Murder In Paradise. Mallorca With JJ Marsh

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Battuta Mallorca is a beautiful Spanish island in the Balearics, rich with history and culture, from the medieval architecture of Palma’s old town to the picturesque coastal village of Deia and the mountainous interior. Many come to the relaxed island for an escape, but others imagine murder in paradise. In this interview, international crime author, JJ Marsh, talks about the inspiration of Mallorca and how she sees the world as an outsider, constructing stories from her travels. JJ Marsh is the bestselling author of the Beatrice Stubbs crime series. Her latest book is The Woman in the Frame, set in Mallorca, which we’re talking about today. Show notes * Why Mallorca is so enticing to visit and write about * The joy of older cities with lots of history * Seeing past the beauty of a place to write murder * Wine and food recommendations * Is there any truth to cultural stereotypes? Writing as an outsider. * Recommended books about or set on Mallorca You can find JJ Marsh at JJMarshAuthor.com Transcript of the interview Jo: JJ Marsh is the bestselling author of the Beatrice Stubbs crime series. Her latest book is The Woman in the Frame, set in Mallorca, which we’re talking about today. Welcome to the show, Jill. Jill: Thanks for having me, Jo. Jo: It’s great to talk to you and I should say we’re recording this still not in lockdown, but we can’t travel much. I wish we could be on the island of Mallorca having a glass of wine to do this! Jill: I’ve got the exact wine in mind as well. Jo: Oh, have you? We’re going to come back to that. Why Mallorca? Tell us where it is and why you were so attracted to it that you wanted to set a book there? Jill: Mallorca is a Spanish Island. It’s the largest of the Balearics. But unfortunately, it’s more associated with drunken tourism than culture. But if you travel away from Palma in the south towards the north, you discover a landscape and a history. It’s just such a wonderful place you would want to keep it a secret. As for my attraction to it, that’s personal. As the child of an engineer, I grew up in Nigeria and Dubai and Hong Kong. So while my teenage self was pretty well-traveled, I wasn’t so familiar with Europe. Then I found out that my estranged paternal grandfather lived in Mallorca. And one of my uncles engineered a family reconciliation. When we first met him in the north of Mallorca, I was just completely enthralled both by him and his Hemingway-esque persona and the island itself as a story location. I think Mallorca has been waiting in the back of my mind for over 30 years. Jo: Wow. That is so interesting you growing up around the world like that. It’s just fascinating. I want to come back on the drunken tourism reputation. You’re right. I mean, Magaluf is famous for British people, young parties. But I stayed in Palma and I actually set some of one of my books there, Valley of Dry Bones, because of the monastery and the Franciscans there. Jill: Oh, yes. Jo: Palma has this wonderful old city of almost Templar style medieval architecture. But you’re right. If you go outside of that in that area… Do you like that old city area as well? Jill: Yes, I do.