Thea Osborne Cotswold Myster Series (Bks 1-20 – Rebecca Tope Free Audiobook

Written by Rebecca Tope
Format: MP3
Bitrate: Mixed
Unabridged

1 A Cotswold Killing

Nestled in the fertile hills of the Cotswolds, the village of Duntisbourne Abbots is a well-kept beautiful, timeless and quintessentially English. When recently widowed Thea Osborne arrives to house-sit for a local couple, her only fear is that three weeks there might prove a little dull. Her first night’s sleep at Brook View is broken by a piercing scream outside but she decides such things don’t require investigation in a sleepy place like this. At least not until a body turns up… In calling on her neighbors to get some answers, Thea uncovers more tragedy and intrigue than she thought possible behind the peaceful Gloucestershire village. A Cotswold Killing

2 A Cotswold Ordeal

Thea Osborne embarks on her second house-sitting commission with very few worries. The Phillipses are obviously a laid back family, and there is little to do but tend an ailing old pony and feed various furry pets and farmyard birds. But it seems she is jinxed. An apparent suicide takes place in one of the barns. Set in the most southern part of the Cotswolds, known for its woollen mills active in the 19th century, the canal locks lie buried in woodland, along with many of the dreams and secrets of the local people. Thea is interviewed by Detective Superintendent Hollis and finds herself in the very center of the action. But confusion and conflict reign as investigations develop into the death in the barn, with divided loyalties and many frustrations.

3 Death in the Cotswolds

After two disastrous housesitting incidents in which she unwittingly became embroiled in murder and mayhem, Thea Osbourne is only too happy to have a bit of peace and quiet. The only positive thing that came out of her experiences is her blossoming relationship with DI Phil Hollis and she relishes the thought of their spending some quality time together. Even meeting Phil’s childhood acquaintance, the eccentric Ariadne, cannot detract from Thea s happiness. But the bad luck the plagues the hapless Thea and her beloved spaniel Hepzipah is never far away. With autumn drawing in, preparations for Samhain, or Halloween, are well underway when Ariadne discovers a very tangible reminder of the season of death on Notgrove Barrow: a body laid out like a sacrificial victim. Unlikely companions, Thea and Ariadne are thrown together as they try to uncover the events that led to the fatality. It soon becomes apparent that the cozy village has more than its share of secrets. But just how far will some go to keep them hidden

4 A Cotswold Mystery

After three catastrophic housesitting commissions, filled with murder and intrigue, the Montgomery house in Blockley seems like a welcome break for fearless Thea and her trusty spaniel Hephzibah. The opportunity to explore the lost Cotswold villages, with only the minor hindrance of checking up on the client’s mother, in the adjoining house, promises to be the perfect get away. But Granny Gladys Gardener, with her conveniently erratic memory and series of ailments that disappear as quickly as they arrive, is a force to be reckoned and is soon arousing Thea’s suspicion. After all, why do the Montgomery’s lock her connecting door to the house? And why do they set an alarm that goes off every time Granny goes out? Thea’s concerns, however, soon turn to something more sinister when the arrival of her daughter, trainee policewoman Jessica, prompts the discovery of a body. Slowly the secrets of Blockley begin to unravel themselves to the Osborne women, but nothing in the village is quite what it seems. Up against the clock to try and solve another murder, with the added complications of her elderly charge, her daughter’s career troubles and her deepening relationship with DI Phil Hollis, Thea is beginning to feel well and truly lost in the Cotswolds.

5 Blood in the Cotswolds

Thea Osborne and her faithful spaniel, Hepzie, have taken on another house-sitting assignment, this time in the very quiet village of Temple Guiting. Detective Superintendent Phil Hollis is looking forward to visiting for a night or two and celebrating the couple’s one year anniversary, but a slipped disk in Phil’s back soon puts an end to their romantic weekend. As it turns out, having a policeman on the scene is not entirely unnecessary in the little village. A few days into their stay, a pile of human bones are discovered in the base of an uprooted tree. There is no concrete evidence as to whom the bones belonged to though the locals all have their theories and rumors abound. Thea and Phil find there is a strong connection to the Knights Templar in the village with most locals claiming to be descendants of some or other lineage

6 Slaughter in the Cotswolds

Slaughter in the Cotswolds
by Rebecca Tope
3.60 · 615 Ratings · 58 Reviews · published 2010 · 3 editions
Thea throws herself into house-sitting for Babs and Cedric Angell in Lower Slaughter following her beloved father’s death – anything to keep her busy and away from some of her rather difficult relatives. And while feeling lonely, keeping the house in order and looking after the Angell’s menagerie of animals does the trick for a short period of time. But when Thea’s prickly elder sister turns up on her doorstep after witnessing a horrific murder, the tentative tranquility in Lower Slaughter vanishes, replaced by the sinister connotations of the town’s name.

7 Fear in the Cotswolds

Fear in the Cotswolds
by Rebecca Tope
3.54 · 585 Ratings · 56 Reviews · published 2009 · 18 editions
Following a string of disastrous house-sitting assignments, and with troubles in her recent personal life, Thea Osborne is understandably apprehensive about her latest a wintry month in an isolated farmhouse with only an assortment of animals, including her loyal spaniel Hepzie, for company. With the summer lushness of the Cotswolds turned icy grey, Thea spends her first few days exploring the tiny but beautiful hamlet of Hampnett, and the nearby town of Northleach. While discovering more of the surrounding area she meets some of the mysterious local the unappreciated au pair from Bulgaria and the elusive Kate from a neighboring farm. But then the weather turns extreme, and so do events. When she stumbles across a man lying dead in a snow-filled field, Thea is once again at the heart of a mystery in the gorgeous Cotswold countryside

8 A Grave in the Cotswolds

As undertaker Drew Slocombe drove to Greta Simmonds’ burial in Broad Campden, deep in the heart of the Cotswolds, thoughts of his troubles at home and at work played on his mind. The last thing he was worried about was becoming a murder suspect. Thea Osbourne becomes Drew’s unlikely friend and defender as she once again finds herself unwittingly involved in a brutal murder case when the council worker opposing the burial is found dead just minutes from her latest house-sitting the Cotswold home of the late Mrs. Simmonds. As they come to know more about the inhabitants of Broad Campden, Drew and Thea begin to unearth the secrets, conflicts and tensions that simmer below the surface of village life, together playing amateur detective to find the killer, and to clear Drew’s name

9 Deception in the Cotswolds

Thea Osbourne is perhaps over-optimistic about the English summertime and her latest assignment in the Cotswolds – house-sitting for reptile breeder Harriet Young. For Thea soon finds a dark side to the characters she encounters there, indeed Harriet’s beloved geckoes are not the only cold-blooded creatures at large… Yet again, the region’s bucolic charms prove to be more than deceptive, and Thea is thrust once again into the heart of a Cotswolds mystery. For despite the ease with which Thea’s new assignment in the secluded village of Cranham begins, she soon finds a dark side to the characters she encounters there. From the tragic Donny Davis to the enigmatic figure of Edwina, Thea begins to realize that Harriet Young’s beloved geckoes are not the only cold-blooded creatures at large in Cranham. Family intrigues, murder, suicide and deception combine to give Thea a decidedly challenging summer in the Heart of England…

10 Malice in the Cotswolds

Thea Osborne and her canine companion Hepzie travel to the isolated village of Snowshill for their next assignment, house-sitting Hyacinth House for the mysterious Yvonne Parker. Something doesn’t feel right to Thea, who is ill at ease in the village, 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

11 Shadows in the Cotswolds

When Thea Osborne agrees at the last minute to house-sit for Oliver Meadows as a favor to her mother, she expects a few days of peace with her spaniel, Hepzie. Uncomfortable with the news of her mother s sudden involvement with an old flame, and Thea herself unsure of how to deal with her feelings for Drew Slocombe, she hopes that some time alone in the historic town of Winchcombe will help to clear her head. But, 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.In the latest installment to the popular Cotswolds series by Rebecca Tope, Thea must work quickly to unravel the secrets which are being kept by Oliver Meadows and his brother, Fraser, and discover exactly what lies beneath the surface of their turbulent relationship. And amidst the chaos caused by the investigation, will Thea find time to decide how she should deal with her own problems too?

