TROUBLE IN THE COTSWOLDS

Detective & Mystery Stories Cosy Crime: Gentle Mysteries

By Rebecca Tope

Synopsis

Thea Osborne hopes to spend a quiet Christmas house sitting for the Shepherds in the picturesque Cotswold village of Stanton. Walks in the local countryside with the dogs and perhaps a meal in the pub are all the excitement she wants. When her arrival at the village coincides with the funeral of local businessman Douglas Callendar, found electrocuted in his bath, Thea's interest is piqued. When another villager is discovered brutally murdered the following day, Thea is thrust into the middle of yet another police investigation.

Sample Player

Narrator	Caroline Lennon
Length	8hrs 30mins
Catalogue No.	14990
Publisher	Soundings; 2014

Other audiobooks by Rebecca Tope

THE AMBLESIDE ALIBI

Simmy has been adjusting to life in Windermere, running her florist shop and trying to put her tragic past behind her. But just when she thinks her life is quietly coming together, it starts to unravel at the seams when she delivers a bouquet with a mysterious message attached, that brings sinister secrets to light.

BLOOD IN THE COTSWOLDS

Thea Osborne and her faithful spaniel, Hepzie, have taken on a house-sitting assignment in the charming Cotswold village of Temple Guiting. But when a skeleton is discovered at the roots of an old beech tree, Thea soon finds herself drawn into a murder investigation. Perhaps the countryside isn't that quiet after all...

THE CONISTON CASE

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, Persimmon "Simmy" Brown's flower shop near Lake Windermere receives a string of anonymous delivery orders. But each one causes their recipient great distress, and Simmy suspects that the messages they contain mask a sinister intent. Then one of the recipients disappears As if that isn't enough, Simmy's friend Kathy turns up, on the trail of her wayward daughter Joanna, who has grown unhealthily close to her university tutor. When Kathy attempts to reason with her daughter she finds that Joanna's older lover may be even more menacing than she had imagined. With both Kathy and Joanna in peril, Simmy and her friends find themselves caught up in a web of deception, blackmail and murder.

A COTSWOLD KILLING

When recently widowed Thea Osborne arrives in the Cotswolds to house-sit for a local couple, her only fear is that three weeks there might prove a little dull. But when she is woken by a piercing scream outside, she calls on her neighbours to get some answers. Thea uncovers more tragedy and intrigue than she thought possible behind the peaceful Gloucestershire village.

A COTSWOLD MYSTERY

Thea Osborne, accompanied by her trusty spaniel, Hepzie, is convinced nothing can go wrong on her next house-sitting 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.

A COTSWOLD ORDEAL

Thea Osborne and her spaniel Hepzibah embark on another house-sitting commission with very few worries. The Phillips are obviously a laid back family and she arrives at idyllic Frampton Mansell with renewed enthusiasm. But she soon finds herself in the centre of the action when an apparent suicide takes place in one of the barns.

DEATH IN THE COTSWOLDS

It's Halloween and Thea is looking forward to a peaceful autumn after two disastrous housesitting incidents in which she became embroiled in murder and mayhem. But the bad luck that plagues her is never far away, and it it becomes apparent that even the cosy village of Cold Aston has its share of murder.

DECEPTION IN THE COTSWOLDS

Thea Osbourne, accompanied by her spaniel Hepzibah, is perhaps over-optimistic about the possibilities of her latest assignment - house-sitting for reptile breeder Harriet Young in the secluded village of Cranham. Despite the ease with which Thea's new assignment begins, she soon finds a dark side to the characters she encounters there. Thea begins to realise that Harriet's beloved geckoes are not the only cold-blooded creatures at large in Cranham...

FEAR IN THE COTSWOLDS

Following a string of disastrous house-sitting assignments, Thea Osborne is understandably apprehensive about her latest commission: a wintry month in an isolated house with only her loyal spaniel Hepzie for company. Thea spends her first few days exploring the beautiful hamlet of Hampnett, meeting some of the locals. But when she stumbles across a man lying dead in a snow-covered field, Thea finds herself once again at the heart of a mystery.

A GRAVE IN THE COTSWOLDS

As undertaker Drew Slocombe drives to a burial in Broad Campden, the last thing he is worried about is becoming a murder suspect. Thea Osbourne becomes Drew's unlikely defender when a body is discovered minutes from her latest house-sitting assignment. Drew and Thea begin to unearth the village secrets, together playing amateur detective to find the killer, and to clear Drew's name.

GUILT IN THE COTSWOLDS

Thea Osborne's latest house-sitting assignment is a little different to the rest. Along with her spaniel, Hepzie, Thea finds herself in the village of Chedworth. She is tasked with creating an inventory of Rita Wilshire's possessions, requested by her son, Richard Wilshire, after moving her into a care home. All goes to plan, until Thea and her fiance, Drew Slocombe, find Richard dead in a barn. Was Richard's death suicide? Or something more sinister? When the clues lead them in circles, Thea's relationship with Drew is put to the test. But there is a crime to solve, and neither of them is willing to give up just yet...

MALICE IN THE COTSWOLDS

Thea Osborne and her canine companion Hepzie travel to the village of Snowshill for their next assignment, house-sitting Hyacinth House for the mysterious Yvonne Parker. Something doesn't feel right to Thea, and soon her intuition is proved to be right. A local boy, Stevie Horsfall, is found brutally strangled, with his mother as prime suspect. Thea, believing in her innocence, embarks on a mystery, taking her through the maliciously entangled lives of the village residents, to London and beyond.

REVENGE IN THE COTSWOLDS

Thea Osborne, Cotswold house-sitter with an infamous reputation for getting mixed up in crime, is determined to avoid trouble this time. Her latest commission in the village of Daglingworth seems straightforward, with most of her time spent looking after an old corgi and a hibernating tortoise. Thea is ready for a relaxing if rather boring two weeks, with phone calls to new boyfriend Drew Slocombe the highlight of her days. Until, that is, a dead body is discovered in a nearby quarry...

SHADOWS IN THE COTSWOLDS

When Thea Osbourne agrees to house sit for Oliver Meadows as a favour to her mother, she expects a few days peace and quiet. As usual, Thea quickly finds herself at the center of a dark mystery when she discovers a dead body in the gardens of the house.

SLAUGHTER IN THE COTSWOLDS

Thea Osborne has just lost her beloved father and retreats to her next housesitting assignment in Lower Slaughter to deal with her grief. The tranquillity is a welcome backdrop, but when her elder sister turns up on her doorstep after witnessing a horrific killing, the rural serenity descends into a web of suspicions and confrontations. As usual, investigating a murder while being a responsible housesitter proves to be no easy task.

THE TROUTBECK TESTIMONY

A huge funeral for Windermere's popular resident, Barbara Dodge, is taking place and florist Persimmon "Simmy" Brown and her new assistant, Bonnie Lawson are busy compiling wreaths in preparation. There's word of a series of sinister dognappings occurring in nearby Troutbeck and whilst taking a walk up Wansfell Pike, Simmy and her father, Russell, stumble on a dog, strangled to death - it's not long before Simmy reluctantly finds herself caught up in a murder investigation...

THE WINDERMERE WITNESS

Florist Persimmon 'Simmy' Brown has moved to the beautiful Lake District in search of peace but that is quickly disturbed when a wedding ends in tragedy. Caught up in the middle of the wedding party, Simmy is a prime witness and can't prevent herself becoming even more entangled with the unhappy family.