A Discovery in the Cotswolds: The page-turning cosy crime series

Thea Osborne helps her friend Emmy find her missing niece, Ginny, while on a visit to Baunton. Thea stumbles upon the recently killed body of Alice, a woman they had briefly seen in Cirencester. Thea is diverted into helping the police with the murder investigation, and it soon becomes clear that Ginny and Alice are linked in a sinister way.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 24 August 2023
Publisher: Allison & Busby

Thea Osborne, on a visit to the church in Baunton, near Cirencester, reconnects with her friend Emmy. Emmy, now married to local farmer Nick Weaver, asks Thea to help them find their missing niece, Ginny. However, before Thea can begin her search, she stumbles upon the recently killed body of Alice, a woman they had briefly encountered in Cirencester the day before. Distracted by this discovery, Thea is pulled into helping the police with their murder investigation. As the investigation unfolds, it becomes evident that Ginny and Alice are connected in a mysterious and sinister way.

Thea and Emmy visit the village of Baunton, nestled in the picturesque countryside of Gloucestershire, to search for Ginny, Emmy's missing niece. Thea, a retired detective with a keen eye for detail, is determined to find Ginny and bring her home safely.

As they explore the village, Thea and Emmy meet several locals who seem reluctant to assist them in their search. They encounter a man named Tom, who claims to have seen Ginny the day before she disappeared. However, his story is inconsistent, and Thea senses that he is hiding something.

Meanwhile, Stephanie, Thea's stepdaughter, uses social media to search for Ginny. She posts pictures and messages, hoping that someone will have seen her or have information about her whereabouts. However, her efforts yield no results, and she becomes increasingly worried about Ginny's safety.

One night, as Thea and Emmy are walking through the village, they hear a strange noise coming from a nearby barn. They investigate and discover a woman's body hidden in a storage room. Thea immediately recognizes the woman as Alice, a woman they had briefly encountered in Cirencester the day before.

Thea and Emmy call the police, and the local authorities begin to investigate the murder. They soon discover that Alice and Ginny were friends, and that Alice had been helping Ginny to escape from an abusive relationship. However, things take a sinister turn when they learn that Alice had been killed by someone who knew her well.

Thea and Emmy begin to suspect that Tom, the man they met earlier, may have had something to do with Alice's murder. They confront him, and he confesses that he had seen Ginny with Alice the day before she disappeared. He also reveals that he had been in a relationship with Alice, but that she had broken up with him recently.

Thea and Emmy continue to investigate, and they eventually find Ginny. She had been hiding in a nearby cottage, afraid to come out after what had happened to Alice. Thea and Emmy bring Ginny home safely, and she is reunited with her family.

The murder investigation continues, and the police eventually arrest a man named John. John had been in a relationship with Alice and had become jealous when she started to spend more time with Ginny. He had killed Alice in a fit of rage and then fled the scene.

Thea and Emmy are relieved that the truth has been revealed and that Ginny is safe. They reflect on the importance of staying connected with friends and family, and how even the smallest details can lead to big discoveries.

In the end, Thea and Emmy's search for Ginny brings them closer together as friends, and they are grateful for the support of the local community. They also learn that sometimes, the most unexpected twists and turns can lead to the biggest breakthroughs in solving a mystery.

Weight: 434g
Dimension: 144 x 269 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780749030377