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Aunt Dimity Mystery #7
Aunt Dimity: Detective
The delightful seventh installment of the bestselling and beloved Aunt Dimity series. Watch out for Nancy Atherton's latest, Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom, coming in July 2018 from Viking!When Lori Shepherd returns from her trip to America, she is shocked to hear that Prunella "Pruneface" Hooper has been killed. This is the first murder in the village of Finch in more than a century, and everyone is in an uproar. Before the town implodes in the wake of this scandal, Lori sets out to solve the murder. Unfortunately, nearly everyone in Finch had a reason to want Mrs. Hooper dead. With the help of the ghostly Aunt Dimity and Nicholas, the enigmatic (and charming!) self-defense instructor, Lori aligns motive, means, and opportunity to unravel this delightfully tangled and gossip-filled whodunnit.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2001
102 people are currently reading
1014 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Atherton
56 books1,176 followersNancy Atherton is not a white-haired Englishwoman with a softly wrinkled face, a wry smile, and wise gray eyes, nor does she live in a thatched cottage behind a babbling brook in a tranquil, rural corner of the Cotswolds.
She has never taken tea with a vicar (although she drank an Orange Squash with one once) and she doesn't plan to continue writing after her allotted time on earth (though such plans are, as well all know, subject to change without notice).
If you prefer to envision her as an Englishwoman, she urges you to cling to your illusions at all costs -- she treasures carefully nurtured illusions. She also urges you to read no further.
Because the truth is that Nancy Atherton is a dark-haired American with a generally unwrinkled face, a beaming smile, and hazel eyes, who lives in a plain house in Colorado Springs. She comes from a large, gregarious family (five brothers and two sisters!) and enjoys socializing as much as she enjoys solitude.
So if you are looking for her at a convention, don't look for a stately grande dame in a flowery dress. Look for a woman in jeans and sneakers who's bounding around like a hyperactive gerbil.
That'll be her. And she'd love to meet you.
Japanese: ナンシー アサートン
She has never taken tea with a vicar (although she drank an Orange Squash with one once) and she doesn't plan to continue writing after her allotted time on earth (though such plans are, as well all know, subject to change without notice).
If you prefer to envision her as an Englishwoman, she urges you to cling to your illusions at all costs -- she treasures carefully nurtured illusions. She also urges you to read no further.
Because the truth is that Nancy Atherton is a dark-haired American with a generally unwrinkled face, a beaming smile, and hazel eyes, who lives in a plain house in Colorado Springs. She comes from a large, gregarious family (five brothers and two sisters!) and enjoys socializing as much as she enjoys solitude.
So if you are looking for her at a convention, don't look for a stately grande dame in a flowery dress. Look for a woman in jeans and sneakers who's bounding around like a hyperactive gerbil.
That'll be her. And she'd love to meet you.
Japanese: ナンシー アサートン
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
August 3, 2012
I can't believe it! Here is an Aunt Dimity book that I didn't like! No interesting historical sidelights and not an engaging mystery either. Other than getting to know the villagers better, this book left me very unsatisfied. It definitely can't hold a candle to the first six Aunt Dimity books. I hope #8 is back to the delicious fun of the first six!
P.S. And I am getting tired of Lori's "wandering eye" too. It doesn't endear me to her as a character, especially when it is repeated with different men in book after book.
P.S. And I am getting tired of Lori's "wandering eye" too. It doesn't endear me to her as a character, especially when it is repeated with different men in book after book.
February 22, 2013
A proper murder! In Finch, of all places!
Aunt Dimity: Detective veers away from the normal pattern of the series by focusing on recent murder. However, the occasion is still a catalyst for stunning revelations about the townspeople.
The rumor mill of Finch is as industrious as any. Atherton lets the gossip fly in a story that takes place entirely within the village. The secrets uncovered by Lori and her newfound friend Nicholas are mostly tame, but one is a regular humdinger.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to enjoy the mystery itself. I spent the majority of the book deeply resenting the continual intrusion of Lori's wandering eye. Every man she encounters becomes an object of lust. Attraction and flirtation are one thing. Silently thanking your nosy neighbours for shaming you into fidelity is another entirely. I was thrilled when Dimity chastised her. I balked at the idea that Bill would be so coolly accepting - though I suppose she's kept half of her crushes a secret from him, so he doesn't know better. This woman is constantly Flirting With Intent and I'm fed up with it.
Now that she's addressed it with Bill and they've vowed to spice up their lives, will the pattern be broken? I dearly hope so. I'd hate to give up on Dimity just because her niece is a strumpet.
Aunt Dimity: Detective veers away from the normal pattern of the series by focusing on recent murder. However, the occasion is still a catalyst for stunning revelations about the townspeople.
The rumor mill of Finch is as industrious as any. Atherton lets the gossip fly in a story that takes place entirely within the village. The secrets uncovered by Lori and her newfound friend Nicholas are mostly tame, but one is a regular humdinger.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to enjoy the mystery itself. I spent the majority of the book deeply resenting the continual intrusion of Lori's wandering eye. Every man she encounters becomes an object of lust. Attraction and flirtation are one thing. Silently thanking your nosy neighbours for shaming you into fidelity is another entirely. I was thrilled when Dimity chastised her. I balked at the idea that Bill would be so coolly accepting - though I suppose she's kept half of her crushes a secret from him, so he doesn't know better. This woman is constantly Flirting With Intent and I'm fed up with it.
Now that she's addressed it with Bill and they've vowed to spice up their lives, will the pattern be broken? I dearly hope so. I'd hate to give up on Dimity just because her niece is a strumpet.
October 28, 2022
A cathartic romp in Finch: secrets revealed, relationships restored. Weary of Lori’s “wandering eye,” but if that’s the device Atherton uses for plot, I can get over it.
June 23, 2016
Based on the ratings here, I'm giving this a 2. It really was ok, but just ok and here's why: our author gives us 230 pages - it's a short novel to begin with. In those 230 pages, we spend at least as much time on Lori's "passionate nature" and the long stream of men who find her absolutely irresistible as we do on the actual mystery. In fact, in this installment, we are treated to Lori generally being a jerk about people who are gossiping about her inability to keep it in her damned pants. She also uses her boy toy of the book moment by kissing him openly in public trying to give the townspeople something to talk about with absolutely zero thought to how it would affect him. And then she laments that decision and how she's a big jerk near the end of the book. Yes, Lori. You are a jerk.
But, it wasn't all bad. Aside from the woman who can't help falling in love and the men who can't help falling in love with her, we have some truly interesting people in town and the secrets their keeping.
Aunt Dimity is wonderful, but I find myself wondering more and more why I read these things when so little narrative is spent on mystery and so much on what appears to be an exceedingly selfish idiot.
But, it wasn't all bad. Aside from the woman who can't help falling in love and the men who can't help falling in love with her, we have some truly interesting people in town and the secrets their keeping.
Aunt Dimity is wonderful, but I find myself wondering more and more why I read these things when so little narrative is spent on mystery and so much on what appears to be an exceedingly selfish idiot.
February 8, 2015
This book is very light. All of the people involved are very blasé about the fact that "Pruneface" was murdered and the murderer remains at large; everyone agrees that she was so nasty that her death was a kindness. At the end, the mystery is resolved in a comical manner. I felt that the book/Lori was a bit too flippant, and I think the author shied away from saying anything consequential about some of the issues she brought up in the course of the book (including infidelity and a young teen's aggressive crush on a thirty-year-old man). There's very little tension or suspense, but there are a lot of descriptions of food and what people are wearing. This is a quick read and good if you're in the mood for something that's not very serious.
August 4, 2019
I find Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity books wholly charming. This one did not disappoint. I enjoyed learning more personal history of the residents of Finch. And I appreciate knowing when I open a Dimity book that I will close it with a happy sigh knowing everything has been tied up and resolved. I would not call it a moving work of literature, but it is an engaging, enjoyable, and generally lighthearted story.
April 10, 2014
It was nice to be back in Finch, and to actually see Bill in the story instead of just hearing about him. And like some other reviewers, I'm getting tired of Lori's 'wandering eye' since she doesn't seem to want to leave it at the 'look-don't-touch' stage.
August 19, 2017
.
This series offers cozy mysteries with amusing and quirky characters, in the life of Lori and her Aunt Dimity. Each one has been a fun and entertaining read to be sure.
It is appreciated that each book is able to stand on its own and usually concludes with an HEA.
This series offers cozy mysteries with amusing and quirky characters, in the life of Lori and her Aunt Dimity. Each one has been a fun and entertaining read to be sure.
It is appreciated that each book is able to stand on its own and usually concludes with an HEA.
March 12, 2018
I enjoy making a trip to the village of Fitch every now and then and I'm always happy to catch up with Aunt Dimity. This is a cute trip with just a touch of magic, which we all need in our lives.
October 20, 2020
Lori comes back from a few months in the US to find that a murder was committed in Finch. In a town where everybody knows everyone else's business and the murder is very close to the town square - no one saw anything or if they did they are not telling the police. Lori and the vicar's nephew, NIcholas, set the town tongues to wagging when they spend every day together trying to find out who the killer is, especially since Bill is still in London finishing up his work. Even in small town Finch, it seems many people have many, many secrets...who had one secret enough to kill to keep it that way. Read it and find out!
I did think the first part of the story was very slow to develop. This is unusual for her series to date. For that reason I gave this a 3.
I did think the first part of the story was very slow to develop. This is unusual for her series to date. For that reason I gave this a 3.
August 13, 2025
The Aunt Dimity formula is a good one, and the premise is even better. Our protagonist and fearless detective, Lori Shepherd, has a ghost aunt who communicates through beautiful cursive writing in a blank diary. Lori never knew Aunt Dimity in life, but inherited the diary from her mother (who was friends with Dimity). Lori, born and brought up in the US, now lives in a small town in England, with her husband and twin sons. The denizens of the town are recurring characters in the series.
In this book, there has actually been a murder (these cozy mysteries usually concern less dramatic crimes). The victim was universally disliked, with the intensity that can only happen in small towns. Not only does everyone have a motive, a surprising number of people had an opportunity. Lori's investigative skills, and Dimity's wisdom about people, are not quite enough. They also end up relying on a sleuthing partner of Lori's so handsome that everyone in town thinks she's cheating on her husband. In the end, true to the Dimity formula, the victim is revealed to have been more sympathetic than anyone knew, the murderer is dealt with fairly, and the village is restored to peace ... until the next book. Just the thing if you want to curl up with basically nice people and an extremely kind, if acerbic, ghost.
And the recipe ending this one is gingerbread with gold leaf.
In this book, there has actually been a murder (these cozy mysteries usually concern less dramatic crimes). The victim was universally disliked, with the intensity that can only happen in small towns. Not only does everyone have a motive, a surprising number of people had an opportunity. Lori's investigative skills, and Dimity's wisdom about people, are not quite enough. They also end up relying on a sleuthing partner of Lori's so handsome that everyone in town thinks she's cheating on her husband. In the end, true to the Dimity formula, the victim is revealed to have been more sympathetic than anyone knew, the murderer is dealt with fairly, and the village is restored to peace ... until the next book. Just the thing if you want to curl up with basically nice people and an extremely kind, if acerbic, ghost.
And the recipe ending this one is gingerbread with gold leaf.
April 3, 2016
It is odd rating “Aunt Dimity Detective” low because Nancy T. Atherton is a favourite. Her previous volume, in a gothic mansion that achieves suspense notably rare for the “cozy genre”, was the best. This one was weaker than an earlier Finch-based mystery. I often declare merely tromping through pages with these beloved characters is pleasurable. However Nancy knows what an excellent mystery is and so do we. We must not diminish the value of high stars by showering a limp instalment. This novel makes me think of “the expendable crewman”.
We aren't intimately bonded to most of Finch’s townspeople, therefore I couldn’t believe Nancy would only peg-off a new arrival. I felt gypped to find she wouldn’t dirty any other hands either. Not daring to incarcerate a townsperson, rankled second to writing Bill out. I would love Bill as co-sleuth! We adore him and he is supremely intelligent. There was one excellent secret but a flubbed plot weakened this novel. The secret produced a happy scene that I relished. However, everyone skipping jauntily down the lane, stretched thin. For serious mystery readers, this lacked lustre.
Few under suspicion had serious, realistic motives. A single man accused of dating? Any man would wiggle his eyebrows, or clarify! A woman not selected as flower decorator? Who cares?! Businesses were threatened but every appearance faltered. Nancy can weave novels that I have called brilliant. I am eager to see how else she explores Dimity Woodcock's spirit because spartan handwritten directives have begun to bore me. I love reuniting with Lori, Bill, and many of the others. One thing about me is that I revere mysteries so freshly creative: that they do not hinge on any crime. However limpness is limpness. “Phoning this mystery in” on this occasion, was not enough for me.
We aren't intimately bonded to most of Finch’s townspeople, therefore I couldn’t believe Nancy would only peg-off a new arrival. I felt gypped to find she wouldn’t dirty any other hands either. Not daring to incarcerate a townsperson, rankled second to writing Bill out. I would love Bill as co-sleuth! We adore him and he is supremely intelligent. There was one excellent secret but a flubbed plot weakened this novel. The secret produced a happy scene that I relished. However, everyone skipping jauntily down the lane, stretched thin. For serious mystery readers, this lacked lustre.
Few under suspicion had serious, realistic motives. A single man accused of dating? Any man would wiggle his eyebrows, or clarify! A woman not selected as flower decorator? Who cares?! Businesses were threatened but every appearance faltered. Nancy can weave novels that I have called brilliant. I am eager to see how else she explores Dimity Woodcock's spirit because spartan handwritten directives have begun to bore me. I love reuniting with Lori, Bill, and many of the others. One thing about me is that I revere mysteries so freshly creative: that they do not hinge on any crime. However limpness is limpness. “Phoning this mystery in” on this occasion, was not enough for me.
April 18, 2014
By the end of this book I just waned to hurl it against the wall and scream at Lori -- and the author -- "What is wrong with you?!!!!" Each book seems to take her one step closer to breaking her marriage vows and it is really distracting from what should have been another enjoyable cozy mytery.
I have one more Aunt Dimity book that I checked out from the library, but if Lori's eye is still wandering so much I might just have to take a break from the series because it annoys me so much.
I have one more Aunt Dimity book that I checked out from the library, but if Lori's eye is still wandering so much I might just have to take a break from the series because it annoys me so much.
April 14, 2013
Another cozy wonderful Aunt Dimity mystery!
I want to live in Finch, the little village in the Cotswolds where Lori and her husband and twin boys live in Aunt Dimity's cozy cottage. Actually, I want to live in Aunt Dimity's cottage!
This mystery centered around a murder in Finch. The victim was Finch's notorious evil gossip. Every one in the village has a motive but whodunit?
I want to live in Finch, the little village in the Cotswolds where Lori and her husband and twin boys live in Aunt Dimity's cozy cottage. Actually, I want to live in Aunt Dimity's cottage!
This mystery centered around a murder in Finch. The victim was Finch's notorious evil gossip. Every one in the village has a motive but whodunit?
July 21, 2020
This book, like all the preceding Aunt Dimity books was delightful. I loved the outcome and surprises that developed in the end. The book addresses both the pros and cons of village life in a wonderful way.
February 28, 2021
Nope. Unfortunately, I’ve got to be done with this series. Her need to cheat makes me ill. I thought this was a “cozy” mystery series. It started off cute enough but devolved by book 3. I tried to continue hoping she’d not be a “tart”, but I can’t stomach another book.
September 2, 2025
An excellent read which I enjoyed more the second time around. An interesting conclusion so don’t read the end first.
July 6, 2020
Challenges: Buddy read with LizziefayeLovesBooks July 2020; RRRCs November 2019 (belated) - Author first name 'N' (1); Steeped in Books/Stacking the Series - Level 7b/Book 7. This is my favorite Aunt Dimity to date. It is the perfect example of how a cozy should be written; as a morality play. The death is not taken lightly and members of the community are forced to examine themselves in depth both individually and collectively. The sleuths do what they must to understand the death in the story, but do not impede the investigations of the police. In addition to the good being vindicated, bad players are elevated a bit and grow from the experience. Will be interesting to see how characters act as this series moves forward.
March 10, 2024
Some of the writing is sloppy l, such as putting a horse isn’t a shed with no food and making a point that the other horse back at the barn will need someone to feed and water them. The roving eye theme is getting old. So while I like reading one Aunt Dimity novel once in a while doesn’t work for me to read two on a row.
December 21, 2021
Half way through this one, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. It seems very simple with an odd twist-the Aunt Dimity journal thing. By the time I finished, I found it to be cute. Would I go out of my way to collect the series? No. Would I read another one if I happened upon it. Yes.
September 20, 2020
A fun tale centered around small town gossip, suspicion, and the unwarranted condemnation they often lead to. It was a good way to learn more about the characters in Finch, but I am growing weary of Lori's "wandering eye" reigning in these stories.
May 26, 2022
Very cute. if you like cozies, this is an adorable series. this book had a fun mystery, you see a lot from the villagers and our lead is quite silly.
October 15, 2022
This one had a slow start and really was a little silly, but I liked the cozy feel of Finch. Not great, not terrible. Hoping the next book is better, but this one wasn't a waste of time.
February 28, 2023
3.5 stars
Lori is shocked upon return home from America when she is greeted with the news that there has been a murder in Finch! The first since 1872! The villagers are quite pleased that nasty, nosy gossip Prunella "Puneface" Hoope got what was coming to her and have closed ranks against the police. Rev. Bunting is so distressed he can't eat or sleep and his wife wants Lori to poke around and ask questions. The villagers trust her and will open up. Lillian also wants Lori to entertain her nephew, Nicky, who Lori assumes will be a playmate for the twins. Nicholas Fox is an excellent playmate for the twins but not in the way Lori assumed. He turns out to be a handsome young man and is eager to join her in her sleuthing. Lori is reluctant to get involved until Kit Anscombe-Smith is accused of the crime! Kit would no more hurt a fly than kill old Pruneface. Something must be done before Kit does something drastic to himself! With Emma keeping an eye on Kit, it's up to Lori and Nick to ferret out the village secrets. The Pym sisters hand them six boxes of gilded gingerbread as a clue to who they believe are the six major suspects. Can Lori get someone to confess to the crime? Does she really want them to? It's a tough decision but if it means saving one friend by turning in another, she's on the job.
This story was more delightful than the previous gothic story. I love English village novels and returning to Finch and revisiting all the regular villagers was fun. The story also follows up on Kit from Aunt Dimity's Christmas. I liked how the villagers are becoming more well-rounded people and how Lori has become one of them in such a short time. The plot kept me guessing and reading a little later than intended but I was still able to put it down halfway and pick it up again later. I had an idea of where the plot was headed and I didn't really like that direction but I also didn't like the other alternative.
I did not like Lori's wandering eye but for those who don't care for that subplot, she does talk it over with Bill, finally and they reach an understanding. It's normal to be attracted to other people for both of them but it's each other they truly love. Lori thinks she may be confusing the adrenaline of the thrill of the hunt for lust but I think she's attracted to lost souls. Even Bill was kind of a lost soul when she met him. They both were. I think perhaps her connection with Dimity makes her more empathetic and therefore attracted to these types of men. Bill is the most perfect husband but I wish they'd have adventures together.
I'm not sure I trust Nick. He seems to be keeping secrets and sometimes he loses his temper. I'm not sure he's a good guy or a murderer! He encourages Lori's attraction and barely knows when to back off. She sees it as a game, something to give the villagers fuel for the gossip mill and take the blame off poor Kit. It isn't fair of her to treat Nick like that. I know he's Lillian's nephew but how well does she actually know him if she still thinks of him as a young boy? A few times he gives clues to his motivation so I figured him out.
Dear Kit is still saintly and still struggling with mental health. Lori isn't the only one attracted to him. Nell Harris, now 15, developed a huge crush on him when she was last home from school. In anyone else it would seem like a harmless, silly schoolgirl crush but the villagers are aghast. At least the female half. The male half seems to be in the "you go dude!" category or Nell isn't your normal 15 year old. Emma is a great mom even if she didn't feel like she wanted children or would be a good mother. She knows exactly how to deal with Nell's crush without being the wicked stepmother who punishes her kid for acting like a normal teen. I missed having Emma and Nell on page though. Aunt Dimity isn't in the story much at all either. One large passage just recaps what we already know. She's still trying to raise Lori and help Lori and Bill stay together. This time we don't meet any of her other children or handmade animal companions. We still haven't met the badger. We do learn that Lori's new nanny is not Annie Hodge, the sister of the previous nanny, but rather the niece of Annie and Francesca. One of their brother's numerous progeny. Anneliese's brother, Lucca, is mentioned.
The villagers we met previously return. I love how quirky they all are and what constitutes scandalous behavior. Lillian Bunting, normally mild mannered, is on the war path. She'll do anything to help her husband and he is sick at heart that his flock could be so callous over a fellow villager's demise and that one of them is likely responsible. It's nice to see sweet Lillian stand up for her husband who never speaks a harsh or unkind word. She does seem to be in denial about her nephew being a grown adult and possibly a criminal though. The Pym sisters have a broken motor yet somehow they seem to know everything that is going on in the village. I don't know if it's because they're on the road or they have some kind of cosmic ability to know what is needed. Either way, they're as delightful as ever.
Peggy Taxman is the only person in the village mourning the death of her old friend Prunella. Prunella and Peggy were two-of-a-kind. Peggy seems to be enjoying the gossip and innuendo floating around the village. She's quick to accuse everyone else but denies killing her friend. Yet she doesn't have an airtight alibi! I don't like her but she's a well-rounded character. Last time we met, in Aunt Dimity Digs In, we learned about her background and why she is the way she is. There's an inconsistency in the plot here. She talks about her parents sending her away during the war for her own safety and later mentions mother and father. She could mean parents in the first instance, as in it was something they had discussed before her father left for war. In the second instance she could mean stepfather but I think she would have said so. It would make me less empathetic towards her if I was reading this book without knowing what she went through during the war. Her story is once again tragic and makes me feel for her but she had choices and chose one path over another so I don't feel TOO badly for her. That whole situation was not handled well by the author or anyone else.
Mr. Barlow is the first to be accused, however, he's out of town. Would someone really commit murder because a nasty lady kicked their dog? I'd be spitting nails but to protect my dog, I would NOT engage in fighting with her one way or another. I don't trust the police not to believe Pruneface that Buster bit her. Poor Buster! I'm sure Mr. Barlow left town for Buster's safety. I love Sally Pyne, the tea shop lady. She has fortunately abandoned her plans for a kitschy tourist trap but her tea shop sounds a little tacky. The food sounds divine though. She's nosy and fond of gossip but her gossip provides our sleuths with motives and suspects galore! As it turns out, she had a very good reason to want Pruneface gone. I doubt that's enough of a motive for murder though.
Christine Peacock has also abandoned plans for an alien-themed pub. She's dead set against gossip and shuts down her husband when she's within earshot. Good for her! Dick was seen on the town square at the time of the murder. What was he doing and why was it so mysterious? The villagers are divided on how they feel about his supposed crime. Most seem to support Dick. I doubt he was doing anything criminal. He doesn't seem the type. However, didn't he see anyone coming into or out of Pruneface's cottage?
Mr. Wetherhead is a little new to the village. I really like him and I hope the rumors are true! I did think at the end of Digs In, that he and Miranda might be brewing up a romance. Mr. Wetherhead is still sensitive and private about his personal life. Why shouldn't he be? They're both adults and it's nobody's business what they get up to when they're alone. Who cares? The villagers have their minds in the gutter because I figured out his secret right away. It was unfair and cruel of Nick to be so aggressive. I adore Miranda, the village witch. She also has a normal occupation- who knew? I think she's doing everyone a service with her herbs and potions and things. It's not illegal as long as she doesn't harm anyone. Pruneface wasn't poisoned. I don't even think what Nick suspects is a big deal. He can't prove it anyway. I love Miranda's sense of humor but I think she acts like she's superior to the villagers because she doesn't gossip, doesn't give in to threats or blackmail and doesn't really care what anyone thinks about her. I don't care for that attitude.
Poor Jasper Taxman is tortured because he worries Peggy is withholding something from him. He fears the worst yet everyone knows he's so devoted to her, he would be willing to break the law if it saved Peggy. Did SHE kill her old friend? Could Jasper have done it to save Peggy? I don't think he did it but I can see Peggy killing someone in anger. Prunella was a nasty woman who liked to make other people miserable. They say even her own son didn't love her. She spoiled her bratty grandson and loved him more than his father. Could there be some resentment and anger there? Why is no one asking where her son was at the time of the murder? What about her little grandson? Maybe she said no to him and the spoiled brat knocked her down and hit her on the head? This is one difficult mystery to solve.
