Georgina Drake is looking forward to her next photographic assignment at the Summerstrand Lighthouse, or at least she was until she learned a little about its new owner, local property developer, Eliot Manson. A bully and serial philanderer, he has more enemies than friends in the small village where he lives. As it is her birthday, Georgina's partner, Detective Colin Bradshaw, has taken a few days off and, alongside dog Bert, accompanies her to the photo shoot. He is instantly back on duty however, when they discover not one body but two!

With Georgina’s secret friend, the dearly departed Doris, once again speaking to her through her hearing aids, she has her ghostly partner-in-crime-solving back and it isn't long before they have information to impart, not that Georgie can tell Colin where she got it! With an investigation going nowhere fast, and friends and acquaintances on the suspect list, everyone is on edge. Will the long hidden secrets which are about to be revealed make their killer more dangerous or will the past finally be able to be laid to rest?

Kate Hardy's fourth book in her Georgina Drake Mystery Series is my first, but I was at no disadvantage. There were a couple of spoilers for previous adventures but I thoroughly enjoyed this and absolutely plan to read all previous and future stories as soon as I can.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Storm Publishing, but the opinions expressed are my own. I loved this and recommend it highly.

This was my first Georgina Drake mystery (it’s #4 in a series). I had no problems following the story, although I would like to go back and find out how Georgina becomes involved with her Detective Inspector boyfriend and also with a ghost that helps her solve murders. This series takes place in Norfolk, a place I love, so that greatly added to the atmosphere for me. Georgiena and her dog first find some old bones at a lighthouse where she is supposed to meet a dastardly developer, who they also find dead. Lots of suspects, lots of clues, and lots of fun!
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this DRC.
#TheBodyintheLighthouse #NetGalley

This was a good book! I loved the way it was written and not the back and forth between two characters minds that I’ve been ready. It was slow to get going, but then ended really quick I thought. I haven’t read the other books in the series, but I didn’t feel like you needed to. And I’m a stickler for having to see/read things in order, but it had a lighthouse on the cover and I’m a lighthouse hunter so I had to read it.
I know I haven’t read the other two but it would have been nice to know more about Doris and it was also super confusing when she talked about Doris dying and her. I was confused, but I’m assuming had I read the other books it would make sense.
I liked this book, but it seemed like too many stories in one kind of thing. I also had no feeling towards if we found out who killed Eliot because he didn’t seem that great.

I love a good cosy mystery and while this wasn’t a ‘bad’ cosy mystery it really didn’t stand out for me. What I would say though, is that even though this is part of a series I had no issue slipping right into this world and the dynamics so it’s definitely not necessary for anyone to have read the previous two books in the series to enjoy this one.

This is a slow paced mystery with a fairly predictable ending (the breadcrumbing felt more like slices of bread littered throughout), but it was a nice enough way to while away an evening.

Now comes my gripes (and there’s 2 main ones).

Colin - now maybe he would have been more likable if I had read the previous books but he really didn’t hold up as a love interest in this book. His attitude was a bit dated and while he did seem capable of some reflection, he didn’t seem interested in implementing any changes. He was boring and seemed determined to live up to so many male toxicity stereotypes. I also didn’t see any chemistry between him and Georgie - I couldn’t for the life for me understand her interest in him. Also how many times is he going to be compared to Mr Darcy?! This felt like such a weird and forced comment to be continually thrown around and I can’t help but feel as though this was meant to endear the reader towards liking Colin more, although it definitely didn’t do that for me. I found his relationship with Georgie really frustrating and I think honestly this is what dragged down my rating so much.

What I wanted to know more about was Doris and her relationship with Georgie. This was the only unique element to this book and yet it was barely mentioned - it was given barely any page time at all. While I’m not a big fan of ghosts in mysteries, if you’re going to add one at least make it interesting? Or impactful? Doris had absolutely no influence on the story in any way at all - so why was she there?

Overall I can’t see myself reading any more of this series. Not because it was a terrible book (because it really wasn’t) but because the balance here was just all wrong and I’m doubtful it would be better in the next installment.

I LOVED this book. I love how the author incorporates her own life experiences and circumstances, creating an amazing work of art. I did not see the twists coming - AT ALL! I need to read her other books in this Georgina Drake series. That is truly how much I enjoyed it. I highly recommend this book!

