A Julie and Frankie Mystery: Book 2
Publication Date: May 7, 2026
The mystery’s deep, the water’s cold, and the locals are packing more than just fishing gear…
TWO RETIRED SISTERS. ONE FLOATING DEAD BODY
Julia, a retired head teacher with a fondness for order, and her half-sister Frankie, who believes that rules are more like vague suggestions, are back—this time in the picturesque Cornish village of Portscatho.
Their morning swim off Tatum’s beach is rudely interrupted by a floating corpse. The police declare the death accidental, but the sisters have other ideas.
Soon, they’re knee-deep in smugglers’ tunnels, taking a bumpy ride in the back of a builder’s van, and facing down a gun-toting local with questionable fashion choices.
Can the sisters keep their heads above water long enough to uncover the truth or will the killer make sure they sink without a trace?
Set mainly in a small town in Cornwall, The Body That Floats by Jayne Chard is the second book in the Julia and Frankie Mystery series. Not having read the first book, I initially felt I was at a bit of a disadvantage, but as I progressed in the story, some blanks started to come together.
Julia and Frankie are sisters and live together in a cottage they inherited in a small English village. There are a multitude of characters in the story, and they were sometimes hard to keep straight. There are vivid descriptions throughout of the people, buildings, the fair, and locations, and I felt like I was there.
This cozy mystery uncovers a dead body—where else but floating in the sea. But is it an accident or murder? Since the police don’t seem too interested in digging for facts, Julia and Frankie take it upon themselves to do so, and they play the role of amateur sleuths quite well. They interview people whose paths they cross, gather clues, and discuss everything they uncover. It’s no surprise then that they are the ones who figure out whodunnit! They also uncover another crime, much to the local constable’s surprise. The epilogue, set back in their village, tied up a few loose ends but left others.
The Body That Floats is a cozy English mystery with layers to the story that Julia and Frankie seem to pull together from thin air.
 
Now a multi-award-winning film and TV drama producer, Jayne Chard‘s credits include the BBC flagship brand, Silent Witness and three feature films. In addition to her television career, Jayne was instrumental in establishing a veterinary clinic on the remote island of Koh Tao in Thailand and also worked as a radio presenter. Jayne lives in the West Country with her partner and two cuddly cockapoos and is available for interviews.
