I really enjoyed this book! It starts with a slow build and really kept me turning the pages. Two murder mysteries, both intriguing. I did find the one set in the past more interesting. I liked the idea of a ghost helping Georgie too. I’m anxiously waiting for the next one in this series

This is the fifth story in this series of cosy murder mysteries. The main character, Georgina Drake, is a professional photographer who has agreed to help create a photographic record of a Roman mosaic that has just been uncovered in the grounds of Little Wanborough Manor. The photo shoot is abandoned when the body of the lead archaeologists is found in the middle of the mosaic.

In uncovering the truth strong links are found to the disappearance of one of the archaeologists who originally found the site in 1865. Georgina is helped in her investigations of the historic case by Doris, the ghost of a young woman who died some 50 years ago. This quirky relationship provides the basis for interesting subplots although this particular storyline felt rather contrived. Overall an enjoyable read.

I found this book disappointing. The description doesn’t mention paranormal elements, the cover doesn’t suggest paranormal elements, and the categories don’t include paranormal elements. I would not have requested the ARC if I’d known there were ghosts in the book. The ghosts and the historical mystery play a larger role in the book than the present-day murder does. And none of it was very interesting. There are really three stories going on here, but none of them are very well developed. A bunch of stuff happens, but with no sense of cause and effect. The argument between Georgie and her boyfriend over whether ghosts exist never really got beyond the “yes they do” / “no they don’t” level of discourse. The opening of the book seemed promising, but the storytelling was poorly executed.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

A fifth enjoyable outing for Georgina, Colin, Doris and the gang, this time intriguingly set around an archeological dig. What sets these cosy crimes apart isn't just the gorgeous Norfolk setting but the combination of a cold case with a live one. When photographer Georgina discovers unpleasant archeologist Simon Butterfield's body on the floor of a recently excavated bathhouse it's immediately obvious he has been murdered, a case for her boyfriend, police detective Colin. What isn't so obvious is why one of the original Victorian excavators disappeared so abruptly and the floor covered up again and forgotten. Luckily Georgina's friend and sometime ghostly housemate Doris receives a clue from the victim himself, and so while Colin looks into the circumstances of Simon's life and death, Georgina and her friends do the same for Timothy Marsden, uncovering an intriguing tale of love, treachery and murder. A fun and entertaining read.

This is the first book I've read in this series, and I didn't realize it was going to have a ghost in it. I'm not normally a big fan of cozies with supernatural elements. But I've gotta say, I enjoyed this one a lot. I like smart, compassionate Georgina and her pals and family, and I think the author does a skillful job of tying together and tying up both the historical mystery and the contemporary one. I'll be going back to start at the beginning of this series.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Georgina Drake is a photographer who has been asked to take pictures of a recently-uncovered Roman mosaic at an archaeological dig in the British countryside. The only problem is that when she gets there, there’s a recently murdered person right in the middle of it. But Georgina is not entirely unequipped to handle this situation. The local policeman is her boyfriend. There is plentiful cake and coffee to be had at a nearby farm café run by a friend. The head of the dig is another of Georgina’s friends. And, besides being a sympathetic and inquisitive person, Georgina (who is deaf) has hearing aids through which she can hear the voice of a ghost, a young woman who died in her house a century ago and can point her in the right direction in her investigation. The investigation ends up uncovering the truth behind the disappearance of one of the original archaeologists who excavated the Roman site in the 19th century as well as the modern-day murder, so it’s got a bit of a dual timeline aspect as well.
All in all, this book is like an episode of Time Team happening inside an episode of Midsomer Murders, which was fun. The ghost thing nearly threw me off, but I stuck with it and enjoyed the story from start to finish. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book.

This was another good book in the series with just the right level of murder of mystery and of the supernatural. The body found at the archaeological dig kicks off an investigation looking to everyone involved and even family members. Childhood bruises and misunderstandings are all looked into by the police who do this in a sensitive and kind way. In parallel to the police investigation is the historical death that is being looked into. Once again, this investigation is supported by a mysterious voice in the ear who in the usual friendly manner guides and helps out. There are also some lovely family relationships that are explored in the book as well as discovery what it means to be believed and how important it is that friends stand by each other.

Thank you for allowing me to review this 5th book in the series by Kate Hardy. Although it follows a similar format to previous books, where Georgie, a photographer finds a body and her boyfriend, Colin investigates the murder, it is still a worthwhile read. I .ove how, the story always links to the past and unearth's cold cases from the past, with the aid of Doris. In this book, Colin is told about Doris and it does not go down well with him, however, Geortie's friends have no such concerns.. The story is an easy read,and I believe the suspect was clear from the beginning. If you are looking for an easy read crime fiction this series is for you. I look forward to reading the next one.

