The Body in the Boat is the final book in the Hardcastle and Chaytor mystery series from A. J. McKenzie; the pen name of writing duo and husband and wife team Marilyn Livingstone and Morgan Witzel. The book opens with Reverend Hardcastle and Mrs Chaytor attending a birthday party thrown by Mr Munro; a respected local banker for his wife. Just days later Mr. Munro is found dead. Of course the Reverend in his position as magistrate must investigate and as always he is assisted by the very capable and unflappable Mrs Chaytor. The mystery involves links to a band of local smugglers as well as rumours that the East Weald and Ashford Bank where Mr. Munro was a partner might be in trouble. This is an intriguing mystery with plenty of twists and turns. The series takes place at the end of the 18th Century during a period of almost constant conflict with France, as well as fears of French invasion. While the Reverend Hardcastle and Mrs. Chaytor may be firm members of the middle class their investigations take them to a wide variety of places and because of this the authors are able to paint a broad picture of Georgain life. There is a wonderful cast of characters from the Reverend's novel writing sister Calpurnia to the laudanum addicted business woman Mrs Redcliffe to the fishermen, smugglers and thugs and the local gentry protected in their grand houses. The Kent landscape is beautifully described and I felt the writing really brought the historical and rural setting to life. This is a thoroughly enjoyable historical mystery. If you have yet to discover this series I highly recommend it particularly for fans of Antonia Hodgson, Andrew Hughes or Andrew Taylor.

The Body in the Boat by A.J. MacKenzie

It is the 1790s and the war between England and France has had little effect on the men and women of both coasts whose smuggling ventures thrive. Goods and gold regularly cross the channel, with ships passing in the mists, navigating by the full moon. The Kent coast is particularly active and one night smuggler Yorkshire Tom (otherwise known as Constable Joshua Stemp) observes a coffin being loaded onto a rowing boat from a ship. Meanwhile, a glamorous party is being held at the grand Magpie Court to celebrate the birthday of Cecilia Munro, whose husband, Hector Munro, is a well-known banker in Kent’s most prevalent bank.

Reverend Marcus Hardcastle, a justice of the peace, is at the party with his widowed sister, the celebrated Gothic novelist Calpurnia Vane, and as he leaves he accidentally overhears a secret and snatched conversation between Mr Munro and his wife’s father. Hector Munro it seems is about to undergo a perilous journey and there is nothing that his wife or father-in-law can do to stop him. When Hector’s body is found murdered in a boat just a few days later, Hardcastle feels compelled to search out the truth, aided by his neighbour and friend, the widowed and wise Amelia Chaytor.

The Body in the Boat is the third Hardcastle and Chaytor mystery by A.J. MacKenzie, a series that does such a fine job of bringing Georgian Kent to life, with its long stretches of beach and picturesque villages. I love the descriptions of country life, the journeys made my horse, gig or boat, and the dependence of villagers on one another. It’s a close knit community but it can also be a dangerous place (the Miss Marple syndrome) and nothing stirs up the blood quite like greed. Smuggling is rife – everybody’s either at it or turning a blind eye. But there’s a gentlemanly character to it, until people start getting murdered. It’s also rather intriguing to realise that this Kentish community lived in fear of a French army landing on its coast. This could very well have happened.

This novel also takes a look at the banking world, which I found both fascinating and perplexing. I loved the idea of watching people come to terms with bank notes instead of pieces of gold. The necessity of being able to trust a bank is central to the system and that is displayed to such good effect here, as is the utter reliance of small investors in their bank. And so, while we see some people at their worst, this is also the chance for the good to draw together. There are other moments in this novel, too, when Hardcastle, Mrs Chaytor, and even Calpurnia demonstrate such caring and selfless behaviour, although they are left vulnerable to hurt. Mrs Chaytor suffers so much here. I love both Hardcastle and Mrs Chaytor but Mrs Chaytor I feel particularly warm to.

There are some intriguing female characters here. They certainly stand up for themselves, even if society would just have them as the chattels of husbands, fathers or sons. Smuggling is a free enterprise for men and women. Nobody goes by their real name. It’s a leveller. It’s also rather dangerous. And exciting.

