The Body at Rookery Barn is the first book in Kate Hardy's Georgina Drake Mystery Series. In this installment, widow Georgina Drake has moved to a small village in Norfolk County, England and has turned an old barn into a rental cottage. On the morning that her current renter is scheduled to leave, Georgina goes to clean the cottage and discovers the renter dead. In addition, she also hears a voice telling her not to go in the barn and soon discovers that the voice belongs to the ghost of a woman who died in the main house on the same day that Georgina was born.

The author does a good job of introducing the characters in this story and infusing them with a history that can continue to be built on in future installments. By making the victim an unsympathetic character, the author is able to establish a wide variety of potential suspects giving the police and Georgina an uphill task to determine just who is responsible for the death and why. In addition to the main plot of this story, the author has woven in the mystery of the identity of the ghost and why she has not moved on to the afterlife. The core of this mystery lies in the love and loyalties that bind families together. While there are a number of twists and misdirects, the ultimate reveal of culprit and motive comes as a shock even though both are pointed at several times during the course of the plot. I look forward to reading more books as this series develops.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Storm Publishing and am leaving this review voluntarily.

An excellent start to a brand-new series! Georgina is both clever and quick-witted and I can't wait to see what she does next. If you need a cozy cup of side with a side of murder, this could be the one!

A Georgina Drake Mystery Book 1. A new cosy crime series, great read. Looking forward to reading more in this series

The Body at Rookery Barn by Kate Hardy is the first book in the new Georgina Drake Mystery series and I loved it. It was a sweet cosy mystery book that was a joy to read.
This is a book for a cold rainy day, seating in front of a fire with a blanket over your knees with a hot chocolate drink.
This book has excellent characters and a great story, that will have you gripped from the beginning. I am looking forward to Kate's next book.

A wonderful read. I highly recommend.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the e-arc.

Suspense Action Murder and Revenge

If you like a good cozy mystery, then this book is for you. It has It has a paranormal twist, suspense action murder revenge with a touch of friendship and romance thrown in. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

The Body at Rookery Barn is the first book in a new paranormal cozy mystery series by Kate Hardy. Released 24th Oct 2023, it's 270 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.A second volume in the series is also available (with a 3rd slated for June 2024 release). All are in KU.

This is a well written and engaging cozy with a very strong parallel paranormal plotline alongside the unexpected death of the main character's short term lodger. Georgina, a widow, has moved to rural Norfolk after her bereavement and hopes to get a fresh start. Things seem to be going well, with a new circle of supportive friends, until a violent death (and suspicion from the police) threaten to upend her newfound tranquility.

The paranormal / ghost aspect is very odd and not entirely well meshed (Georgina suddenly starts being able to hear and interact with a ghost after getting her hearing aids changed out for a new type. (Okay)). Readers should be in the mood for some whimsy with their cozy murder mystery to get full enjoyment out of this one.

The unabridged audiobook format has a run time of 8 hours 4 minutes and is capably narrated by Tamsin Kennard. She has a clear, well modulated alto voice which is unobtrusive and easy to understand. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four stars (with the codicil that there's an odd dichotomy between the parallel storylines which isn't really resolved in this volume).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I read this book over several weeks,not through any fault of the book-just life and each time I picked it up ,it drew me in immediately.
The telling of the story, the characters and your whodunnit suspicions were on constant alert all the way through.
An excellent idea to bring in the issue of the hearing aids and to dangle grief,bereavement and pending romance throughout. This book had it all.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my free and honest review. I could not get into this sorry from the beginning, and I tried and tried, and then tried more, but I just could not get a foot hold in it. Sweet main character and I wanted to be engulfed but it was not meant to be.

I was hooked from the start. I loved this very English village cozy mystery. It had me completely absorbed into this story. I absolutely love Georgina! I have to read the next book in the series ASAP!!
I just reviewed The Body at Rookery Barn by Kate Hardy. #TheBodyatRookeryBarn #NetGalley
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If you love mysteries, this new series is the one for you!

“The Body at Rookery Barn” is book 1 in this new series centering on Georgina Drake, a woman suddenly thrust into the world of amateur detecting when a body turns up on her property.

Will she be able to solve the crime or will she be accused of the murder herself? Join Kate Hardy on this journey and brace yourself for book 2.

Thank you NetGalley, Kate Hardy, and Storm Publishing for gifting me this fun ARC.

I love starting a new series and a cosy murder mystery is just the perfect thing to bring in the new year. The first in the Georgina Drake Mystery series sees Georgina discovering a dead body at Rookery Barn (her holiday let). And so the mystery begins. What will Georgina do?