I've seen this book series come by my feed so many times but I hadn't given it a try even though I knew I would love these books, I wasn't wrong! I will be going back to read the earlier books in the series.

Georgina Drake’s friends have a Roman mosaic floor in the paddock of their Norfolk home. It’s long been hidden but a series of letters from ancestors lead to an archeological dig. When Georgina goes to photograph the beautiful peacock floor they find a dead body. Investigating this death leads to the investigation of a man who vanished 100 years ago. With the help of her friends, she uncovers both stories and reveals a secret to those closest to her.
I really like these mysteries. They are funny and interesting. I love the cold cases. Sometimes the dialog is stilted but the quick pacing makes it ignorable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this DRC.
#TheBodyattheRomanBaths #NetGalley

It was the setting that had me picking up this cozy mystery by new-to-me author Kate Hardy. A murder at the site of an uncovered Roman baths? Intriguing! Plus, the author combines a present-day murder mystery with a past one which makes for two crimes for the price of one. The Body at the Roman Baths is the fifth entry in the author’s Georgina Drake Mystery Series. It reads easily as a standalone, touching on some of the earlier stores in the series but without making the reader feel that they’re missing information needed to read this one.

Georgina Drake is a fifty-three-year-old photographer and amateur sleuth; she’s also a widow and and currently dating Detective Inspector Colin Bradshaw. Her latest project is photographing some Roman ruins found as part of an archeological site on land belonging to friends at Little Wenborough Manor. The site had originally been found in the 1860s but for reasons unknown, it had been covered and forgotten about until the present day. One of the lead archeologists, Trish, discovered that one of her relatives, Timothy, had been involved in the initial find, and that he had disappeared shortly after the discovery, never to be heard from again.

But what was supposed to be an exciting day of photography and uncovering ancient secrets quickly turns to tragedy when the tarp covering a beautifully tiled peacock mosaic is pulled back, revealing a dead man on the floor, blood having seeped out from a head wound. It’s the other lead archeologist, Simon, whom no one had heard from since yesterday. The archeological crew is now under suspicion for murder, and with the finding of the body, Inspector Bradshaw is called to the site.

While Colin is investigating Simon’s murder, Georgina and her friends turn to solving the puzzle of what happened when the site was first discovered and of Timothy’s disappearance. Georgina has a supernatural hand in her sleuthing, as ever since she first moved into her current house, she’s had conversations with the ghost of a woman who died there, Doris. Georgina doesn’t see her, but she hears her through her hearing aid and Doris is able to commune with the deceased and provide clues to help her solve the cases she’s been involved in. And this one is no exception, as Doris is able to give Georgina pertinent information. As she’s been hearing Doris’ voice for a while now, Georgina opens up to Colin about what she learns, but Colin doesn’t want to hear it. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, and this puts a strain on their relationship. Will they be able to solve their respective cases, and come to a compromise to continue their romance?

I really enjoyed this story! I wasn’t sure at first about the whole hearing ghosts thing, but I got used to it and with her other friends also having stories about ghostly encounters and believing Georgina, it’s woven well into the story and doesn’t seem out of place. I loved the idea of solving a historical mystery at the same time as a present-day one and that also unfolds well, with good pacing and uncovering of secrets. Now granted, some of the clues and discoveries come about pretty easily (there is a treasure trove of old papers at the Manor that Georgina and her friends pour over) but there are also some surprises, and catching the present-day murderer requires some good detective work on the part of Colin and his police partners. Georgina, her daughter Bea (an actress who comes to visit), Colin, and their friends are all wonderful characters and it’s overall a feel-good story (murder notwithstanding) with a satisfying ending (for Georgina and Colin, and for their cases). In the author’s note, Ms. Hardy reveals that she lives in Norfolk, that she is deaf and uses hearing aids (as does Georgina) and that her inspiration for the story was the real-life Roman ruins near where she lives. It all adds to the authenticity of the characters and the story. I highly recommend this for cozy mystery readers and I plan to read more from this author.

This was so sad, killing a man over the live of a woman, lying to get her love, 😢 too bad the level of greed man has or how far their greed can take them.


Thank you, NetGalley and Kate Hardy, for giving me the opportunity to read this before it is officially out. It was heartbroken and sad. But thank you so much. #TheBodyattheRomanBaths #NetGalley

3.75* Why does Georgina think Colin is worth hanging onto? Like she herself says, he's boring.

