Kate Hardy kept me turning the pages again with book six in the Georgina Drake Mystery series, The Body at the Vineyard. This instalment (as with the previous ones) gives the basics – there’s a body, found at a vineyard. But the author also weaves in a historical murder mystery with each of the contemporary ones and it’s just as interesting solving that case with her as the present day one. Also, a quick note; while Kate Hardy was a new to me author when I reviewed The Body at the Roman Baths, a commenter pointed out that she’s a prolific Harlequin author who has written for several of their imprints for the last twenty years, so her writing style may be familiar to those who’ve read her contemporary romances.

Photographer Georgina Drake has accepted a job doing a photo shoot of up-and-coming winemaker Gaby Edwards at her family’s vineyards. She brings along her friend Sybbie and Sybbie’s daughter Cesca for the trip. Winemaker Gaby is hoping to have wines from her vineyard, Rosa Wines, designated with an organic label for how the grapes are grown, though this has caused some friction between herself, her brother Nathan, and her father. Her father owns Willow Farm Wines, (technically, he owns Rosa Wines too, though Gaby is the chief winemaker and she’s trying to get sole autonomy for the business) and the two vineyards share office space though they cater to different markets.

Georgina arrives and has an interesting interview with Gaby, learning all about the history of the vineyards, including the family difficulties. A short walk afterwards leads to a pond, where Georgina’s dog Bert discovers a skeleton. Georgina has a ghost friend, Doris, who she can hear through her hearing aid and who has aided her in cases past. Doris tells her that the remains are those of Percy Ramsey, a farm worker from the 1930s, but what happened and how he ended up dead in the pond at this point remain a mystery. Georgina tells Gaby of the discovery, and that the police should be called. It’s fairly clear that it’s an old skeleton, not a recent death, but it still has to be handled properly.

But when Georgina and Gaby arrive back at the vineyard office after the walk, the police are already there, as well as an ambulance. To her horror, Gaby learns that her brother Nathan has been found dead. His body was discovered in a vat of red wine, and he appears to have drowned. In wanting to tell their younger brother Ash of the discovery, Gaby learns that Ash, an artist, has disappeared ,and that his studio is all smashed up. Clues start to point to Nathan’s death not being an accident. But it will take Georgina and her friends, including boyfriend Colin Bradshaw, a detective inspector, some serious sleuthing to determine what really happened – to Nathan in the present, and to Percy in the past.

An intriguing case (or two) is what keeps bringing me back to reading this series. I really enjoy the characters, how the cases unfold, the slightly paranormal aspect with Doris, Georgina’s ghost (whom Colin firmly doesn’t believe in, but he hasn’t yet been able to figure out another way that Georgina could be learning clues that always help her solve the cases), and the setting for each book in the English countryside. The reader learns all about winemaking in this one, and as in each of the previous cases, the author has researched her settings and locations such that each book, with its combination of familiar and new characters stands alone well and isn’t repetitive. Perfect for the beach in summer or under a cozy blanket in winter, a few hours spent with Georgina and her friends is a great way to spend your time.