A Cotswold Ordeal

First Line: It was difficult to avoid the conclusion that Hepzibah did not initially like it at Juniper Court.

Hepzibah the cocker spaniel is accompanying Thea Osborne on her second housesitting assignment in the beautiful area of the Cotswolds in England. Although the dog isn't enthused with the geese that quickly come to threaten them in the yard, Thea is looking forward to staying at Juniper Court.

The Phillips family seems very laid back and casual, and if Mrs. Phillips seems a bit rushed, most mothers would be when trying to pack up four children and a husband for a two-week holiday in Ireland. Besides, all Thea has to do is a bit of very light housekeeping and making sure that the old, crotchety pony is fed-- along with an show more assortment of other furry pets and assorted barnyard fowl. Ah yes, she's going to take walks and read; it's going to be a nice change from her first experience when a murder victim was discovered on the property on which she was staying.

But we all know about best laid plans. An apparent suicide takes place in the shed where the pony is kept, and once more Thea finds herself dealing with Detective Inspector Hollis, a man who makes her heart beat a little faster... whenever he's not infuriating her. To add to the difficult situation, Thea's married sister makes a frantic phone call and appears at Juniper Court, insisting that she stay with her older sister for a few days. When the house is broken into and it becomes clear that there are people who want Thea and Jocelyn out of the house now, the intrepid housesitter finds herself torn between fear and her sense of obligation to the Phillips family. Is Inspector Hollis going to be able to figure out what's going on before the situation becomes even more life-threatening?

The 408 pages of this book flew by. Although Tope makes it clear that this area is filled with one small village after another, she also conveys how isolated they are. Thea, who loves canals, tries to find her way through the woods to walk along a disused canal and is lost more often than not amongst the trees and a confusing labyrinth of footpaths. Juniper Court may be close to a village or two, and there may be neighbors relatively close, but those woods and those tangled paths make everyone and everything seem miles away. (In doing a bit of research on the author, I learned that all the villages in which these books are set are real. Tope makes sure she visits all the pubs and walks many of the footpaths, but she never talks to any of the locals... so none of them can claim to be featured in one of the books.)

The cast of characters in this book is a large one. All the villagers and neighbors seem to have their own agendas and are often at cross purposes. Some are against restoring the old canal; some want it done. Others want planning permission to turn an old barn into a luxury home for the rich; others are against it. Every time Thea leaves the property, those who want her gone seem able to move in and out of the buildings at will, which really gives the book a sense of unease.

It's a good thing that her younger sister shows up on the doorstep. At first Jocelyn shows all the annoying characteristics that made her the least favorite sibling, but as she and Thea get a chance to talk with each other, Jocelyn's strong points come into play. There are even several humorous incidents when both women have to deal with some recalcitrant young people. It's also good to see how Jocelyn reacts to Thea's growing interest in Inspector Hollis, whom she met in the first book in the series. Hollis seems unable to decide whether Thea should be a part of the investigation or no, and he certainly can't stay away from her!

There was so much going on throughout the book that I found it impossible to keep track of names and motivations, so I just enjoyed the interaction of the characters until all was revealed by book's end. Now I'm eager to discover the identity of the next family who takes on Thea as a housesitter. In book three, will her reputation as the deadly housesitter precede her?

Although mention is made of Thea's first attempt at housesitting and of her prior meeting with Inspector Hollis (in A Cotswold Killing), it's not necessary to read that first book. A Cotswold Ordeal stands on its own very well as an evocation of place and as an intriguing mystery filled with engaging characters. show less

I have mixed feelings about this one. It's the second in a series, about Thea Osborne, a widow in her forties who takes jobs as a house-sitter. Like the first book, Thea doesn't interact with many people except some law enforcement officers, nor go much beyond the property she's caring for till quite a ways in the book. So the books were slow starters for me. About halfway in, things picked up, and I became more engaged. Thea is an interesting character, in that she's not what I would consider sympathetic to others. It especially shows up when her sister first arrives in this book. I find Thea sometimes refreshing as a character, sometimes aggravating. I would've liked to learn more details about life in the Cotswolds, how the residents show more interact. Tope portrays the Cotswolds in these two books almost as suburbs where people don't interact that much. Maybe that is the case now. I wish she provided more details, or had Thea interact more with the social groups she does observe or come into contact with. show less

For me, this book was indeed an Ordeal, actually, a reading ordeal. The author created such a contrived plot by creating implausible behaviour on the part of the chief detective's investigating procedure. No detective would dream of taking a member of the public to an arrest scene and leave them in a semi-hidden police vehicle. A development to create the dénouement was so artificial and detracted from any credibility. This aspect of the tale underlined my impression of the ditzy, two-dimensional characters, interspersed with scenic descriptions that did nothing to contribute to the plot. My not having read book 1 was probably a blessing.

2nd in Thea Osborne's series of house-sitting mysteries. Ideally though not completely necessary to have read the first in the series. Having recovered from the events in the previous book, Thea is once again in the Cotswolds in Summer, house-sitting for a fairly disorganised modern family, complete with tempermental donkey, arogant cat, an various peacocks etc. Not all the typically british, but not that far off it either. They've gone off for two week sin Ireland, leaving Thea to look after the animals, something that's shes quite happy to be paid to do in a charming part of the country. Thea's interests in local history are spurred byt he talk of a the canal redevelopment project although many of the locals don't seem so impressed by show more the idea. When the cat is run over on the 1st day, Thea realises that this won't be such an easy job after all. The discovery the next day of a boy hanging in the barn makes matters considerably worse, lightened only byt he fact that once again the admirable DI Hollis will be around.

A short but very engaging read about an exagerated (but only slightly) snapshot of village politics. Everyone does know everyone and events as far back as the 1900s are still relevant to the positions they take on seemingly unrelated activities such as the canal redevelopemtn - on the surface a benign activity that will increase tourist income and help the environmental diversity.

Although at times it can come accross as a bit too much exposition, I do like the way Tope manages to inject some serious discussions about important topics into and otherwise ordinary crime story. Many more books should do this, especially with the tact that is achieved in the dialogue between the sisters. This part was close to perfect writing.

If one is going to be picky, then Thea has recovered far too quickly from her state in the first book, and DI Hollis is way too easy going. And of coruse the villagers are seriously unliekly to have responded that strongly to events that weren't heat of the moment. The teenagesrs are better portrayed though. It is slightly obvious who the villains are, but this doens't spoil a good mystery, especially when there is an onus of proving them guilty rather than just guessing.

Charming english crime story well worth reading. show less

A Cotswold Ordeal is the second in Rebecca Tope's series, each book set in a different village in the gorgeous landscape of England's Cotswold hills. This time, our house-sitting heroine Thea is hired to mind the house, ailing pony, frightening geese, and other animals of a family that has gone off to Ireland for a two-week vacation. Soon after her arrival, Thea discovers a body hanging in the stables; naturally, she calls in the police, including Detective Superintendent Hollis. She initially dismisses the event as a suicide, but soon learns that it was murder, and that she herself is in danger of becoming the next victim.... I liked this book less than the first one in the series, as the writing seemed rather perfunctionary to me. But show more there are interesting moments involving the battle between conservationists and those who want to turn England's country-side into a playground for the wealthy, and the secondary plot concerning Thea's sister Jocelyn and her abusive husband Alex provides some interest as well. A rather tepid review for a rather tepid book, overall. show less