A great easy read with wonderful characters who really do make the story move along. There is surprise, humour, mystery and more in this book and it is written so it flows well and the story reads well and easily on the page. And I am hoping to see what Georgina gets up to next in book two of this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I found it an absolutely delightful story. Nothing like most crime fiction. Georgina finds a body in her holiday let barn and is immediately suspected as the murderer. She resolves to find the guilty party herself, at the same time she finds herself hearing a voice from the past in her cottage.
This is an unusual story and I read it in a couple of days as I was hooked from the beginning. I look forward to reading more by Kate Hardy

I like this cosy crime story that has unique features that distinguish it. Georgina Drake finds a body in her holiday let and becomes a suspect in the suspicious death. Georgina isn't the only one to discover the death, but Doris is not what she expects. I like Georgina. She is a believable character, still grieving the unexpected loss of her husband. The cast adds depth and humour to the story, and the plot is well-written. I did work out who did it, which increased my enjoyment. I like the story's multi-generational aspect, the mystery and the possibility of romance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery: entertaining, well plotted and fast paced. The characters are likeable and the mystery is solid
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to Storm Publishing for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review. This book seems to be the first in a series (Georgina Drake Mysteries) and it very much feels like an introduction to the town and the characters. I though it was a great example of a cosy crime/mystery set in a small UK town.

The story revolves around Georgina Drake who one morning finds a body in the barn she rents out as a holiday let. The body is her latest guest and as she is the last person to see the victim alive, she is at the top of the list of suspects. Together with friends from the village, she tries to investigate the suspicious death and clear her name. The story brings them to Cambridge where the victim was a teacher, where they dig deeper into his life.

Besides this story line, there is supernatural storyline that is separate to the body in the barn. This story line is not closed at the end of the book so this could be a continual theme throughout the series.

Overall I definitely enjoyed the book. The characters are lovable, well written and I am interested to see what they do next. I wish that a little more happened in the story, the suspects were established quite early in the story and there were not many twists and turns. At times the story was a little slow and the ending wasn't a massive shock but enjoyable nevertheless!

Read if you love a cosy crime as its a great example of the genre!

Release Date: October 24, 2023

📖📖📖📖

Widowed Georgina Drake has no regrets about moving to beautiful, sleepy Little Wenborough in rural Norfolk. Until she opens the door to her rental property and finds the dead body of her latest guest, irritable university professor Roland Garnett. And on top of that she’s suddenly hearing a woman’s voice through her hearing aids.

Completely shaken by the discovery, Georgina can hardly believe it when the police conclude that Professor Garnett was poisoned, with a dinner delivered by Georgina herself. Is she about to be accused of murder? Georgina needs to pull herself together, try to ignore the distracting voice, and clear her name!

Asking around, it seems Roland Garnett offended half the village during his three-week stay and made unwelcome advances to the rest. But who was provoked enough to poison him? Georgina’s best lead is the deadly oleander found in Roland’s system. Her gardener, Young Tom, had access to the plant, but before she can talk to him Tom becomes the killer’s next victim.

As the crimes mount up, so do the clues, but does Georgina have what it takes to follow them to their conclusion? Even when her amateur sleuthing puts her next in the killer’s sights…?
I really enjoyed this first story of the #georginadrakemysteries. The characters were enchanting and I love Doris’ story. I did figure out the killer but it wasn’t until the latter half of the book. I enjoyed the friendship of Georgina, Francesca and Sybil. I am very excited to see what happens in book 2 and found out if they will find Trev!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

#thebodyatrookerybarn #katehardy #georginadrakemystery
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The Body at Rookery Barn by Kate Hardy is the first book in A Georgina Drake Mystery series.

I liked this book immensely.
It is a perfect combination of police procedural and amateur sleuth that the author managed to pull of, without having to suspend your disbelief or any of the usual silliness.
There is also a paranormal aspect and even though it is not my favourite thing to read about, it was so well done, and it served only to enhance the quality of the story that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Both main characters are well crafted, likeable, relatable, very human and down to earth.
There could even be a possible romance aspect somewhere in the future.
I also appreciated how fearsome and strong other female characters were and how they all started working together to help each other. It was female friendship at its best.
it is a locked room mystery which I particularly like, set in a beautiful countryside.
Mystery is easy to follow, clues are laid out clearly and eventhough I guessed, maybe for the first time ever the culprit it absolutely didn't lessen my enjoyment of this book.

Highly recommended and I can't wait for next installment.

What a cracking opening cosy mystery. The story is quiet predictable with a body being found and a who done it mystery alongside a ghost who helps the main character.
I loved the writing of the characters i could feel the development and longevity of them. I did gueese early on who did it and was really pleased with the final reveal.
This is a lovely opening book . I look forward to the next one. I think the ghost will keep me interested regardless of the next mystery.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author for a solid 4 star read.

This book is a cozy mystery, a genre that I am not really very keen on. However, this book did not follow the usual route for this category ie using twee, stilted language and a group of amateur detectives trying to out-do the detectives. The plot was interesting and believable and I liked the characters. The amateurs do do some research into the case which was OK and not too drawn out.
I am also not keen on a supernatural element in a book, this was not overdone either. The book flowed well, the conversations were well written and it kept my interest throughout .
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more from this author