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
"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.