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Thea Osborne #4
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.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2008
143 people are currently reading
312 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Tope
81 books218 followersRebecca Tope is best known as the author of over twenty crime novels. She has also recently produced the e-book entitled 'The Indifference of Tumbleweed'. She has every intention of continuing with the murder stories, as well as a variety of other kinds of fiction.
She has experienced many different kinds of work in her time - running antenatal classes, counselling troubled couples and being an office girl for an undertaker, for example. There were also several years monitoring the output of dairy cows, as well as every sort of task associated with book publishing. In 1992, she founded Praxis Books, a small British press.
She lives surrounded by trees she has planted herself, tending her own sheep.
She has experienced many different kinds of work in her time - running antenatal classes, counselling troubled couples and being an office girl for an undertaker, for example. There were also several years monitoring the output of dairy cows, as well as every sort of task associated with book publishing. In 1992, she founded Praxis Books, a small British press.
She lives surrounded by trees she has planted herself, tending her own sheep.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
April 15, 2013
The setting, the premise, it all sounded promising, but... Too much time spent on the main character's conflicts (feeling old - she's 42!; not connecting with her daughter; not sure about her new relationship), blah, blah, blah! And not just once in the book, but multiple pages devoted to this tripe and not to the murder "mystery". The suspects hardly enter the story, there is no cloak and dagger, no danger to anyone (except the dead guy!). When the mystery is finally wrapped up, it's all a big let down.
June 10, 2014
I'm not sure why I even finished reading this book. The main character, Thea, has to be THE most annoying character I've ever come across in any of the mysteries I've read, and I've read a lot of them. I suppose it was because I kept it in my locker and read it while on dinner break - didn't even bother to take it home to finish it. Thea is 44 years old but acts like a peevish old woman. Her job is supposed to be keeping an eye on an old woman and house sitting. She keeps forgetting to set alarms, lock doors, check on the old woman, etc. How can anyone be this unreliable? She constantly butts heads with her daughter, who acts much more mature than she does.
This was my first story by Tope, and it will probably be my last. I was highly unimpressed. Even the ending was a let down somehow. If you like non-violent boring mysteries, this should be on your list.
This was my first story by Tope, and it will probably be my last. I was highly unimpressed. Even the ending was a let down somehow. If you like non-violent boring mysteries, this should be on your list.
March 12, 2015
A Cotswold Mystery is the fourth in Rebecca Tope's series of novels set in Cotswold villages, and to my mind thus far the weakest. Our heroine, 42-year-old house-sitter Thea, is once again staying at the home of a couple while they go off to India; in this instance, the house has an attached cottage in which Gladys, the mother of one of the couple, lives. Gladys is 92 and getting forgetful and perhaps a bit demented - unless that's just an act, of course. Thea is wondering about her relationship with Chief Superintendent Phil Hollis, which has been going on for 8 months now but which is still not very well defined. She has her daughter, Jessica, come to stay with her during part of her assignment, and Jessica has her own troubles, including an incident during her police probationary training for which she expects at the very least a severe reprimand. When Jessica finds the murdered body of next-door neighbour Julian Jolly, there seems to be little interest on the part of the villagers or the police in bringing the culprit to light, not least because everyone is pretty sure that Gladys did it and besides, nobody liked the old curmudgeon anyway. That leaves it up to Thea and Jessica to work it out on their own, while trying to resolve their own troubles and keep an eye on the old lady.... Once again the author does a good job of bringing the beautiful settings to life in this novel, and some of the characters are quite interesting, in particular Gladys. But the portrayal of the other villagers seems quite one-dimensional, and I was extremely disappointed in the revelation of the murderer, a character who doesn't even show up until the final pages of the book. I'll continue reading the series (at any rate, I already own two more of the books), but this one did little to further my liking for it. Disappointing.
June 23, 2020
Thea is back and this time she's not only house-sitting, she's granny-sitting as well.
The couple she is sitting for have an elderly mother living next door and, while she's not supposed to really interact with her, or let her into the house. She is somehow supposed to stay on top of her and know when she leaves her home (there's a buzzer connected to the front door).
The old lady, Gladys, is a mysterious character. She acts flighty and senile half the time, but the other half, she's quite lucid and shrewd.
Her daughter, Jessica, has come to stay with her. She has just had a traumatic experience as a rookie cop. She needs a mother's reassurance. However, Thea has her own angst and there is a tug of war as mother and daughter struggle through their relationship with each other.
On top of all that, Thea finds a dead body next door. The dead man, an elderly friend of Gladys, has been stabbed and then dragged into the kitchen. Why? What is the motive? Who had the means and opportunity?
That is the outline, in the meantime we see Thea as she relates with her daughter and how she regards her budding relationship with the police inspector Phil, whom she met in the first of this series.
The characters in this Cotswold village give this American another slice of what small English village life is like, which I enjoy.
The couple she is sitting for have an elderly mother living next door and, while she's not supposed to really interact with her, or let her into the house. She is somehow supposed to stay on top of her and know when she leaves her home (there's a buzzer connected to the front door).
The old lady, Gladys, is a mysterious character. She acts flighty and senile half the time, but the other half, she's quite lucid and shrewd.
Her daughter, Jessica, has come to stay with her. She has just had a traumatic experience as a rookie cop. She needs a mother's reassurance. However, Thea has her own angst and there is a tug of war as mother and daughter struggle through their relationship with each other.
On top of all that, Thea finds a dead body next door. The dead man, an elderly friend of Gladys, has been stabbed and then dragged into the kitchen. Why? What is the motive? Who had the means and opportunity?
That is the outline, in the meantime we see Thea as she relates with her daughter and how she regards her budding relationship with the police inspector Phil, whom she met in the first of this series.
The characters in this Cotswold village give this American another slice of what small English village life is like, which I enjoy.
April 24, 2019
A nice gentle read and a bit predictable and far fetched in places. Easy to get through in a couple of evenings.
June 28, 2015
This is Book 4 in the Thea Osbourne mystery set. This series is written by my favorite author, Rebecca Tope and again she doesn't disappoint.
I enjoyed the characters, the setting (I love when the author takes us to real places in England and different towns in each book), the humor, the ups-and-downs, the "whodunit", all of it together had a great flavor.
Thea seemed a bit grouchy, absent minded, not herself in this one. She wasn't even as protective of her dog "Hepzie". It seemed everything got on to Thea's nerves, which surprised me in not so good of a way.
It ended quicker than I expected though this is a longer book. I expected to hear more about Thea finally sitting down with her boyfriend, who in this book hardly appears. I expected Thea to be a bit more Sherlock Holmes-ish but unexpectedly her daughter becomes the intelligent, mastermind figure-outer.
I took this book on vacation with me and surprisingly the book ended on my last day of vaca..Ive enjoyed the previous books much more than this one, however it worked for me as the main character Thea has her daughter tagging along for the ride and in real life for me, my daughter and I were together too. There were lots of similarities between the book and my real life at that moment and it was a bit astonishing. This is still my fav series ever!
I enjoyed the characters, the setting (I love when the author takes us to real places in England and different towns in each book), the humor, the ups-and-downs, the "whodunit", all of it together had a great flavor.
Thea seemed a bit grouchy, absent minded, not herself in this one. She wasn't even as protective of her dog "Hepzie". It seemed everything got on to Thea's nerves, which surprised me in not so good of a way.
It ended quicker than I expected though this is a longer book. I expected to hear more about Thea finally sitting down with her boyfriend, who in this book hardly appears. I expected Thea to be a bit more Sherlock Holmes-ish but unexpectedly her daughter becomes the intelligent, mastermind figure-outer.
I took this book on vacation with me and surprisingly the book ended on my last day of vaca..Ive enjoyed the previous books much more than this one, however it worked for me as the main character Thea has her daughter tagging along for the ride and in real life for me, my daughter and I were together too. There were lots of similarities between the book and my real life at that moment and it was a bit astonishing. This is still my fav series ever!
June 3, 2017
I was really looking forward to reading this book but was disappointed. I don't find the main characters friendly or interesting, they were quite prickly. The whole murder mystery was not very well written and to my mind frankly a cheat!!!I won't say why as I don't want to spoil it for other readers. I don't think I'll read any more of this series.
May 6, 2019
Very disappointing. Thin plot with no real focus on the main suspects. Too much time wasted on the annoying daughter and her problems. Flippant references to ‘senility’ and lack of responsibility by the main character was irritating. I have read a couple of these Cotswold Mysteries before which were satisfactory but not sure I’ll rush to be reading anymore in the series.
July 13, 2024
I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. It’s number four in the series. I like how flawed and annoying the main character, Thea, is. She criticizes her daughter Jessica, a probationary police constable,for all the nosy and annoying traits she usually has. Thea wants a relaxing vacation and who would blame her after being drawn into murders during her last three house sitting jobs. However she’s so disconnected from the job she doesn’t take good care of the house or even the granny she’s being paid to look after.
Both Thea’s attitude towards the job and struggles with her daughter have a realistic feel. There’s no sugar coating and no happy ending.
There’s quite a few unanswered questions by the end of the book some of which will likely be resolved in later books. The others seem to be inserted into the plot to divert the reader’s attention.
Both Thea’s attitude towards the job and struggles with her daughter have a realistic feel. There’s no sugar coating and no happy ending.
There’s quite a few unanswered questions by the end of the book some of which will likely be resolved in later books. The others seem to be inserted into the plot to divert the reader’s attention.
February 14, 2023
"Despite the catastrophic outcomes of her previous house-sitting commissions, Thea Osborne, accompanied by her trusty spaniel, Hepzie, is truly convinced nothing can go wrong on her next assignment in the charming village of Blockley. The Montgomerys have asked her to look after their house while they take a much needed holiday.
"But trouble seems to follow Thea and when a body is discovered in the house next door, she finds herself in the midst of village secrets.
"From mystical local legends to celebrity sightings, the erstwhile quiet area turns out to be a place of mysterious contradictions -- with very sinister undertones."
~~back cover
Lovely descriptions of the Cotswolds, which is why I decided to read this series. I thought the plotting was a bit disjointed, and the solving was a bit deus ex machina, but all in all a nice enjoyable read.
"But trouble seems to follow Thea and when a body is discovered in the house next door, she finds herself in the midst of village secrets.
"From mystical local legends to celebrity sightings, the erstwhile quiet area turns out to be a place of mysterious contradictions -- with very sinister undertones."
~~back cover
Lovely descriptions of the Cotswolds, which is why I decided to read this series. I thought the plotting was a bit disjointed, and the solving was a bit deus ex machina, but all in all a nice enjoyable read.
August 27, 2020
I enjoyed this amazing crime novel, Thea Osborne is a house sitter from the Montgomery, her mission is looking after Mrs Gardiner Granny .Yvette hired her to keep an eye on he mum who forgets things so she must keep her inside her home. Blocky Village fascinates Thea so she invites her daughter to spend a holiday with her to discover together the lost classic English village. The trouble started when a body is discovered in the house next door? Who is he? Why has he been murdered? This novel sounds like a classic Agatha Christie.i recommend it for you to read .
July 25, 2020
Another excellent murder mystery featuring house sitter Thea Osborne who this time is assisted by her daughter Jessica.
My only quibble is the ending is rushed and Jessica disappears before the murderer's reveal which jars considering her input in the case. No doubt elements of the story will be picked up in the next book.
My only quibble is the ending is rushed and Jessica disappears before the murderer's reveal which jars considering her input in the case. No doubt elements of the story will be picked up in the next book.
October 8, 2018
This book in the Cotswold series was just okay for me. The mystery ended up being solved with a late, out of the blue, killer. It was a bit disappointing to have worked through the entire book with the suspect in mind and have a dark horse show up. I'll still be reading the next in the series and hoping this was just an anomaly.
February 24, 2018
Fairly plodding rather than Mrs. Plod.
Thea Osborne house-sits in rural England with her spaniel. Her current responsibility includes keeping an eye on the elderly woman, Gladys, who lives in the ‘granny flat’ or annexe to the house. Gladys, the client’s mother, is not all she seems. By part demented and part capable, she is a force to be reckoned with. Who leaves a 90+ year-old mother with a complete stranger, not a nurse at that, and scarpers overseas? This novel’s not realistic by any means.
Gladys is kept under lock and key, with an alarm triggered off when she ventures out of the house. Quite early on, the reader can’t trust Thea to be a good caretaker or minder, let alone a capable sleuth, when she doesn’t even know the time of day, and is always sleeping in in the mornings, when all the action is happening. When Gladys escapes like about nine one morning, the flabbergasted Thea is sleeping on the job. So off we go around and around, with Gladys’ escapes and Thea’s jolly foot-excursions in the countryside to try to find archaeological digs, but to see only mounds. Yes, that’s rights. Mounds. Time and again. Hardly makes the reader wish they could visit the Cotswolds.
Finally, there is the dead body of a seventy-something man, not that Thea would ever have discovered it. She finds back gardens scary, for no reason other than that there are hedges or shrubs edging them. Luckily, Thea’s 21-year-old, trainee policewoman daughter, Jessica, comes to stay. Jessica is more of a sleuth than Thea could be. You plough through pages of sludge, with unlikable protagonists, an odd-ball selection of characters formed from stereotypes – a famous black rapper anyone? – who are judged as possible suspects, Agatha Christie style. The mystery seems less of an old man’s murder, but whether he was universally loved or hated, and whether the Cotswolds really harbour archaeological artefacts.
There is none of the psychological insight or deductive reasoning or even hawk-eyed observation the mystery reader has come to love in their murder mystery stories. Instead, we have a squabbling mother and daughter, a doddery old woman, and a background less than desirable as a destination. Oh, and the mystery is solved, in a fairly unbelievable turn of events.
Thea Osborne house-sits in rural England with her spaniel. Her current responsibility includes keeping an eye on the elderly woman, Gladys, who lives in the ‘granny flat’ or annexe to the house. Gladys, the client’s mother, is not all she seems. By part demented and part capable, she is a force to be reckoned with. Who leaves a 90+ year-old mother with a complete stranger, not a nurse at that, and scarpers overseas? This novel’s not realistic by any means.
Gladys is kept under lock and key, with an alarm triggered off when she ventures out of the house. Quite early on, the reader can’t trust Thea to be a good caretaker or minder, let alone a capable sleuth, when she doesn’t even know the time of day, and is always sleeping in in the mornings, when all the action is happening. When Gladys escapes like about nine one morning, the flabbergasted Thea is sleeping on the job. So off we go around and around, with Gladys’ escapes and Thea’s jolly foot-excursions in the countryside to try to find archaeological digs, but to see only mounds. Yes, that’s rights. Mounds. Time and again. Hardly makes the reader wish they could visit the Cotswolds.
Finally, there is the dead body of a seventy-something man, not that Thea would ever have discovered it. She finds back gardens scary, for no reason other than that there are hedges or shrubs edging them. Luckily, Thea’s 21-year-old, trainee policewoman daughter, Jessica, comes to stay. Jessica is more of a sleuth than Thea could be. You plough through pages of sludge, with unlikable protagonists, an odd-ball selection of characters formed from stereotypes – a famous black rapper anyone? – who are judged as possible suspects, Agatha Christie style. The mystery seems less of an old man’s murder, but whether he was universally loved or hated, and whether the Cotswolds really harbour archaeological artefacts.
There is none of the psychological insight or deductive reasoning or even hawk-eyed observation the mystery reader has come to love in their murder mystery stories. Instead, we have a squabbling mother and daughter, a doddery old woman, and a background less than desirable as a destination. Oh, and the mystery is solved, in a fairly unbelievable turn of events.
August 5, 2022
What a messy hash of a story!! Can't believe I didn't quit when I discovered the main character, Thea Osborne, is a nincompoop!
Osborne is a widow who has taken up house-sitting in the Cotswolds. This is the third or fourth in a series where each time she goes some place, she gets herself involved in a mystery. And this time she is saddled with a seemingly addled 'granny' who seems sometimes sharp and other times very astute.
That should have been Thea's first clue that Gladys wasn't what her daughter made her out to be. Also, why didn't she get suspicious about the living arrangement of said daughter and her husband? How they treated her? Very weird.
Soon after the daughter and her husband leave, Thea finds 'granny' wandering, but doesn't figure out that her wandering is not strange, it's normal and it's also not dangerous to her or anyone else. But soon there is a death of one of the neighbors, a close and long-time friend of the elderly woman. And who ends up getting involved? Thea's visiting daughter, Jessica, a probationary police officer with her own problems (and we hear far too much about these too), is the one who discovers the body and tracks what is going on. It's either the daughter or the police who do all the investigating and development of clues, not Thea.
The whole story is confusing and silly and the culprit too darn obvious. Thea is a dolt, not an amateur investigator. The story drags on with little going on for far too long with too many distractions about the antics of the dog, all the drama of her relationship with a police official, etc. It makes my head hurt to think about reading 300+ pages of this tripe. Engaging — heck no; clever — not in the least; interesting characters — the granny is the most interesting of all of them. No, I won't be reading any more of these nonsensical stories.
