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Allison and Busby. This edition Published Dec 2007
Reviewed by Sunnie Gill
Since the death of her husband several years ago, Thea Osborne earns extra
income by house-sitting. This time Thea is asked to stay in a house in the
beautiful Cotswold village of Blockley. However, this job isn’t going to
be as easy as most. The mother of the owner lives in the cottage next door
and Thea has been asked to keep an eye on her. She is told that “Granny
“is a bit forgetful and isn’t much trouble. But at 92, Granny is feisty
and refuses to behave the way expected of 92 year old Grannies. She is
also erratic and unpredictable. One minute she is as sharp as a tack, the
next she doesn’t know what time of day it is.
The arrival of Thea’s daughter Jessica is a welcome surprise. Jessica is
on a few days leave from her job as a probationary constable, but she has
made a mistake at work and is worried about the consequences. Things are
complicated when Jessica discovers the body of Julian, Granny’s near
neighbour and friend, murdered in his house. The death provides Jessica a
distraction from work and together with Thea, she tries to find out who
killed Julian and why.
A COTSWOLD MYSTERY is light reading without being too cosy. There is a
cast of interesting characters and the descriptions of Blockley and its
history make the reader want to visit the area. The relationship between
Thea and Jessica in particular is well portrayed. The pair are close, but
their relationship is frequently prickly so there are flare ups and
squabbles. It is just what you’d expect from a strong-minded mother and
daughter.
I liked Thea and Jessica a great deal and found the mystery to be
engrossing. If there is a criticism of the book it is that perhaps the
resolution felt a little rushed, but it is a minor quibble. A COTSWOLD
MYSTERY is Rebecca Tope’s fourth in the Cotswold Mystery series.
Rebecca Tope’s website is
http://www.rebeccatope.com/ .
Jan 2008 review originally published on Murder and Mayhem
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