A Cotswold Killing (Cotswolds Mystery 1) [Paperback]

Rebecca Tope (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2005 | Series: Cotswolds Mystery 1

Nestled in the fertile hills of the Cotswolds, the village of Duntisbourne Abbots is a well-kept secret: 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. The first in a new series of thrillers to be set in the Cotswold area, A Cotswold Killing takes the reader on a tense journey along winding roads and muddy paths towards a dramatic and unexpected denouement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tope's large and memorable cast play out their parts with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy --Publisher's Weekly

A sly but memorable book, which creeps up on the reader unawares. --Yorkshire Post

A sly but memorable book, which creeps up on the reader unawares. --Yorkshire Post

About the Author

Rebecca Tope has led a varied career working as an antenatal teacher, a Relate counsellor and an assistant funeral director. She currently lives on a small holding in rural Herefordshire where she works as a milk recorder for local dairy farms. She is the author of five previous crime novels including Market for Murder and The Sting of Death.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Allison & Busby (October 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749083980
• ISBN-13: 978-0749083984
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #788,231 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A non-thrilling thriller, June 28, 2006

By 

Jane Doe "Janie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cotswold Killing (Cotswolds Mystery 1) (Paperback)

For true mystery aficionados, even those still drawn by the English village genre, this is a real disappointment. The "sleuth" is not much of one and little about her half-hearted investigations is either credible or interesting. The cast of characters is fairly large but one never learns enough about any of them to be particularly interested in which of them actually committed the Cotswold killings that are the subject of the story. I kept hoping V.I. Warshowski, or at least Miss Marple would appear. Cotswold villages and landscape might have provided a secondary reason for reading for those who like these (as I do). But the background is as poorly developed as the foreground and awkward writing and inadequate editing throughout lessened whatever enjoyment might have been taken from the ambiance.

50 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Mystery, January 25, 2006

By 

Bonnie Neely - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Cotswold Killing (Cotswolds Mystery 1) (Paperback)

A COTSWOLD KILLING BY REBECCA TOPE is a well-written book with excellent descriptions of the Cotswold area of England. The armchair traveler will enjoy the novel with the well-crafted story line, high suspense, excellent characterization, and good English overtones that give the reader a sense of British approach to life in today's world while transporting the reader to the beautiful Gloucestershire, England. The mystery revolves around two different murders which happen in the field of a house which the narrator is house-sitting, thus involving her in an attempt to solve the murders. The reader will most likely be held in suspense of whodunit until the final pages of the book, because so many possible suspects and an indiscernible motive make the mystery nearly impossible to solve. A very good read that may keep you up late at night to learn what happens. You will certainly want to read more of Rebecca Tope's books

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, October 25, 2006

By 

Book Lover (SE US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Cotswold Killing (Cotswolds Mystery 1) (Paperback)

I am an avid reader and I love British "cozies". That said, I could barely make myself finish this book. The characters are not interesting, I got tired of hearing how "beautiful" the main character is and the mystery was uninspired.