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.