I love this series! It's fun, the slowly developing romance between Georgie and Colin is sweet and gentle, and the mysteries are intriguing. In this one, Georgie is set to meet a developer to do a photo shoot for an architectural magazine, but the man's not there when Georgie and Colin arrive at the lighthouse to meet him. However, Bert, with Doris' help, uncovers another skeleton .... and Georgie and Colin find the developer dead inside the locked lighthouse. A real conundrum for Colin and his team. Georgie and Doris try to unravel the mystery of the skeleton which has some surpring revelations. The characters are awesome and the story is so well written. A great read.
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and Kate Hardy for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Photographer Georgina Drake arrives at a local picturesque lighthouse for her latest photography assignment. When she discovers the body of Eliot Manson, a local property developer inside her assignment takes a sudden turn for the worst. Initial investigation suggested that his death was due to a carbon monoxide leak. Still, after Georgina surveys the scene, she finds that his death appears to have been cleverly set up. Due to his unpopularity with the locals over his re-development plans for the area and an angry ex-wife following their divorce, this doesn’t surprise her.
As she shared her findings with the local DI, Colin Bradshaw, her dog Bert dug up human remains buried on the lighthouse grounds. Could there be a connection between the two murders? Georgina moves ahead in her investigation, although her life may also be in danger.
This is another fantastic Kate Hardy story full of twists and turns and difficult to put down until the surprising ending.

I am sorry to say that I was unable to finish The Body in the Lighthouse by Kate Hardy. The author failed to get my attention, and the book definitely didn't stand alone. The fourth book in a series that I haven't read, it left me feeling that there were tons of things I needed to know and was missing that went on before. I found the characters fell flat for me, and superfluous conversations and details had me yawning.
I appreciate being pre-approved for the ARC of #TheBodyintheLighthouse from #StormPublishing and #NetGalley.

My 6P review: Publication, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

Georgie Drake’s dog digs up a body and she investigates the decade’s old mystery. Another body is discovered at the same location and this victim has no shortage of enemies.

This is the third book in the series and although it is my first read, I felt I didn’t need to read the previous two to understand what was going on.

I didn’t particularly like the characters. Colin was annoying and one of the most unprofessional police officers I’ve come across. He was like a wet tea bag. Georgie was much better but I couldn’t understand her relationship with Doris. What was that all about? Perhaps reading the first two is actually necessary.

There was too much repetition for my liking. Colin was always reminding Georgie about his inability to say too much. There was also a lot of unnecessary detail which added nothing to the story itself. Such as how many sugars Jodie has in her tea and how Georgie likes her cappuccino. This made me skim a lot of the time.

It had a lovely setting and I could clearly picture the lovely town in Norwich but I don’t think I’ll be returning to it but please don’t be put off by my opinion.

Thank you to Netgally for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Georgina is supposed to take photographs of an old lighthouse that will soon be renovated. But when she arrives, the lighthouse is locked and the new owner, who was supposed to meet her, is nowhere to be found. The owner's assistant arrives to unlock the door and finds his body. If that weren't enough, Georgina's dog finds a human bone buried under where a patio has been recently removed. DI Colin Bradshaw and Georgina seek to find if the two deaths are related, and who is responsible for them.

This book felt rather disjointed to me. The jumping back and forth to peripheral characters led to confusion about who was who. The DI let Georgina in on a lot of inside information and asked for her help, and that didn't ring true.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Georgina Drake mysteries from Kate Hardy just get better and better. It was a pleasure to revisit Georgina and the residents of Little Wenborough - the dead as well as the living! I was so relieved when Doris finally put in an appearance. Having a ghost as your sidekick in a murder mystery is such a great help! And once again, Georgie's spaniel, Bert, is on the scent of a cold case when a very hot one is uncovered. Great to see Georgie and Colin are now partners in more than crime fighting. An intriguing mystery with all the usual characters. Fabulous descriptions of the Norfolk land and seascapes and all the red herrings you could desire. Much recommended.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

A thoroughly enjoyable cosy crime mystery with Georgina being a very likeable character and one of the better amateur detectives that has emerged from the genre lately. Doris the ghost stares much less in this book than the other's as her situation was resolved and I wasn't sure if we were going to see her again but she just make the odd appearance to help out. Normally I dont take to paranormal elements but her situation is key to the earlier books and wasn't too intrusive here. There a re two mysteries to be solved here a current murder and a cold case. While both were enjoyable I did feel little let down as the cases really didn't seem to take much solving this time and the murderer of the current was much more likeable than the victim and the cold case murderer was already dead and gone so it just felt a little flat at the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I didn't realise that this was book four in a series but it was easy to catch up and I will definitely go back and read the other books. I enjoyed the ghost angle as it wasn't overpowering in the story. Easy read. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

Book Title: The Body in the Lighthouse
Series: The Georgia Drake Mystery $4
Author: Kate Hardy
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pub Date: October 29, 2024
My Rating: 4.2 Stars
Pages 239

