DEBUT NOVEL
ROOFBOY
Jess's debut novel, ROOFBOY, published by Cranthorpe Millner is now available to pre-order, for release in June 2026. Pre-order here:
"For a moment I am mesmerised by his fearlessness. But there's another part of me, a darker part, that wonders what it would feel like to watch him fall."
To the outside observer, Sasha Marsh is a dedicated single mum who goes above and beyond to ensure seven-year-old Gabriel lives a happy and healthy life in their sleepy Costwold village. Yet, beneath the facade of normalcy lies a darker reality, one where the doors and windows are always locked; where her son is never allowed to play outside and where Sasha lives in constant fear. With their violent past always at the forefront of her mind, and a family secret threatening to come to light, Sasha remains unflinching in her resolve to protect Gabriel from others, and from himself.
The story behind the story
ROOFBOY began like many inspirations for a story: in the middle of a sleepless night at 3 a.m. Jess was in recovery from cancer treatment and was watching a documentary about serial killers. A thought began to germinate in her imagination: 'What about the mothers of psychopaths? Did they notice the traits when their children were small? Could they have changed the outcome of their children's catastrophic choices?' Most importantly, she asked herself the question "What would I do if my child showed a predisposition to psychopathy?' The answer came in the form of Sasha and Gabriel Marsh, and ROOFBOY began to take shape. While never attempting to draw conclusions or answer questions about the nature vs nurture debate, Jess drew on her own experience of extreme parenting from her background in a UK cult, and her observations on how fear can lead to behaviour that would otherwise be out of character.
ROOFBOY is a dark, twisted psychological thriller. It is a tense and deeply human portrait of motherhood and fear.
