Hearing voices and finding a dead body, the normal life of Geogina is not so normal anymore. This is a murder mystery with a paranormal twist and is the first book of the series. Got hooked to the writing style and the lives of the characters. I couldn't stop reading it and want to immediately get my hands on the next book of the series. Highly recommend!

Georgina, middle aged, recently-widowed woman, owns a rental cottage in the English countryside where she finds her most recent, not very well-liked guest dead. As if that weren’t scary enough, she hears a voice warning her to “not open the door” and “call the police.” She’s convinced her new hearing aids are acting up, but it seems there’s really someone there — someone who claims to have died 50 years before. She’d better keep them talking til the police arrive…

This was THE cozy mystery I was looking for this season! Mysterious death? Check. Cozy cottage in a small town? Check. A ghost who’s stuck in the in-between because there’s something suspicious about the way she died? CHECK.

Love how we get both a resolution and an obvious cliffhanger for the next book, which I WILL be reading.

If you’re looking for a not-as-cheesy cozy mystery, give this one a try!

Tysm NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the e-arc!

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion

This was the first book in a new series - though it isnt clear if its Georgina's series or Colin, the policeman.

If I had realised that there was a 'ghost' connection then I probably would have passed this one by and I did find the whole 'Doris' side of the book unnecessary and really not needed. If another strand was needed then by all means include an historical murder but not through the medium of a ghost.

It is a cosy murder mystery and I had worked out the protagonist about 2/3rds through. But it was interesting to see how the threads came together and why the murderer chose their 'weapon'. It would have been nice maybe to have had a postscript with the outcome for the murderer.

I have a congenitally deaf daughter who over the years has had new hearing aids with ever increasing technology. So to have some input into how new aids alter hearing for a few days after receipt was an eye opener for me.

All in all a well researched book that was a joy to read
I look forward to more in the series but maybe leave Doris behind (though what happened to Trev would have been nice to know)

4.5 stars! What a wonderful new read! A cosy and yet incredibly clever whodunnit. The clues were laced throughout the book and yet I didn't pick the culprit until the very end.
The characters were great and the camaraderie between them was delightful. I especially liked the way that Colin and Georgie had a great banter and that they didn't just leap at each other.
Doris was another favourite although I would have dearly liked to know what happened to Trev and whether he had anything to do with the 'accident'.
It sounds like the start of a new series and I can't wait to read the next one.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

From the cover design and description, I thought this looked and sounded like my type of book.

This was a Georgina Drake mystery, and I really liked it. From the beginning, it seemed to have just the right mixture of cosiness and suspense. I liked Georgina as a protagonist, and Doris was a very interesting character. This was a very light, easy read too. I found it light enough to read it one sitting; it's the type of book that I would pick up when I have a couple of hours to spare and want to relax with a book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I received this advanced reader's copy from Netgalley and the publisher. I LOVE cozy mysteries, and was really excited about this book. I have to be honest: it checked a lot of boxes for me. Older woman who becomes amateur detective, potential love interest, good backstory on woman's life, quaint English village, interesting characters, deserving murder victim. However, the character of Doris in this book was a terrible distraction. I kept wanting to skip ahead whenever the plot included her apparition/appearance. I would definitely continue this series without Doris.

I love a bit of amateur sleuthing and Georgina and her tribe of unlikely detectives are right up there as excellent characters.
I found Doris a little far fetched but that did not detract from my enjoyment of uncovering the murderer!

Georgina has a problem... she has found the body of a man renting her guesthouse one morning and has contacted the police who have determined that she was the last one to see him alive, making her an intriguing suspect in this potential murder. But that is only half of her morning so far, because it seems that Georgina has suddenly gained the ability to speak to the ghost of a girl who died in her house fifty years ago.

I am not one who has read much cozy mystery.. so imagine my surprise when this cardigan-wearing serpent of a book spiraled up my leg, injecting me with its hot chocolate venom with promises of tea in the garden. I was completely enamored with this book! This may just be the first foray into the genre as a whole for me. I loved the slow pace of this UK-based mystery. We are in on the conversations that the detective has with his suspects and witnesses so we can build our ideas along with him as he learns of new evidence. But first.. we can have some tea and talk about the village gossip.