Although this is #3 in this series and my first, it didn’t take long to figure out Georgina and Colin are a couple and Doris is a friendly ghost.
Georgina Drake is a professional photographer as well as an amateur sleuth.
In this story she is commissioned by a magazine to do a photo shoot as well as interview property developer, Eliot Manson who has brought the Summerstrand lighthouse to renovate. It has been empty for twenty years and Manson believes once it is remodeled it will be an idea place to rent out as a Holiday house.
When Georgina arrives it is locked. The windows have been boarded during the renovation. Since his car is there she calls the authorities to do a wellness check. Sure enough they find his body. The police suspect a carbon monoxide leak, but to Georgina’s professional eye, something about the scene looks too staged to be an accident.

As Georgina starts her own investigation with DI Colin Bradshaw, her dog Bert, digs up human bones buried near the lighthouse. Hmmm

Story was an unputdownable cozy mystery that kept me guessing.
Who knew that the pet camera Tara Manson’s girlfriend set up to catch being unfaithful turns out to solve the case?

In ‘A Letter from the Author’ Ms. Hardy gives us readers a lot of inside information. She tells us her inspiration for this story comes from her love of the sea and her fascination with hidden tunnels.

I want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 29, 2024.

My first Kate Hardy novel but definitely not my last. Great storytelling all the way around. I enjoyed the alternating POVs. Fantastic characters that hooked me early on. I could not put this book down. Looking forward to my next Sarah Bonner read.
Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Bonner and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I knew that this was book 4 of an existing series from the NG details however, I’m a sucker for pictures of lighthouses so requested it anyway. I’m really glad that I did as this was a thoroughly enjoyable cosy crime mystery that stood up well as a stand alone novel.
Cosy crime novels stand or fall by their main characters and I thought that Georgina was one of the better amateur detectives that I have read recently. I liked the way that she didn’t push the boundaries of what an amateur investigator could do and all of her actions felt completely plausible. I liked her relationship with the DI too. He is obviously in love with her which is lovely even though he can be a bit stuffy and pompous at times but that made him a bit more real.
It was an engaging mystery with a victim whose death was regretted by hardly anyone and another mystery skeleton to add an extra layer to the investigation. I wasn’t sure about the inclusion of the ghost at first but then grew used to her popping at odd times.
I really enjoyed this and found it hard to put down as I so wanted to find out who dunnit. I’m now going to look out the rest of this series as I would like to fill in some of the gaps in my knowledge of Georgina and the others in the book.
Thank you to Net Galley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'd read the first in this series and enjoyed it, so I had high hopes for this offering. Unfortunately, this just didn't connect with me. The ghost/paranormal angle felt unnecessary, and the characters were a little shallow.

I can understand people liking this -- it just didn't work for me.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

3.5* Even though it's book 3 in a series, I had no trouble getting into it.

This isn't a bad cosy mystery but I did find Colin a tad toxic in some of what he thought and said, though he also had insight to think about some of his past actions and behaviours. Unfortunately, he also came across as a bit unprofessional and not in depth enough for a cop - from what I've gleaned from TV, films and other crime novels.

I think his low-key male toxicity/patronising manner was made all the more evident by how Georgina reacted to his apologies. She was as capable and successful as he was, and i think she was experienced enough not to overstep or compromise anything but nope, he still had to say stuff. He was boring, sadly, so it made me eye-roll over how many times he was compared to Mr Darcy - did the author mean Colin Firth, maybe, as the character has been played by several actors, but possibly with Colin Firth being the most noticeable?

It was readable and I'd certainly like to find out more about Georgina and Doris's partnership.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my reading pleasure.

hearing-issues, amateur-sleuth, small-town, photographer, widow, local-gossip, local-history, local-law-enforcement, local-legends, missing-persons, murder, murders, murder-investigation, cold-case, ghosts, cozy-crime, suspense, mysteries, secrets, unpleasant-victims, pet-dog, supernatural, skeleton*****

Riveting quick read!
Photographer Georgina went out to the lighthouse for an appointment with the nasty new owner but her spaniel found a skeleton buried in the yard. So Georgina called her friend DI Colin and then they ALL found the body of the man she had been there to meet. Georgina is always mindful not to get in the way of the law enforcement team but does add to the investigations. Helping Georgina is the audio presence of a young woman who became a ghost fifty years ago but is rarely heard from and then only by Georgina since getting her new hearing aids. Good investigation and even a third dead body!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
#GeorginaDrakeMysteriesBk4 #BritishCozyMystery #Ghost #ColdCase Avail Oct 29, 2024