Slaughter in the Cotswolds

Thea Osborne #6

by Rebecca Tope

Thea Osborne has just lost her beloved father and retreats to housesitting in Lower Slaughter, hoping to find peace. The scenery is beautiful, the tranquility a welcome backdrop to her independent ways, and there’s a host of miscellaneous animals to help stave off her loneliness – not to mention the much-needed company of her faithful spaniel Hepzie. As Thea settles down to two weeks of solitude, her biggest challenges are doing jigsaw puzzles and fighting off bats in the bedroom. That is, of course, until reality catches up with her. When Thea’s bossy elder sister turns up on her doorstep after witnessing a horrific killing, the rural serenity in Lower Slaughter descends into a web of mutual suspicions, accusations and confrontations.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Contemporary, Cozy Mystery, British Literature, Cozy

407 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

Rebecca 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.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 6 in the Cotswolds series.

Thea is at it again, getting herself into trouble, as she house sits in Lower Slaughter in the Cotswolds. This time Thea's sister makes an appearance with some strange dealings near the home she is sitting for, after their father has passed away. Someone is beaten to death and we have a witness, but "her" story doesn't add up.

Later on in the story, the cauldron is getting hotter between Thea and Phil Hollis her superintendent boyfriend, in a bad way too. If the things that were said here in this book between these guys happened in real life to me, I would be done with that relationship. Honestly, Thea is getting on my nerves. Seems all she is in it for is the sex, while treating him like crap, dragging him along. No compassion, no nurturing side to her, breaking rules with people she sits for...I am a bit upset with Thea for the past 3 books.

Rant being said, this segment is full of mystery..I enjoyed it, as I do every Rebecca Tope, "Cotswold" book.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book in Lower Slaughter - the village that it takes place in - while we were on our trip to England, so I was predisposed to love it. I did like it, but not as much as I had hoped. Too much angst and not enough Cotswold charm for me.

[Cathy Quigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another adventure for Thea while housesitting in the Cotswolds this time hitting closer to home as her elder sister is involved in the discovery of the sole human that perishes during this story. Some of the animals consigned to her care are not so lucky though. I'm surprised that she gets recommendations from any of her employers. It seems to be a running theme where animals in her care suffer some sort of injury or demise. Her relationship with her current boyfriend is starting to unravel. Her description of her relationship with her elder sister is examined and described with such a cold eye for her sister's failings, it seems as though the author is using the medium to air out some of her own siblings' foibles. The author's description of another Cotswold town is well done, but with a bit less sympathy than the other towns used for place settings in previous books. There always seems to be a few loose ends in each book of this series. I thought the parrot's dialogue would somehow prove to be a clue. Nope. Also I would have liked to know how the home's owners felt about two of their animals being killed under her care once they found out. It was never addressed.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good mystery series. They mysteries are solid and the setting can't be beat!

[Hayley R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me guessing until very near the end. Another great set of characters. Looking forward to reading the next installment!

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to stop listening to this, I guess, maybe half way through. The dialogue was just to awful. I’ve read a few of these Cotswold novels over the years when I’m feeling like a light cosy mystery but this one just didn’t work for me.

[Les Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why is it that writers these days make their female lead characters actions, stupid and irresponsible? Due to the stupid actions at the start of the book, I have abandoned it for better reading

[Zoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ★

[Keerthana Devaraj · Rating 2 out of 5]

'SLAUGHTER IN THE COTWOLDS' is a murder mystery that I bought without looking at any reviews at a book fair. I had high expectations for this book to be good as the story was told in a beautiful manner in the first few chapters. The one line is that the main character Thea Osborne is house-sitting at the Costwolds which is depicted quite nicely by the author. When her sister Emily comes to visit Thea to share the grief of their father's passing, something brutal is witnessed by Emily. And just like there arises mystery among the locals and many police investigations start in order to find the killer that Emily saw that rainy night. I was reading this book on and off but when I was halfway through, I was eager for the twist. I was disappointed. The ending was too simple compared to the way the case was built. There were just so many unanswered plots which made the incredible details the author had crafted a waste. I wished there was more to the story rather than the hurried ending the book contained. On the whole, the book isn't that good but would be helpful to get you out of a reading slump as the way of writing is fast-paced. There are a few more books in the series and this is actually the 6th book but they all can be read as stand-alone too.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never read any Rebecca Tope novels before and had no idea this was number six in a series! didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book though as the story could stand alone although you might not fully understand all the characters back stories in full which no doubt might add more to the story if you read them in order.

This book tells the story of Thea Osborne, recently bereaved wife and daughter and how she takes on a house sitting job as a distraction from her grief. But not all goes to plan. Her elder sister comes to stay for the weekend to talk through her emotions and on her car journey home witnesses a murder. can't say too much more without giving plot spoilers away but good crime read without the gore and violence!