I get the inclination that many within this genre may blend together, similar guidelines just tweak the story a bit, but I suppose since this is my first time gallivanting through the British countryside murder mystery, I am giving it high praise for being fresh. (I think it still stands as a good enough read on its own.)

Rating: 5 stars
Pub: Oct 24, 2023

This read like a cozy mystery and halfway through I guessed who the murderer was. I enjoyed this book as it was full of suspense and had lots of tension. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I was instantly drawn in by the title and the cover and I just had to read this book. The very first line of the book had me hooked. I had a feeling I knew what the voice she’s hearing was, but it still gave me a little bit of suspense. I had to keep reading until it was confirmed. It was like two mysteries in one. She had to find out what happened to Garnett and then also help the ghost find out more about why she died.
 
There were times where it felt like I was reading a cozy mystery and other times where it felt like a true crime or regular mystery. That was certainly okay with me! I thought it was a good balance of both. I also liked how it switched between Georgina and Inspector Colin Bradshaw. The first time it switched from Georgina to Colin I was not aware. I kept reading and I was like this does not sound like it is still Georgina. Once I got past that first switch, I was able to enjoy the book more.
 
I do hope there is more to Georgina’s story!
 
I would like to thank NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author Kate Hardy for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute read but I picked the murderer at 40%. It was disappointingly obvious.
Well written and a cute premise, I enjoyed that the main character is a bit older and the other villagers were lovely without being too over the top but there were parts that needed to be fleshed out more - I thought the ghost was a great, unique addition to a cozy but even though she died 50 years ago she read as a modern character and there didn't seem to be much point to her.

Georgina has moved to Norfolk after the death of her husband and now lives at The Rookery and rents the barn as a holiday let. Her current guest is an unpleasant man who even complains about the noise of the bird in the mornings! He’s obnoxious and alienates two young women who help Georgina with the holiday let. On the day he is to have left, Georgina finds his body. Was it just a heart attack or did someone murder him. There is a long list of potential suspects since he was truly an awful person.
Georgina also gets new hearing aids and suddenly is able to communicate with a ghost in her house. So she is now busy trying to clear herself and her friends of the murder and helping the ghost.
This was an entertaining cozy mystery and I enjoyed it very much. The characters are interesting and the mystery intriguing. I hope there are more in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

This was an absolute epic read! Loved every page. Couldn't get enough of this one. It kept me on the edge of my seat! Well written and interesting. Can't wait for more... Well done!

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙩 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝖻𝗒 𝖪𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝖧𝖺𝗋𝖽𝗒
eARC Review • pub date 24th October 2023

I was drawn to request an eARC of this book after learning that the author is a prolific romance writer, branching out to a new . I find it fascinating when an author writes outside of their usual box - Hardy did not disappoint!

This was a wonderfully cosy murder mystery with a ghost story thrown in for good measure.

The novels heroine, Georgina Drake, moved to the sleepy village of Little Wenborough following the death of her husband Stephen. All goes well until she stumbles upon the body of Roland Garnett, the most recent guest at her rental property, Rookery Barn.

I loved the characters (well, all except Roland - what a jerk). Georgina’s gentle-yet-tenacious personality was perfectly written, and I had a lot of fun following her and her friends whilst they tried to uncover how and why Roland Garnett had wound up dead in the barn.

Oh and let’s not forget the unlikely friendship she strikes up with a woman she can hear through her new hearing aids (I won’t say too much but I loved this sub plot - perfect for spooky season)!

This is the first Georgina Drake mystery and I cannot wait to find out where things go next - especially with that handsome inspector 😉

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Georgina Drake Mystery Book 1

Outside, Rookery Barn glows in the mid-morning sunshine, while fat bees flit lazily between the forget-me-nots. Inside, a body lies dead....

Georgina Drake is a relative outsider in the Norfolk Village she moved to two years ago. One morning she goes to clean the guest house on her property only to hear a strange voice telling her not to go in. She thinks it's her new hearing aids playing up. When she goes into the guest house, Professor Roland Garnett, who had staying there, is dead.