I really enjoyed The Body in the Boat. There is a comfort in reading a historical mystery such as this, with such wonderful settings and characters. But I also like to think that I’m learning something and I certainly do with these books. I think my only issue is that early on I had trouble keeping up with the number of characters and it took a while for each to become distinct for me but, otherwise, I hung on to every word and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I do like this series and I’m most certainly looking forward to the next adventure for the Reverend and the splendid Mrs Chaytor. I’m also in danger of warming considerably to Calpurnia.

Other review
The Body in the Ice

Thanks Bonnier Zaffre and netgalley for this ARC.

Having read all of AJ MacKenzie's novels, I loved this one most of all of them. The mystery was complex, the setting well remembered, and the characters well loved already. It's like meeting old friends after a long absence and having a good chin wag. Can't wait to see what comes next.

Hi Karen,


My next review is as follows:-

"The Body In The Boat:A Hardcastle And Chaytor Mystery" written by A J MacKenzie and published in Paperback by Zaffre on 15 November 2018). 400 pages ISBN-13: 978-1785761263

It is late 1796 and across the still, dark English Channel come the smugglers. But tonight they carry an unusual cargo: a coffin. Several miles inland, a respected banker holds a birthday party for his wife. Within days, one of the guests is found shot dead.

What links this apparently senseless killing to the smugglers lurking in the mists? Why has the local bank been buying and hoarding gold? And who was in the mysterious coffin?

Reverend Hardcastle and Mrs Chaytor find themselves drawn into the worlds of high finance and organised crime in this dramatic and dark Georgian mystery. With its unique cast of characters and captivating amateur sleuths, The Body in the Boat is a twisting tale that vividly brings to life eighteenth-century Kent and draws readers into its pages.

The expertly researched story is told by this Canadian husband and wife writing partnership and follows on from their previous stories in this series which I have read and enjoyed from the start. We learnt that in the eighteenth century many ordinary people were prodigious drinkers of alcohol and the Reverend Hardcastle was known to get through a huge amount (by modern standards of port and brandy) and fortunately a lot was supplied to him as free gifts from smugglers, keen that he as a magistrate as well as a clergyman should show a blind eye to their nefarious activities.

England is still at war with France, which feeds the atmosphere of fear and paranoia and brings with it fears that invasion is likely and that there are spies lurking every where.

For readers of the two earlier stories, you will be reassured that the Reverend Hardcastle seems, however, to have cut back on the volume of alcohol he gets through which in the first book seemed absolutely astounding. Apparently, now that he is a magistrate he has to set an example and also keep a clear head for when he is asked to act in his official capacity. However, at times of stress he seems to still enjoy a few glasses of port! He also however still seems to be at war with his housekeeper.



I read for review "The Body On The Doorstep:A Dark And Compelling Historical Murder Mystery(The Romney Marsh Series)"(April 2016)which was the first in this series of absolutely gripping and superbly well researched historical mystery stories.

A.J. MacKenzie is the pseudonym of Marilyn Livingstone and Morgen Witzel, a collaborative Anglo-Canadian husband-and-wife duo. Between them they have written more than twenty non-fiction and academic titles, with specialisms including management, medieval economic history and medieval warfare. This is the second of the Romney Marsh mysteries set in the late 18th century.

I was very impressed by the quality of the research and the historical detail of this well plotted and highly atmospheric story. The characters are all richly drawn and full of period detail. The rich plot kept me guessing until the final page and I look forward to reading further stories by these really very gifted authors. Most strongly recommended.

Best wishes,

Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk in due course)

I downloaded this book because I was attracted by the cover and I love historical mysteries. I then realised it was actually #3 in a series, so I had to quickly read the other books first!