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another house-sitting assignment finds Thea in the town of Lower Slaughter, in a shabby but comfortable home where she must look after two dogs, some cats, ferrets and a cheeky parrot while the residents are away on holiday. When Thea takes the dogs for a walk (against the advice of the home-owners), she finds to her dismay that her peaceful sojourn in the Cotswolds will be anything but.
I find that this series of books is rather lacking in feelings of well-being; the main character is invariably unhappy about something, and her relationship with her significant other is deteriorating in a most depressing manner. I think this is the last I'll read in this collection. (But I seem to remember saying that after Book #5.)

[Sharon Gallup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many of Rebecca Tope books on Cotswolds mysterys. But this one was different
then most of her Cotswolds mysteries. These stories are based around a woman in England who goes
to house sit for people in the Cotswolds area while they go on holidays. in this job she protects their homes and care for their animals. But she always seems to be caught up in a murder investigation that happens near the home or village . But this time in this story this takes a different twist and you will find the ending not what you were expecting. This is a very comfortable read and a bedtime reading story. by the time i got to the middle of the story i couldn't put the book down. i just had to find out what was so different in this story.

[Cliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of the stories about Thea Osborne and the troubles she falls into when house sitting in the Cotswolds. Quite how one 40 something widow could attract so many deaths every time she undertakes house sitting in a relatively small area but I guess that is artist licence and, after all, the raison d'etre of the series. The books, I find, are better written than many of a similar ilk, eg the Agatha Raisin series set in the same neck of the woods. Decent dialogue and characterisation. Some loose ends which, no doubt, are gathered up in the next book. I am, however, left with the feeling that the whole series is a plug for the Cotswold Tourist Authority!

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thea is house sitting in Slaughter. Along with the care of her own little spaniel she has the care of two large dogs, some pet ferrets and a parrot to keep her occupied. There is no real romantic interest in her life at the moment but there are problems in her own family that she must deal with ... #1 being that her sister has everyone looking for a murderer. In actuality it was a terrible accident and the story ends without telling us how she is dealt with. I do like this series of light mystery; easy reading and very entertaining.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how I am really feeling about this book. I felt troubled that Thea had been so incompetent regarding the well being of the dogs entrusted to her. It did seem out of character. I was also surprised by the fact her interest in Phill came down to his performance in bed. The main plot was good although I did sort of guess what had really happened. I suppose really I was disappointed with the whole book.

[Lila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thea Osborne makes her living house sitting in the Cotswolds, thus providing the setting for these mysteries. This is the first one I've read it seems midway into the series, but the emotional relationship between family members and boyfriend over shadow what there is of a mystery and the death of two dogs seem to occupy the protagonist far more than the death of a visiting scholar.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this series expecting to really enjoy it. The storylines are ok, the main character I find is irritating and self centerd. The author seems to think domesticated animals being killed in the books is necessary to the story?? I have several more books to read in the series, will be glad to go on to something else.

[Dani Chaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit more interesting than the previous one of this series. Easy to read, engaging enough. Definitely lacking depth and consistency in character construction, specially the main characters.

But the plot seemed interesting enough and for me the mystery remained mysterious enough until the very end, which I call a sign of a goal accomplished in detective novels. :)

[Kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you don’t mind pompous old-fashioned English gentility, then read this book. I bought it while on holiday in the Cotswolds. A little predictable, heroine is written older than her age, but great sense of the area and very easy to read.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read quite a few of the Cotswolds mysteries but this one was not a winner for me.
I don't wish to spoil it for anyone else but the ending was so not an ending. Charges to be laid or not, home owners to be appeased, lovers to be re-united? Who knows?

[Rob Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cotswolds series bounces back with an excellent mystery that finds Thea's sister Emily dragged into a murder when she finds the body of a man in a layby.

This book flows much better than the last and makes a lot of progress in the ongoing storylines.

[Carol S Tikkanen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slaughter In The Cotswolds

This story was a much better plot and had me reading intensely to the end. Lots of open areas for future stories of relationships. Too much killing but rounded the story out when it was the main character’s family envolved.

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sixth Thea Osborne Cotswold house-sitting mystery takes a darker turn when following their father's death Thea's sister is caught up in a gory roadside death.

[JenniferB · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good edition to this set of mysteries with further development of the characters and including a character from a previous book. Enjoyable.

[Elka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant, easy, not much of a mystery

[Kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brill

[Jayne Ewing · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book whilst in Lower Slaughter- one of my favourite places - a good thriller with a twist.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by this author that I have read. It was interesting. The story flowed and I did like the characters. Might have to check out some more books by her

[Yvonne]

A new author for me. Very enjoyable with a few twists and turns.

[Margaret Eaton]

Fear