There were parts of this story that were a bit predictable. Georgina finds herself the main suspect in the Professor's murder. We also get Doris, she died in the house fifty years ago, and now her ghost is helping Georgina. I was quickly pulled into this cosy murder mystery. The pace is steady. I liked Georgina and the rest of the main characters. This is a well written story. I'm looking forward to reading book two in this series.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #StormPublishing and the author #KateHardy for my ARC of #TheBodyAtRookeryBarn in exchanfe for an honest review.

This is a great to the new Georgina Drake series. Set in a fictional Norfolk village, Georgina is a relative outsider, having moved there two years earlier. She has made some good friends and her adult children visit regularly and have a great relationship with their mum.

The story begins when Georgie goes over to check on her rental property, which is adaject to her family home. The barn conversion has been rented to a visiting lecturer from Cambridge who wanted peace and quiet to write his book. When she open the door it is clear that all is not well and her guest is dead. What initially looks like a heart attack soon becomes suspicious.

It soon becomes clear that investigating officer DI Colin Bradshaw thinks Georgie herself may be involved. With the help of some friends, Georgie sets out to find out who killed the unpleasant guest who seems to have upset everyone he ever met.

There’s also a slightly spooky but interesting parallel mystery as Georgie sets out to fund the history of the farm and the fate of the previous owners.

I feel like this book has set up some nice relationships for future investigations, especially between Georgina and Colin. The writer is creating a whole world, and I expect Georgie’s friends will reappear. I would definitely read another book in the series, and it will be interesting to see where the unresolved mystery leads.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this advanced digital copy of The Body at Rookery Barn. It was perfect company while I’ve been ill.

The Body at Rookery Barn is a cozy mystery set in the UK. Its sweet, small-town vibes set the story up well with a little paranormal twist. Murder strikes and it’s up to the FMC to help solve the mystery of whodunnit.

The story was cute. I enjoyed reading it. It was slightly predictable and I expected the two storylines to be more in sync. I think the author could’ve written separate books about the competing stories, as it wasn’t necessary (and sometimes a little odd) for them to be intertwined. There was quite a bit of repetition throughout that could’ve been cut, but it was a promising start to the new series.

Overall, I suggest this read if you’re looking for a cute mystery without anything too creepy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @stormbooks_co for an advanced copy in exchange for a fair review.



Reviewed: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxwrs-6OVt-/

A Dead Guest…
The first outing in the Georgina Drake series of mysteries finds the widowed Georgina fully settled into her rustic Norfolk village. She has many distractions, not least a rental property to tend. The last thing she expects to discover, however, is a deceased guest but there are way more bizarre and unexpected events to come. When the police make it clear that they are dealing with a murder, Georgina suddenly finds herself their prime suspect. An enjoyable and entertaining, slow paced cosy mystery with a nicely drawn cast of eclectic characters and an ideal and well imagined setting. A promising start to a new series.

Widow Georgina Drake opens the door of her rental property and finds the body of her latest guest, the very obnoxious professor Roland Garnett. She quickly becomes the main suspect when its discovered he was poisoned to death. Then there's Doris, the ghost of a young woman who died in the home fifty years ago, who Georgina can suddenly hear in her new hearing aids. Georgina is determined to find the real murderer to clear her name, and to also research the past to discover exactly how Doris died. I'm not usually a fan of ghost stories but this one had me hooked from page one! This was a well paced cozy with likeable and interesting main characters. This was a great start to a new series. I can't wait to read book two! My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC to read and review.

Georgina Drake moved to the countryside after the death of her beloved husband Stephen. Twelve months on and she is getting her life back on track, continuing with her freelance photography, plus renting out the converted barn on her property to holiday makers. One Friday lunchtime she is preparing to go in to clean the rental property after the latest tenant, only to find that she is hearing a female voice telling her not to go any further. Bemused, Georgie puts the voice down to the new hearing aids she had fitted earlier that morning, suspecting that she is picking up a radio wave from somewhere. Ignoring the voice, Georgie enters the property to be met with a dead body and a tremendous amount of vomit!

This is an easy read. Full of repetition (neighbours cat poisoned, really? You don’t say!) and unlikely situations and conversations, but perfect for reading on a rainy day when not too much concentration is required. The murderer was obvious within the first half of the book, just disappointed it took DI Bradshaw so long to work it out, his earlier adventures with vodka must have addled his brain!

A twee, sentimental but enjoyable book with a predictable ending.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley and Storm.