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A gripping tale of murder and mystery in 18th-century England. 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? With its unique cast of characters and captivating amateur sleuths, this twisting tale vividly brings to 18th-century Kent to life, and draws readers into its pages.
Apart from a joyous six months in Cumbria I have lived all of my fairly long life within fifty miles of Romney Marsh yet until I read this book I had not realised how exciting a place it used to be.The Body in the Boat is the third book published in the Hardcastle and Chaytor Mystery series. In it, A. J. Mackenzie describes a very different world to the relatively peaceful image that we tend to have of late 18th Century South East England. The action takes place during the French Revolutionary Wars when trade across the Channel was severely restricted and most goods were heavily taxed. Smuggling was not only rife but it also appears to have been accepted by most of the local population who preferred the term Free Trade. In those days the illegal cargoes were fine cloths and gold to France; wines, spirits and “vanities” into England.From the opening pages the book has intense atmosphere. I loved the mood that was generated by the isolation of the marsh with its sparse population, declining harbours and its contrasts to the relatively prosperous surrounding higher ground. Mackenzie also provides excellent detail of banking at that time and of the judiciary prior to the police forces as we know them today.The book has some excellent characters; Hardcastle who doubles as a parish priest and an investigating Justice of the Peace, Joshua Stemp as his Parish Constable and The Rider who appears in the latter stages of the book. My favourite was the gutsy widow Amelia Chaytor who I saw as an early Emma Peel; just replace the Lotus Elan with a one-horse, two seater gig.The investigation leads up to a very lively climax. Could it have been better? If so, then not greatly. I have awarded The Body in the Boat four and a half stars.Book Reviewed on Whispering Stories Book Blog*I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed
