Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Body on the Doorstep

  • A Romney Marsh Mystery, Book 1
  • By: A. J. MacKenzie
  • Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
  • Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (78 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Body on the Doorstep

By: A. J. MacKenzie
Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £22.99

Buy Now for £22.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Murder and smuggling, conspiracy and treason - can Reverend Hardcastle catch a killer?

Kent, 1796. Shocked to discover a dying man on his doorstep - and lucky to avoid a bullet himself - Reverend Hardcastle finds himself entrusted with the victim's cryptic last words. With smuggling rife on England's south-east coast, the obvious conclusion is that a dodgy deal has gone wrong. But why is the leader of the local Customs service so reluctant to investigate?

Ably assisted by the ingenious Mrs Chaytor, Hardcastle sets out to solve the mystery for himself. But smugglers are not the only ones to lurk off the Kent coast, and the more he discovers, the more he realises he might have bitten off more than he can chew.

The Body on the Doorstep is the first Reverend Hardcastle mystery by A.J. MacKenzie.

©2014 Adam and Charlotte Guillain. (P)2016 Bolinda
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Bookshop Murder cover art
The Heiress of Linn Hagh cover art
The Unquiet Bones cover art
The Ashes of London cover art
The Railway Detective cover art
Murder in the Crypt cover art
The Adventures of Brother Cadfael cover art
The Wintringham Mystery cover art
The Malvern Murders cover art
A Quiet Life in the Country cover art
The Black Rocks of Morwenstow cover art
Crécy: The Age of the Archer cover art
Murder at the Fitzwilliam cover art
The Bookseller's Tale cover art
A Test of Wills cover art
A Chorus of Innocents cover art

What listeners say about The Body on the Doorstep

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    44
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    51
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    41
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

I've read the book and have enjoyed it being read while I am knitting. Good narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Smuggling Intrigue

A good tale with s twist I didn't see
coming at the end of it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A promising introduction

If subsequent stories maintain the standard found here I’m sure the Hardcastle/Chater series will prove popular. I could see successful dramatisations working well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

Loved this book from start to finish. Brilliantly read. Quirky heroes and boo hiss villains.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good story

very good story and interesting...I like the Rector...some good character development...believable..looking forward to listening to the next book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gentle romp in the spirit Pimpernel

I really enjoyed this. The narrative was excellent, the story un-taxing. I love a story that dips it's toes into history combining real people and places with a good old-fashioned yarn.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A romp with a rector

I really enjoyed this book and not because it was inspiring or thought-provoking but because it was entertaining. It’s lighter-than-air detective fiction, but I don’t think it has pretensions to be otherwise. It’s one of those stories that just trots along at a comfortable pace, with endearingly fallible characters and comes to a satisfactory, if far-fetched, conclusion.

The creation of the irascible, drunken rector as the prime mover whose decent into the bottle is because of historically thwarted ambitions is a fine one, and I thoroughly applauded his belated victory at the end. Pairing him with a young female widow worked well, although I would have preferred a less predictable choice such as the character of Miss Godfrey, one of a pair of ‘Sapphic lovers’ who have a taste for intrigue and brandy laced tea.

The historical background adds interest: smugglers, revolutionaries and Jacobins, all set in and around the Kent marshes. The plot is lively and has great pace with enough pleasing twists and turns to keep you interested but not frustrated. The Poirot-style gathering to expose the guilty parties at the end was, frankly, laughable but at no point were we expecting any particular deviation from the standard formula.

My aunt would have called this a chewing-gum read and I’m not ashamed to say that I enjoyed each mastication.

Ric Jerrom is a brilliant narrator - such depth and tone - just great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exciting adventure into Kents coast.

What a truly great and intriguing story involving interesting characters in a story with twists, turns and adventures.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant

A great story that kept me glued to my headphones.
Well written and as usual by Ric Jerrom ,brilliantly narrated.
Well worth a listen of anyone’s time.
I can’t wait for the next in the series - soon please.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastik

A Great read, enjoyed every second. As an Author my self I know what goes into the writing of a book as this. I will recommend this book to all.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!