Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
A Cotswold Killing  By  cover art

A Cotswold Killing

By: Rebecca Tope
Narrated by: Caroline Lennon
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.65

Buy for $15.65

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Nestled in the hills of the Cotswolds, the village of Duntisbourne Abbots is a well-kept secret. 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? As a forty-something woman with no previous experience of detective work, Thea Osborne knows she shouldn’t be getting involved but as she calls on her neighbours to get some answers, she uncovers more tragedy and intrigue that she thought possible behind the chocolate-box façade of a peaceful Gloucestershire village.

©2004 Rebecca Tope (P)2005 Soundings

What listeners say about A Cotswold Killing

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    40
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    18
  • 1 Stars
    11
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    53
  • 4 Stars
    46
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    7
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    41
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    20
  • 1 Stars
    13

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Armchair travel with a crime solved

Any additional comments?

First, I liked the book-- it had the English police detectives, pretty country village with its secrets and twists and turns required for a mystery. It kept me engaged and in the last few hours took on an almost creepy atmosphere. The author explores pain--all types--in what is essentially a running monologue. It can be a little saddening with all the discussion of loss, coping or coping in unusual ways in many cases,

The narration was a slight disappointment as the reader had a clipped style and just read the book with almost no attempt to alter voices with each character. I have gotten to expect the acting out of the book many narrators do so beautifully on audible. It is very entertaining to have the characters have their own voices. There were only two or three characters that I remotely cared about in the story and I wonder if the reading in voices would have changed that. It was all about the main character and everything in the storyline revolved around her--what she thought and did. Not a bad thing just limited to one person's point of view--first person narrative--not a multi character exploration. I guess that is where the mystery comes in as the story unfolds based on what one person perceives, ponders, and then in the end solves.

Given the chance I would listen again and I didn't feel that I had wasted a credit. If you like British crime/mystery stories and don't mind the lack of varied voices it's worth a try.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Pleasant Cozy

If you like hard-boiled, gritty, fast-paced, violent thrillers, DO NOT buy this book. It is a traditional English cozy set in the Cotswolds and full of both typical and quirky English characters. Just the sort of book I love to read or listen to.
I liked the main character and amateur sleuth, Thea Osbourne, right from the start. Her adventure begins when she takes on a house-sitting job complete with dogs and sheep to look after. Following an unexpected scream in the night, an even more unexpected body turns up in the little pond on the property.
There were several scenes that were laugh out loud funny for me, including all the rules the owner writes down for poor Thea to follow.
The reading was well done.
I recommend this book and this reading to anyone who loves a more laid-back and less in your face mystery.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good story

a well thought out and tranquil murder mystery
I had no idea who the killer was

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Will try the next

There were some things I wanted more of and some less. I didn't think this was that "cozy" a story. Darker themes of pain and loss were widespread across characters to the point of discomfort to hear. Too much. And the self harm...didn't like that. Thought the character development was pretty good--I didn't get confused on who people were and the setting descriptions were good. I think another reviewer complained that Thea meandered about too much and didn't get on with the investigation---I didn't feel that way. Her "investigating" felt pretty authentic as someone who is a complete amateur and is just curious. I would expect future novels to be a bit more purposeful in this area as she gains more experience. I plan to give the next one a try as I like the premise and hope that it lightens up a little.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Kept waiting for something really mysterious happen just around the bend... never came to pass.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A very engaging murder mystery

Where does A Cotswold Killing rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
About the middle - I enjoyed it wile I listened but it wasn't really memorable.

What other book might you compare A Cotswold Killing to and why?
Can't think of anything.

What does Caroline Lennon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
She does a good job of bringing the characters to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Not really. I was caught up in the mystery but didn't find it as consuming as some books. Maybe I'm getting jaded on British village mysteries.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good start to what I hope is a good series

What made the experience of listening to A Cotswold Killing the most enjoyable?

Mystery told from another point of view, from the view point of a house sitter, although how many times can a house sitter go to different homes and not be the prime suspect in the matter at hand.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

not really, just well paced.

What about Caroline Lennon’s performance did you like?

well read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Love a good cozy. This didn’t hit.

The ending of who dunnit and why felt like an easy out from the author, as it usually does when other authors try it. She also used a common trope in cozies lately to make it “darker” by including detailed violence and abuse to dogs. I wish cozy authors would stop that. It’s cozy for a reason.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great detective work

I loved the whole book. Well written and kept you interested! Couldn’t wait to continue!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed in the main character

I had higher hopes for this book. I was excited due to the location of the setting and the large number of books in this series. The main character was a huge disappointment for me. She was vain about her appearance, blew off her duties of the house sitting job (just lacks integrity), attracted to her brother-in-law (just completely unnecessary), and drunk driving. It made me not want to continue to read the series based on the main character.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!