A Cotswold Killing
Nestled in the fertile hills of the Cotswolds, the village of Duntisbourne Abbots is a well-kept secret: beautiful, timeless and quintessentially English. When Joel Jennison is found slaughtered in the same field where his brother's corpse had lain ten weeks previously, a whole community falls under suspicion. Was it a family feud? An act of revenge? Could Thea's employers, now relaxing in the Bahamas, have anything to do with the murder? In calling on her neighbours to get some answers, Thea uncovers more tragedy and intrigue than she thought possible behind the chocolate- box facade of a peaceful Gloucestershire village. As a forty-something woman with no previous experience of detective work, she knows she shouldn't be getting involved. But as her new friend Harry points out sometimes a fresh eye can see through the superficial tangles to where the truth lies. The first in a new series of thrillers.
A Cotswold Ordeal
Thea Osborne embarks on her second house-sitting commis- sion with very few worries. The Phillipses are obviously a lovely relaxed family, and there is little to do but tend an ailing old pony and feed various furry pets and farmyard birds. But it seems she is jinxed. An appar- ent suicide takes place in one of the barns, and her sister turns up with a shocking story about her own home life...
Death in the Cotswolds
Thea Osbourne is thanking her lucky stars. After two disastrous housesitting incidents in which she unwittingly became embroiled in murder and mayhem, she is only too happy to have a bit of peace and quiet. The only positive thing that came out of her experiences, she thinks, is her blossoming relationship with DI Phil Hollis and she relishes the thought of their spending some quality time together while she helps him clear out his late aunt's cottage in the small village in which he grew up. Even meeting Phil's childhood acquaintance, the eccentric Ariadne with her abrupt manner and queer habits, can not detract from Thea's happiness. But the bad luck that plagues the hapless Thea and her beloved spaniel Hepzipah is never far away. With autumn drawing in, preparations for Samhain, or Halloween, are well underway when Ariadne discovers a very tangible reminder of the season of death on Notgrove Barrow: a body laid out like a sacrificial victim. Unlikely companions, Thea and Ariadne find themselves thrown together as they try to uncover the events that led to the fatality. It soon becomes apparent that the cosy village has more than its share of secrets. But, just how far will some go to keep them hidden... An intriguing mystery set against the captivating backdrop of the Cotswolds, the third in Rebecca Tope's successful series is the perfect book for any crime lover.
A Cotswold Mystery
After three catastrophic housesitting commissions, filled with murder and intrigue, the Montgomery house in Blockley seems like a welcome break for fearless Thea and her trusty spaniel Hephzibah. The opportunity to explore the lost Cotswold villages, with only the minor hindrance of checking up on the client's mother, in the adjoining house, promises to be the perfect get away. But Granny Gladys Gardener, with her conveniently erratic memory and series of ailments that disappear as quickly as they arrive, is a force to be reckoned and is soon arousing Thea's suspicion. After all, why do the Montgomery's lock her connecting door to the house? And why do they set an alarm that goes off every time Granny goes out?
Thea's concerns, however, soon turn to something more sinister when the arrival of her daughter, trainee policewoman Jessica, prompts the discovery of a body. Slowly the secrets of Blockley begin to unravel themselves to the Osborne women, but nothing in the village is quite what it seems. Up against the clock to try and solve another murder, with the added complications of her elderly charge, her daughter's career troubles and her deepening relationship with DI Phil Hollis, Thea is beginning to feel well and truly lost in the Cotswolds.
Blood in the Cotswolds
Thea Osborne and her faithful spaniel, Hepzie, have taken on another house-sitting assignment, this time in the very quiet village of Temple Guiting. Detective Superintendent Phil Hollis is looking forward to visiting for a night or two and celebrating the couple's one year anniversary, but a slipped disk in Phil's back soon puts an end to their romantic weekend.
As it turns out, having a policeman on the scene is not entirely unnecessary in the little village. A few days into their stay, a pile of human bones are discovered in the base of an uprooted tree. There is no concrete evidence as to whom the bones belonged to though the locals all have their theories and rumors abound. Thea and Phil find there is a strong connection to the Knights Templar in the village with most locals claiming to be descendants of some or other lineage.
Temple Guiting turns out to have more than its fair share of secrets and Thea and Phil find their relationship tested to the limits as they try to prevent another murder investigation from threatening the quiet solitude they hold so dear.
Slaughter in the Cotswolds
Thea throws herself into house-sitting for Babs and Cedric Angell in Lower Slaughter following her beloved father's death - anything to keep her busy and away from some of her rather difficult relatives. And while feeling lonely, keeping the house in order and looking after the Angell's menagerie of animals does the trick for a short period of time. But when Thea's prickly elder sister turns up on her doorstep after witnessing a horrific murder, the tentative tranquillity in Lower Slaughter vanishes, replaced by the sinister connotations of the town's name.
