infuriated at the rude treatment he receives—which presents a problem once the firm’s partners start getting murdered soon afterward.   And as he tries to fend off the police who suspect him, he’s still got his own cases to juggle, including a plot against a female track star who may have to run for her life . . .   “Among mysterydom’s most unique and eccentric characters. Joe is a redundant British lathe operator, black, balding, decidedly middle-aged, and ever at the mercy of his curmudgeonly aunt Mirabelle and his nearly human cat, Whitey. . . . A blend of Chaplin and Clouseau, Joe Sixsmith is endearingly funny, but he also has an unerring knack for discovering some of life’s most serious truths in the midst of his bumbling misadventures.” —Booklist   “Joe is . . . an unpredictable, entertaining fellow.” —Publishers Weekly  

A British PI finds a body in a box in this mystery with “a nice twist waiting at the end” (Kirkus Reviews).   As he leaves St Monkey’s after choir practice, private investigator Joe Sixsmith makes a heartbreaking discovery in the church graveyard: the body of a boy in a cardboard box. The police think it’s just another drug overdose, another homeless kid who’s become a casualty of the streets. But Joe can’t get this death out of his mind.   Though his casebook is already full, he’s intent on taking a look around Luton to learn the truth. But as usual, he has to elude his matchmaking aunt Mirabelle at the same time . . .   “Poking and probing among the village’s down-and-outs as well as its upper crust, Joe keeps at it until he discovers the shocking secrets of some of the town’s most prominent citizens. A blend of Chaplin and Clouseau, Joe Sixsmith is endearingly funny, but he also has an unerring knack for discovering some of life’s most serious truths in the midst of his bumbling misadventures. An outstanding read.” —Booklist   “Joe juggles clues, threats, and assaults with equal distinction.” —Kirkus Reviews

The first in the series starring a PI who’s “as sweet a hero as you’re likely to find in a rough multiracial neighborhood on the outskirts of London” (The New York Times Book Review).   Joe Sixsmith has lost his job as a lathe operator—and is in the process of losing his hair, too—but that doesn’t mean he’s going to sink into a midlife crisis. Instead he decides to start a new career as a private investigator, with his grumpy, pork rind–eating cat, Whitey, at his side.   To his surprise, there’s no shortage of work, and before he knows it he’s dealing with murder, drugs, and thugs—not to mention the meddlesome matchmaking attempts of his aunt Mirabelle.   “Its no wonder Hill has been dubbed one of today’s best British mystery writers. His knowledge of police procedure, his razor-edged wit, his right-on-target descriptions of life’s little ironies, and his fine characterizations make every one of his books a unique and outstanding read. . . . Although most detectives might rely on guns, tenacity, and toughness, Joe’s qualifications for the job are a kind heart, compassion, and plain good luck. Oddly enough, that’s exactly what he needs to solve the case. A wacky, witty story that’s warm, charming, and highly entertaining.” —Booklist   “Sumptuously plotted.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review