A Cotswold Ordeal

By: Rebecca Tope

Narrated by: Caroline Lennon

Thea Osborne sets off to Frampton Mansell with confidence. Despite her first disastrous house-sitting venture, which drew her into a murder investigation, Thea, and her spaniel Hepzibah, are sure of a wonderful stay at the relaxed country estate of the Philipses. But it seems that she’s jinxed. Busying herself with her duties, she finds a body hanging from the rafters of one of the barns. Detective Superintendent Phil Hollis oversees the subsequent investigation and is more than a little surprised to find Thea once again at the scene. As the days go by, they find themselves working together more closely – although Thea, at times, is more of a hindrance than a help.

©2005 Rebecca Tope (P)2006 Soundings

would recommend!

the music at the end of each chapter is a little random but the story is great!

Musical interludes totally not needed

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Good story and well read but it was spoiled by musical interludes at where I believe there would have been chapter breaks.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Thia

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

definitely

Pretty good story.

I like the set up - the main character house sitting in various villages where murders are discovered. In response to another reviewer, I think it's typical for police detectives to have several different villages in their jurisdiction.

I'm not crazy about the narrator. She has a nice, smooth, soft voice but I'm not sure she's really English. She was OK, though.

Great story

I love the characters in these stories. This plot is is well constructed with really good twists. I really liked the animal antics of the geese and the pony. Very authentic!

So-so little British Mystery

Thea Osborne arrives for her second attempt to house-sit for people going on vacation, and steps right into another round of murder. She has a developing relationship with the same Detective Inspector Hollis who investigated the murder at the previous location where she was house-sitting. First demand of the reader--suspend all belief that this series will be very realistic.

Actually, the mystery itself is not bad. However, the author seems to fill the book with some of the most incredibly dumb moves on the part of Thea (such as insisting she can safely remain in the house after murder and mayhem have occurred...) and other characters. Eg, her sister arrives, after having been badly beaten in a domestic abuse situation, and after having accompanied Thea through part of this stretch of credulity-plot, drives away home, happily (after having been injured--yet again--through a bad accident) in the car of her loving husband (who had committed the abuse in the first place).

Sorry--if the mystery were not decent--and it is fun as the reader to try to figure out the who-dunnit part, I would not feel like giving this book even as much as 3 stars.

Lovely that it takes place in the Cotswalds, but I'm not sure this is a compliment to that beautiful and historically significant area.

Read it if you are not seeking something too tasking and if the characters acting in fairly unbelievable ways does not distract you--but don't expect much more than that. :-( The narrator is good, but even she does not save the story.

Domestic violence is never ok

And it appears to not be a big deal in this book. To leave one’s children with the abuser and the protagonist not do everything in her power to 1) get the kids and 2) have him arrested is not ok. EVER. FULL. STOP. This was a woman beaten with a cricket bat. I listened to the full story only because I wanted to know the abuser was punished. He was not.

Author condones domestic violence

Ugh, what a disappointment listen. I liked the first book in the series and bought this title because of it. Unfortunately I’ve returned this book and won’t be purchasing another. SPOILER- in the story the main characters sister gets beaten by her husband with a cricket bat. The main character goes on to think what the sister did wrong to cause this and even after seeing the injuries hopes her sister will forgive the husband. WHAT THE HECK! Such outdated and unhealthy world view. Rebecca Tope, go to a domestic violence shelter and stop writing such rubbish.

Poor production

Very strange production with musical interludes at non evident chapter breaks. I walked the Cotswold and hoped this would give a description and feeling of place. It did not.