Osborne is a widow who has taken up house-sitting in the Cotswolds. This is the third or fourth in a series where each time she goes some place, she gets herself involved in a mystery. And this time she is saddled with a seemingly addled 'granny' who seems sometimes sharp and other times very astute.
That should have been Thea's first clue that Gladys wasn't what her daughter made her out to be. Also, why didn't she get suspicious about the living arrangement of said daughter and her husband? How they treated her? Very weird.
Soon after the daughter and her husband leave, Thea finds 'granny' wandering, but doesn't figure out that her wandering is not strange, it's normal and it's also not dangerous to her or anyone else. But soon there is a death of one of the neighbors, a close and long-time friend of the elderly woman. And who ends up getting involved? Thea's visiting daughter, Jessica, a probationary police officer with her own problems (and we hear far too much about these too), is the one who discovers the body and tracks what is going on. It's either the daughter or the police who do all the investigating and development of clues, not Thea.
The whole story is confusing and silly and the culprit too darn obvious. Thea is a dolt, not an amateur investigator. The story drags on with little going on for far too long with too many distractions about the antics of the dog, all the drama of her relationship with a police official, etc. It makes my head hurt to think about reading 300+ pages of this tripe. Engaging — heck no; clever — not in the least; interesting characters — the granny is the most interesting of all of them. No, I won't be reading any more of these nonsensical stories.
August 6, 2016
A rather bizarre story but well written and entertaining, would probably make a good holiday read. Only I really couldn't warm up to the VERY odd collection of people featuring in this story. Thea, the protagonist, does and says weird things that surely nobody in their right mind would say and do? And she's allegedly only 42 years old but often seems to behave like a much older person. So she has a laptop and is happy to "google" for information, but has no idea that you can stop and rewind digital TV? She has a "boyfriend" and makes references to their sex life, but spends her life with house sitting and walking her dog, like somebody who is retired? And there are way too many police connections in her life who are happy to share information for this to be credible. In addition, the finale is rather abrupt as if the author lost interest or was in a rush and thought: "Ah well, let's bring this to an end".
February 2, 2011
In this mystery, we have the sleuth, Thea whom is house-sitting/elder sitting as her part-time occupation. Joining her in the lovely village of Blockley, U.K. is her daughter, Jessica (who is on probation with the police department.) Also, Thea's Dog, Hepzie is along.
The first mystery is why the 'Granny' is almost locked up within her own home. Next comes along a murder of a nearby, and according to Granny, a beloved neighbor. Then is the mystery of Granny herself, is she 92 yrs old and has lost a portion of her brain strength or is she faking it?
There is also an archeological dig nearby involving 'prophecies' and 'lost' towns and villagers along with local celebrities.
The location is artfully described and I do enjoy the fact of Thea seeming realistic to me. I look forward to the next book in the series.
The first mystery is why the 'Granny' is almost locked up within her own home. Next comes along a murder of a nearby, and according to Granny, a beloved neighbor. Then is the mystery of Granny herself, is she 92 yrs old and has lost a portion of her brain strength or is she faking it?
There is also an archeological dig nearby involving 'prophecies' and 'lost' towns and villagers along with local celebrities.
The location is artfully described and I do enjoy the fact of Thea seeming realistic to me. I look forward to the next book in the series.
March 27, 2015
The ending felt a bit rushed and unimaginative.
July 4, 2022
A weak ending in my opinion.
November 20, 2019
It is a long time since I read one of Rebecca Tope's Books even though I am a huge fan of The Cotswold series (Not just because I live in Gloucestershire), The West Country Series and The Lake District Series, and was really looking forward to this Book It isn't often these fays where I read a book and willingly put off turning on the Computer in order to finish the bit I am on but I found myself doing that a lot d with this Book, I was hooked quite early on about the Mystery Thea the House Sitter was come across this time, I enjoyed it a lot more than The last one which was read I the 1st person and am so glad she went back to her style in the first 2 Books, I loved the setting and the Plot and the majority of Characters, I wasn't overly keen on the Daughter but I preferred her to the Narrator of the last book, I didn't much like The Brother-in-law either who we saw too much of in my Opinion and I wished the person leading the Murder inquiry was someone else, I am not sure how the Daughter feels about the her Mum's Boyfriend - I thought Thea was too old to call him that - I felt towards the end it was a bit confusing but so glad it was all explained at the end although there was one loose end left open but and I was sorry Thea didn't play online Scrabble but it was referred to and she did play the real version with her Daughter once, all in all I loved it and look forward to the next Thea Osborne Book I read and The next Rebecca Tope Book I read come to that.
