From the back cover:"Thea Osborne is thanking her lucky stars. After two disastrous housesitting incidents in which she unwittingly became embroiled in murder and mayhem, she is only too happy to have a bit of time to concentrate on her blossoming relationship with DI Phil Hollis. The couple has retreated to Phil's late aunt's cottage in Cold Aston, and other than the odd interruption from his childhood acquaintance, the eccentric Ariadne, they look forward to some peace and quiet. But the bad luck that plagues the hapless Thea and her beloved spaniel Hepzibah is never far away. With autumn drawing in, preparations for Samhain, the pagan origin of Halloween, are well underway when Ariadne discovers a very tangible reminder of the season of death: a body laid out like a sacrificial victim on Notgrove Barrow. It soon becomes apparent that the cosy village has more than its share of secrets. But just how far will some go to keep them hidden?"

Starting to read this book today.

Finished reading this book today. I actually enjoyed this book more than the previous books I've read by Rebecca Tope in the Cotswold murder mystery series. Previously I really did not like the main character, Thea at all. The difference with this book is that it is written entirely from the perspective of Ariadne, a childhood friend of Thea's new romantic partner, Detective Inspector Phil Hollis. Ariadne lives in the house across the road from the house owned by Phil's late Aunt Helen, and Phil comes to his Aunt's house for a week of clearing out her household items and brings Thea with him for a short holiday. So Thea is part of the story but only as observed and experienced through Ariadne's eyes. I have to say this really made a difference to how much I enjoyed the book, and I actually liked Thea's character for the first time.