The Body in the Boat probably has one of the best openings I've read for a long time. One foggy night, the local constable and sometime smuggler Joshua Stemp catches his rival with a coffin in his boat. Is he up to no good? Undoubtedly. But the other man has a large dog and an equally large knife, and so Joshua is forced to make a tactical retreat. A few days later a local banker is found washed up in another boat, extremely dead, along with one bloodstained gold coin. Are the two events connected? It's up to the Reverend Marcus Hardcastle and his friend Amelia Chaytor to find out.

These books are usually centred around a historical event, and in this case it is the introduction of paper money, and the effect it had on the banks. All the lovably eccentric characters from the earlier books are here: wily smugglers, sneaky French spies, feisty widows, and a Wicked Lady-ish debutante turned smuggler. Although the plots are suitably twisty, it is definitely the characters that make this series for me, along with the flashes of dry humour. While this particular story started a bit slowly, the end was as nail-bitingly thrilling as its predecessors.

The only negative for me was that Rev Hardcastle spent a large chunk of the story questioning each suspect in turn, and I'd rather he had become directly involved with the action like the earlier books. And in this one Amelia doesn't have a lot to do. But I love this series and hope I won't have too long to wait for the next one! Recommended!


Thank you to A.J. MacKenzie, Bonnier Zaffre, and NetGalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this one really excited hoping it would feed my need for a good historical mystery but I had a hard time pushing through this. I liked the setup and premise of it but I just could not finish it. However, I did enjoy how Mackenzie characterized the members of the family and how the story was told.

This is the third in the wonderful series featuring Reverend Marcus Aurelius Hardcastle and widow Amelia Chaytor set in the Romney Marshes in the Georgian period. The country is still at war with France feeding the atmosphere of paranoia, and fears of spies and imminent invasion. Smuggling is rife and everyone is at, from the lower classes to the highest, despite it being a crime. With so many involved, temporary JP Hardcastle is inclined to ignore it and leave it to customs, so many who are close to him are involved. Late one night a boat with a coffin inside is discovered, and at a birthday party at Magpie Court owned by Frederick Maudsley, a friend of Hardcastle, attended by local notables, including a banker, Hector Munro, who is found shot dead in a boat a few days later. Hardcastle and Amelia are determined to get to the bottom of what is going on and what connects these events.

Hardcastle continues to be irritated by his sister, Calpurnia Vane, a well known writer, but is to soften in his attitudes as she proves to be both helpful and a tower of strength and organisation when peace talks between France and England fail and a flood of traumatised refugees flee France. This is a story of high finance, banking in crisis as the East Weald and Ashford Bank is suspected of smuggling, with rumours of it in a deep financial debts under the leadership of Charles Faversham. This means there is the real possibility of a threatened run on it, threatening the livelihoods of local people close to Hardcastle and Amelia's heart, which they are not going to take lying down. There are further brutal murders and evidence that suggests there is embezzlement and fraud taking place linked directly with smuggling operations involving gold and opium. It appears to all lead to and connect with ruthless smugglers operating out of Hythe. Danger is everywhere, and as the duo get closer to the truth, local women are taken, leading to a thrilling climax at sea.

This is a wonderful historical crime series, with characters I have come to know well. Hardcastle is not yet free of his demons, and his penchant for drink, as he almost succumbs when faced with betrayal from close quarters. It is Amelia who pushes him out of his deep depression, reminding him of responsibilities to those close to him. Amelia is reminded of her grief as she attempts to comfort Munro's widow, Cecilia and further tormented with a demise of a young man who held her is such high regard. The authors are keeping this series full of suspense and tension, with plenty of adventures and heroics, whilst facing the threats of dangerous and ruthless villainy. A great series that is entertaining and gripping. Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for an ARC.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. This is the first time I have read anything from this author(s) but will be seeking out the previous novels in the series straight away. I usually steer clear of historical fiction but this has changed my view completely.

Brilliantly crafted murder mystery, which seems to encompass smuggling, a body being taken across the channel and high finance with ease and clarity.

Engaging characters of Reverend Hardcastle, who is the imperfect main character who works well with Amelia Chaytor. Throughout there was the humour and attention to detail, which shone through.

Enjoyable and strongly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and A J MacKenzie for the ARC in return for my honest review.