October 1, 2025
I described this as likely snore-tastic to my other Book Clubbers when I saw it for sale but I have been having an extended holiday in the Cotswolds and for £1.99, I thought I would give it a go. I was thinking of M C Beaton, Midsommer Murders, Agatha Christie and so on.
Where to start…..
Thea and Jessica were both thoroughly unlikeable, and their arguments were just nonsensical and childish. The attitude to an elderly woman with a probable brain injury was hideous from the start, before anything else happened - even if she was occasionally or often swinging the lead. The descriptions of Ick and his ‘rapping’ were toe-curlingly awful, I doubt he would have made it onto Britain’s Got Talent or the first stage of Pop Idol, let alone been famous - literally set my teeth on edge.
Thea: ‘The death toll was, however, smaller than feared. Twelve killed and fifty injured’ and 5 minutes later, Thea: ‘Was the entire police investigation now suspended because of some infuriating terrorism in Birmingham’ REALLY?????😱 she didn’t even actually check if her boyfriend was among the dead.
I loved Gladys and also Gussie, the descriptions of the places and the nature were very appealing. But if I had been the murderer, I would have done everyone a favour and done Thea in as well 😬😜
Where to start…..
Thea and Jessica were both thoroughly unlikeable, and their arguments were just nonsensical and childish. The attitude to an elderly woman with a probable brain injury was hideous from the start, before anything else happened - even if she was occasionally or often swinging the lead. The descriptions of Ick and his ‘rapping’ were toe-curlingly awful, I doubt he would have made it onto Britain’s Got Talent or the first stage of Pop Idol, let alone been famous - literally set my teeth on edge.
Thea: ‘The death toll was, however, smaller than feared. Twelve killed and fifty injured’ and 5 minutes later, Thea: ‘Was the entire police investigation now suspended because of some infuriating terrorism in Birmingham’ REALLY?????😱 she didn’t even actually check if her boyfriend was among the dead.
I loved Gladys and also Gussie, the descriptions of the places and the nature were very appealing. But if I had been the murderer, I would have done everyone a favour and done Thea in as well 😬😜
September 7, 2017
This is the fourth book in the Thea Osborne series, and it's not one of the better ones so far. We do meet Thea's daughter, who is in the police (just like Thea's brother-in-law, James, and Thea's love interest, Phil), but the mother-daughter relationship is fractious, as is Thea's charge on this house-sitting assignment, a senile but competent old woman who needs a responsible person close by, but does not need constant supervision.
In my opinion, middle-aged white female authors should probably not write young black male rapper/poet characters into their stories. Icarus Binns (aka "Ick") might have been a delightful person, but neither his storyline nor his manner of speech were written very effectively in this book.
In fact the entire story is lacking. Of course there is a murder, but the "whodunnit and why" aspect is less than compelling. The ending is especially disappointing, feeling rushed and leaving more questions than answers.
Three stars is generous. If this were the only book in the series that I had read, I would not hesitate to give it a lower rating.
In my opinion, middle-aged white female authors should probably not write young black male rapper/poet characters into their stories. Icarus Binns (aka "Ick") might have been a delightful person, but neither his storyline nor his manner of speech were written very effectively in this book.
In fact the entire story is lacking. Of course there is a murder, but the "whodunnit and why" aspect is less than compelling. The ending is especially disappointing, feeling rushed and leaving more questions than answers.
Three stars is generous. If this were the only book in the series that I had read, I would not hesitate to give it a lower rating.
April 30, 2020
Due to lockdown restrictions, I am reading books I have at home. This is the first in the series that I have, although its number four in this series. I was able to keep up as the author quickly filled in house sitter Thea Osborne’s background. Engaged to house sit in delightful Cotswold village for ten days Thea and her spaniel Hepzie, are engaged to ‘ keep an eye on granny’ as her daughter and son in law have a ten-day break. It sounds like a perfect job although they do seem a bit paranoid about security arrangements. Thea finds her charge a puzzle, at times capable and the at times confused. She is voluble about ‘dear Julian’ their next-door neighbour. All is going well until Julian is found dead by Thea’s daughter trainee police constable Jessica. Slow-paced but with an annoyingly quick conclusion.