12 Trouble in the Cotswolds

Thea Osborne hopes to spend a quiet Christmas house-sitting in the picturesque village of Stanton. Walks in the local countryside with the dogs are all the excitement she wants. Her arrival at the village coincides with the funeral of Douglas Callender and the murder of his girlfriend the following day.Thea finds herself thrust into the middle of another Police investigation as she unwraps motives and scandals across the village. The arrival of Drew Slocombe is the best present Thea could receive. Amid the bleak winter of Stanton and the murderous scandal, Thea is determined that she will survive the festive season.Thea s interest is stirred but the onset of flu looks to prevent any sleuthing. However, when two people show up brutally murdered the following afternoon, even when battling a fever Thea finds herself thrust into the middle of yet another Police investigation. With the Callendar family linked to most of the village Stanton is bursting with motives for the murders including jealousy, closures of footpaths and secret animal testing. Thea turns to local resident Dennis Ireland for safety but Dennis, as with the other villagers, may not be as safe as first appears and Thea wonders who she can trust to help her survive the festive season.

13 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 .

14 Guilt in the Cotswolds

Thea Osborne’s latest housesitting assignment is a little different to the rest. Along with her spaniel, Hepzie, Thea finds herself in the village of Chedworth. She is asked to create an inventory of Rita Wilshire’s possessions, requested by her son, after he moved her into a care home.
All goes according to plan, until Thea and her fiancé, Drew Slocombe, find a body in the barn.

15 Peril in the Cotswolds

Thea Slocombe is trying to settle into normal family domestic life with Drew and his two children in Broad Campden. But any sense of cosy domesticity is shattered when Thea finds the body of a neighbour. No longer a house-sitter, Thea has no choice but to stay in the village and deal with whatever happens next, even when this risks damage to her marriage.

16 Crisis in the Cotswolds

Thea and Drew have been married for a year and are settled in the village of Broad Campden, but Thea is chafing at the domestic routines she is expected to devote herself to, missing the novelty and adventure that house-sitting used to bring. When a routine burial exposes the secrets of the deceased, Drew finds himself caught in the middle of a family feud, in which he feels he is on the wrong side, and Thea’s inquisitiveness and penchant for solving crimes draws her in too. With another crisis at Drew’s other business leaving him with a profound dilemma and Thea struggling against the charismatic charms of a new man, can their marriage survive this latest Cotswold drama

17 Secrets in the Cotswolds

Thea Slocombe is struggling to entertain her stepchildren through the long summer holiday while her husband Drew works, so she keenly accepts a new job house-sitting in Barnsley, near Bibury. However, her commission proves to be far from relaxing when she stumbles across a woman hiding among some bushes. The woman’s story is thin and incoherent, but Thea agrees to offer her sanctuary for the night.

When her guest is found dead the next morning Thea turns to the police for help, but their preoccupation with a major animal trafficking investigation means she is effectively on her own. As she digs deeper into the deceased’s background, she discovers a tangled web of lies, secrets and at least three very likely suspects

18 A Cotswold Christmas Mystery

.It’s Christmas, and things are looking good at the Slocombe house. Thea’s daughter Jessica has come to stay, much to her stepdaughter Stephanie’s delight. But then things take a turn for the worse. A local family, the Frowses, find themselves increasingly harassed by an aggressive landlord. When Beverley Frowse goes missing, Thea and Stephanie both feel they should do their best to help her husband and son to solve the mystery.

Christmas Day arrives. There are presents, a turkey, and general goodwill, despite Thea’s suppressed hankering to be involved in events at the Frowses’ house, where a dead man has been discovered

19 Echoes in the Cotswolds

As spring returns to the Cotswolds, so too does Thea Solocombe to house-sitting. She has agreed to look after Lucy Sinclair’s new home in Northleach while Lucy is away. Thea soon meets several of the locals and the neighbours who seem to irritate Lucy so much, and comes to the conclusion that Lucy is far from popular herself.

When a body is found in Northleach, Thea needs all her wits about her. The man’s death is not as straightforward as it seems, and at the heart of the mystery are secrets betrayed and exacted revenge. Thea is once again caught up in the underhand dealings played out in the idyllic countryside

20 Betrayal in the Cotswolds

A handsome, if slightly shabby, stone house in Upper Oddington is home to Umberto Kingly, as well as his three dogs, and will be Thea Slocombe’s latest house-sitting assignment. Without even a local shop, Thea expects the location to be one of her quietest, until the serene atmosphere is shattered with a fatal hit-and-run.
The ensuing high-profile police investigation plunges Thea deep into the victim’s complicated family dynamics and the rift that had already torn it apart. She cannot help wondering if the reverberations of scandal have led to a deliberate and murderous assault.