This is a decent tale with Georgina and her cast of friends that I feel I already like and know for their loyalty and acceptance, after only reading one previous book in the series. This series doesn't really need to be read in order, but if you're in it for Georgina's relationship with Colin - I'm not - you may want to read all/in order.

There's another good cozy mystery here, and I liked how Doris played her part but didn't fully reveal what'd happened, as it seemed that the hundreds-of-years old body she'd sensed didn't know themselves; all they knew is that they felt a pain and then nothing. It was sad in parts, as as the mystery got revealed, more deaths, lies and betrayals came to light, but at the end, I felt as of wrongs had been righted, however many years too late. That's the good parts of the tale.

The not-so-good parts - there's a lot of repetition from the author, a lot of same phrasing in too short succession, which a decent editor or proof reader could easily fix. I was surprised at no one picking this up, as it really stood out. And sadly, it aided and abetted Colin's boringness. I mean, the name itself screams fuddy duddy, and his attitudes need bringing into 2025. Georgina herself called him boring, and she wasn't wrong. I didn't like how he refused to open his mind to the possibility of ghosts, even though this was his 5th outing with Georgina and Doris. I also didn't like that Georgina at times came across as if she had to justify what she'd done in order not to contaminate the crime scene - we know she's a cop's GF, we know this is her 5th outing, so it didn't feel that she needed to justify the use of dog poop bags. It made her come across as a bit...subservient. It made Colin seem more patronising and older-guy towards her.

I'd still read more, as there are a lot of nice characters here and the premise of a lady who needs hearing aids being able to hear a ghost via them - there's also a good connection between them - is pretty unique. I just don't think there's much of a romantic relationship, if any, to save.

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

The Body at the Roman Baths by Kate Hardy

This cozy mystery, set against a Roman excavation site in England, weaves together multiple genres; history, crime, mystery, and even the paranormal. The story follows two parallel timelines: a present-day investigation and a historical narrative linked to the excavation. While I appreciated the archaeological aspects and the academic conflicts, I found the execution of the paranormal element lacking, particularly in how it was integrated into the mystery.

The strongest parts of the novel were Colin’s investigation and the historical aspects surrounding Timothy’s death. Colin’s detective work was engaging, realistic, and well-developed, making his sections the most compelling. The depiction of academia, its hierarchy, power struggles, and credit-hungry senior professors, was spot on. As a postgraduate researcher, I found Simon’s character, a professor who takes credit for students' work while doing the bare minimum, to be an accurate and unfortunately familiar portrayal of academic politics.

On the other hand, Georgina’s perspective weakened the novel for me. Her interactions felt unnatural, and her ghostly assistant, Doris, speaking to her through her hearing aids was an unconvincing and lazy plot device. It wasn’t the paranormal aspect itself that I disliked, but rather the way it was incorporated—especially how Georgina’s circle accepted it without skepticism. Lizzie, or Lady Grey, was a much more naturally integrated paranormal element, and I wished the author had taken a similar approach with the supernatural.

Another issue I had was the overly idealized nature of Georgina’s personal life. Every character in her social circle seemed to be married, engaged, or happily in a relationship, making her world feel unrealistic. While this is a cozy mystery and not meant to be gritty realism, the lack of diversity in life experiences made it difficult to connect with the characters.

The novel also suffered from inconsistent readability, particularly in Georgina’s sections. The dialogue between Georgina, Sybbie, and Bea often felt unnatural and meandering, with conversations that dragged on without adding much to the story. Despite being under 200 pages, the book felt slow at times, and I found myself skipping sections of irrelevant dialogue without missing any key plot points, proof that those parts didn’t serve the story.

Finally, while I enjoyed the mystery, the archaeological setting, and Colin’s investigation, Georgina’s perspective and the clumsy paranormal integration hindered my overall enjoyment. If the focus had remained on the detective elements and the historical intrigue, this could have been a much stronger cozy mystery.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pulisher for providing me with a copy of this book.

It was the setting that had me picking up this cozy mystery by new-to-me author Kate Hardy. A murder at the site of an uncovered Roman baths? Intriguing! Plus, the author combines a present-day murder with a past one which makes for two crimes for the price of one. The Body at the Roman Baths is the 5th entry in the author’s Georgina Drake Mystery Series. It reads easily as a standalone, touching on some of the earlier stores in the series but without making one feel that they’re missing information needed to read this one.