May 2, 2019
First of this series I have read. The relationship between various recurring characters means it might make more sense in parts to have read earlier books in the series first, but I wouldn’t say this is essential to the book’s overall enjoyment or understanding. All I’d add to this is that fractious relationship between Thea and her daughter Jessica becomes a bit grating after a while - you do feel like you’d want to give Jessica a good shake sometimes. Otherwise the premise of the story and style of writing are good and flow well though, as with many crime novels, you have to concentrate as things progress. Overall a fun read and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series all of which are now collected on my bookshelf.
May 16, 2020
This is the 14th book I've read in this series (counting the case book of short stories). I have found these books to be an easy read during the current lockdown period. Interesting enough with character and place descriptions, but not overly challenging so it allows a bit of distracted reading. The books provide an escape during these trying times. The author has rotated different characters in Thea's life to join her on her house-sitting/murder mystery adventures and this time it's her daughter Jessica. I enjoy getting to know these satellite characters a little better with each book.
There's a lot of build-up to the final reveal, but it is a quick tying of loose ends that all so conveniently is provided by a character that we don't meet until the end of the book.
There's a lot of build-up to the final reveal, but it is a quick tying of loose ends that all so conveniently is provided by a character that we don't meet until the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2022
This was so bad!
Very little happens in this book, but the worst part is that it happens over and over and over again…….
Thea is off housesitting again. She doesn’t have sheep or horses to watch over this time, instead, the house owners want her to keep an eye on their elderly mother, living in the attached cottage. She is suffering from dementia, or something very like it. Thea is joined by her daughter, who will stay for a few days. Naturally, murder rears its ugly head in the house next door.
That is about as much plot as there is, the pages being filled with Thea’s musings and much handwringing….oh, and speculation, endless speculation.
The only reason I continue with the series is the beautiful settings, and my conviction that the next book cannot possibly be any worse.
Very little happens in this book, but the worst part is that it happens over and over and over again…….
Thea is off housesitting again. She doesn’t have sheep or horses to watch over this time, instead, the house owners want her to keep an eye on their elderly mother, living in the attached cottage. She is suffering from dementia, or something very like it. Thea is joined by her daughter, who will stay for a few days. Naturally, murder rears its ugly head in the house next door.
That is about as much plot as there is, the pages being filled with Thea’s musings and much handwringing….oh, and speculation, endless speculation.
The only reason I continue with the series is the beautiful settings, and my conviction that the next book cannot possibly be any worse.
August 30, 2025
I want to like these books but this is the most annoying character I’ve come across! Completely unrealistic. This woman can’t remember to lock a door or bring her cell phone with her when she leaves the house. And people are trusting her with their houses, elderly, animals etc?! She seems to butte heads with everyone including her daughter and boyfriend. I’ve stuck with this whole series and am very disappointed. It’s also annoying that everything g that happens during these house sits there is no interaction with the house owners when it’s over. A lot of unfinished business. Poorly written really
July 30, 2017
I've read the three Cotswold cozy mysteries that preceded this book, and have to say that the fourth was a letdown. Thea house-sits in various parts of the Cotswolds for a living; this job was to look after not only a house but the surly senior whose home is adjacent. When the neighbour on the other side of Thea's temporary home is murdered, she is drawn into the drama.
There was little suspense and no real climax to the narrative; rather, I was lulled to sleep by numerous dog walks in the countryside and meetings with dull neighbours. Yawn.
There was little suspense and no real climax to the narrative; rather, I was lulled to sleep by numerous dog walks in the countryside and meetings with dull neighbours. Yawn.
October 19, 2017
It's been 5 years since I read the first three books in this series, which I had enjoyed, but I was not so keen on this one . The Thea I remembered was not the one in this book . In this she is very grumpy and impatient, and hardly seems to take notice of her dog which has featured quite a bit in her stories, maybe because her daughter is a major character here. I felt the ending was somewhat hurried
I will probably read the next in the series, in the hope that she goes back to being the more likable character she was before.
I will probably read the next in the series, in the hope that she goes back to being the more likable character she was before.
August 5, 2020
This is the fourth book in the Cotswold mystery series by author Rebecca Tope. I still don't really connect with the main character, Thea Osborne, however her personality is gradually growing on me and I didn't find her as "grating" as I did in the first two books of the series. I enjoyed the addition of her daughter, Jessica who came to visit and stay with Thea during this house-minding assignment. Perhaps the interactions between these two main characters added more interest to the story. It was a quick summer read, with a couple of unexpected twists in the mystery.
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