A Cotswold Ordeal: Rebecca Tope

Thea Osbourne 2. 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.