‘A Body Floats’ by Jayne Chard

Published by Chapters Crime Press,
7 May 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-06832502-1 (PB)

Julia and her estranged half-sister, Frankie, could not be more different. Conventional, ex-headteacher, Julia is looking forward to a peaceful retirement, but the wild, free-spirited Frankie thinks that rules are there to be broken. Their aunt has left them her cottage, but the two sisters must live there together for a year to inherit their half share. After a few months of adjustment punctuated by frequent spats, the two are ready to take a holiday to a pretty seaside village in Cornwall.   

Early one morning, they go down to the beach for a swim. Frankie spots a body floating next to the pontoon and brings it back to the shore. The police arrive and immediately assume that the death is the result of an accident and look no further. Julia and Frankie are not convinced and begin their own investigation. The wealthy local businessman who died was far from the village’s most popular resident. It’s not long before they discover that the village has a great many secrets that they had not anticipated, including a long history of smuggling gangs whose modern members are determined to protect at gunpoint even kidnap. 

Julia and Frankie are a real joy. Their dialogue is laugh-out-loud witty. All the characters are well drawn and despite the large cast, are easily identifiable. Jayne Chard’s descriptive talents are not limited to her characters. Every one of the senses is roused as the action takes the reader through a variety of locations from the beach and the empty dunes to busy village centre where preparations for the elaborate parade that marks the highlight of the village fair are taking place. 

In true Agatha Christie style, this modern-day whodunit is full of plot twists and turns that keep the reader turning the page until the final, unpredictable ending. 

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone.
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Reviewer: Judith Cranswick  

Jayne Chard started writing plays when she was eight and wrote her first “book” at fourteen. After graduating with a degree in psychology and drama, Jayne went on to win the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Buzz Goodbody’s Director Award. Whilst continuing to write, she started working as a professional theatre director, and two of her plays were performed at the London Fringe. Attracted to the small screen, Jayne became absorbed in TV drama directing. Now a multi-award-winning film and TV drama producer, her credits include the BBC flagship brand Silent Witness. In addition to a successful film and television career, Jayne was integral in setting up a veterinary clinic on the remote island of Koh Tao in Thailand. She has also worked as a radio presenter. Jayne lives in the West Country with her partner.   

Judith Cranswick was born and brought up in Norwich. Apart from writing, Judith’s great passions are travel and history. Both have influenced her two series of mystery novels. Tour Manager, Fiona Mason takes coach parties throughout Europe, and historian Aunt Jessica is the guest lecturer accompanying tour groups visiting more exotic destinations aided by her nephew Harry. Her published novels also include several award-winning standalone psychological thrillers. She wrote her first novel (now languishing in the back of a drawer somewhere) when her two children were toddlers, but there was little time for writing when she returned to her teaching career. Now retired, she is able to indulge her love of writing and has begun a life of crime! ‘Writers are told to write what they know about, but I can assure you, I've never committed a murder. I'm an ex-convent school headmistress for goodness sake!’ Her most recent book is Passage to Greenland 

http://judithcranswick.co.uk/