Georgina Drake is a 53-year-old photographer and amateur mystery solver. She’s widowed, and currently dating Detective Inspector Colin Bradshaw. Her latest project is photographing some Roman ruins found as part of an archeological site on her friends’ Sybbie and Bernard’s property, Little Wenborough Manor. The site had originally been found in the 1860s by Bernard’s relatives but for reasons unknown, it had been covered and forgotten about until the present day. One of the lead archeologists, Trish, had also discovered that one of her relatives, Timothy, had been involved in the initial find, a man who had disappeared shortly after the discovery, never to be heard from again.

But what was supposed to be an exciting day of photography and uncovering ancient secrets quickly turns to tragedy when the tarp covering a beautifully tiled peacock mosaic is pulled back, revealing a dead man on the floor, blood having seeped out from a head wound. It’s the other lead archeologist, Simon, whom no one had heard from since yesterday. The archeological crew is now under suspicion for murder. And with the finding of the body, Inspector Colin is called to the site.

While Colin is investigating Simon’s murder, Georgina and her friends turn to solving the puzzle of what happened when the site was first discovered and Timothy’s disappearance. Georgina has a supernatural hand in her sleuthing, as ever since she first moved into her current house, she’s had conversations with the ghost of a woman who died there, Doris. She doesn’t see her, but she hears her through her hearing aid and Doris is able to commune with the deceased and give her clues to help her solve the cases she’s been involved in. And this one is no exception, as Doris is able to give her pertinent information. As she’s been hearing Doris’s voice for a while now, Georgina opens up to Colin about what she hears from Doris, but Colin doesn’t want to hear it. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, and this puts a strain on their relationship. Will they be able to solve their respective cases, and come to a compromise to continue their relationship?

I really enjoyed this story! I wasn’t sure at first about the whole hearing ghosts thing, but I got used to it and with her other friends also having stories about ghostly encounters and believing Georgina, it was woven well into the story and didn’t seem out of place. I loved the idea of solving a historical mystery at the same time as a present-day one and that also unfolds well, with good pacing and uncovering of secrets. Now granted, some of the clues and discoveries come about pretty easily (there is a treasure trove of old papers at the Manor that Georgina and her friends pour over) but there were also some surprises and catching the present-day murderer required some good detective work on the part of Colin and his police partners. Georgina, her daughter Bea (an actress who comes to visit her Mom), Colin, and their friends are all wonderful characters and it’s overall a feel good story (murder notwithstanding) with a satisfying ending (for Georgina and Colin, and for their cases). In the author’s note, Ms. Hardy reveals that she lives in Norfolk, that she is deaf and uses hearing aids (same as Georgina) and that her inspiration for the story was the real-life Roman ruins near where she lives. It all adds to the authenticity of the characters and the story. I highly recommend this for cozy mystery readers and I plan to read more from this author.

This review will be posted at All About Romance and Goodreads and feedback updated with the link.

Georgie has been invited to photograph a Roman mosaic uncovered at a friend’s farm. When a body is uncovered, Georgie’s boyfriend Colin is called to investigate. Meanwhile, Doris (the ghost Georgie hears) tells Georgie about an old murder that needs solved. In the process, Georgie decides to tell Colin that she talks to a ghost, adding tension to the story.
The mysteries were well-done and fun to read about. I enjoy this series so much and this was a good addition.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

How have I slept on the Georgina Drake mystery series??

So glad that Storm Publishing sent this one over via NetGalley- I LOVE Georgina now!

My first in this series, I did not feel lost, we catch up with Georgina and her pals quickly.
In this installment we get a couple murders, one current and one that is a rather cold case- set in the 1800s!
Georgina has some remarkable talents and while it's a cozy mystery, there is enough suspense to keep you on your toes. It kept me wanting more and I look forward to reading others in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the chance to read and review prior to publication in Feb 2025.

Another wonderfully enjoyable mystery! I love everything about these books, from the appealing heroine, Georgina, to the sense of community, family and friendship, the atmospheric locations, and the involving plots. This book combines an excellent mystery with a very compelling character-related subplot that had me one hundred per cent hooked! I was racing through the pages to see what happened – highly recommended!

I love this series, the premise of having a ghost talk to the main character is fabulous. If you like a cosy mystery with great characters, good plots and a village setting, then you will love this book.

Georgina is at the archaeological site to photograph the roman mosaic floor, when they uncover to find a dead body instead. With the help of her ghost friend Doris, she looks for more clues and tries to find out who the murderer is. Enjoyed this one and this series and would highly recommend.