It was good to return to Finch and the series will be more memorable if the mysteries stay in Finch with the regular cast.
Note on the recipe:
I heard the gingerbread cookies are very hard and need to be dunked in coffee (tea) to be edible. I have yet to try them so I can not offer an opinion.
Lori is shocked upon return home from America when she is greeted with the news that there has been a murder in Finch! The first since 1872! The villagers are quite pleased that nasty, nosy gossip Prunella "Puneface" Hoope got what was coming to her and have closed ranks against the police. Rev. Bunting is so distressed he can't eat or sleep and his wife wants Lori to poke around and ask questions. The villagers trust her and will open up. Lillian also wants Lori to entertain her nephew, Nicky, who Lori assumes will be a playmate for the twins. Nicholas Fox is an excellent playmate for the twins but not in the way Lori assumed. He turns out to be a handsome young man and is eager to join her in her sleuthing. Lori is reluctant to get involved until Kit Anscombe-Smith is accused of the crime! Kit would no more hurt a fly than kill old Pruneface. Something must be done before Kit does something drastic to himself! With Emma keeping an eye on Kit, it's up to Lori and Nick to ferret out the village secrets. The Pym sisters hand them six boxes of gilded gingerbread as a clue to who they believe are the six major suspects. Can Lori get someone to confess to the crime? Does she really want them to? It's a tough decision but if it means saving one friend by turning in another, she's on the job.
This story was more delightful than the previous gothic story. I love English village novels and returning to Finch and revisiting all the regular villagers was fun. The story also follows up on Kit from Aunt Dimity's Christmas. I liked how the villagers are becoming more well-rounded people and how Lori has become one of them in such a short time. The plot kept me guessing and reading a little later than intended but I was still able to put it down halfway and pick it up again later. I had an idea of where the plot was headed and I didn't really like that direction but I also didn't like the other alternative.
I did not like Lori's wandering eye but for those who don't care for that subplot, she does talk it over with Bill, finally and they reach an understanding. It's normal to be attracted to other people for both of them but it's each other they truly love. Lori thinks she may be confusing the adrenaline of the thrill of the hunt for lust but I think she's attracted to lost souls. Even Bill was kind of a lost soul when she met him. They both were. I think perhaps her connection with Dimity makes her more empathetic and therefore attracted to these types of men. Bill is the most perfect husband but I wish they'd have adventures together.
I'm not sure I trust Nick. He seems to be keeping secrets and sometimes he loses his temper. I'm not sure he's a good guy or a murderer! He encourages Lori's attraction and barely knows when to back off. She sees it as a game, something to give the villagers fuel for the gossip mill and take the blame off poor Kit. It isn't fair of her to treat Nick like that. I know he's Lillian's nephew but how well does she actually know him if she still thinks of him as a young boy? A few times he gives clues to his motivation so I figured him out.
Dear Kit is still saintly and still struggling with mental health. Lori isn't the only one attracted to him. Nell Harris, now 15, developed a huge crush on him when she was last home from school. In anyone else it would seem like a harmless, silly schoolgirl crush but the villagers are aghast. At least the female half. The male half seems to be in the "you go dude!" category or Nell isn't your normal 15 year old. Emma is a great mom even if she didn't feel like she wanted children or would be a good mother. She knows exactly how to deal with Nell's crush without being the wicked stepmother who punishes her kid for acting like a normal teen. I missed having Emma and Nell on page though. Aunt Dimity isn't in the story much at all either. One large passage just recaps what we already know. She's still trying to raise Lori and help Lori and Bill stay together. This time we don't meet any of her other children or handmade animal companions. We still haven't met the badger. We do learn that Lori's new nanny is not Annie Hodge, the sister of the previous nanny, but rather the niece of Annie and Francesca. One of their brother's numerous progeny. Anneliese's brother, Lucca, is mentioned.
The villagers we met previously return. I love how quirky they all are and what constitutes scandalous behavior. Lillian Bunting, normally mild mannered, is on the war path. She'll do anything to help her husband and he is sick at heart that his flock could be so callous over a fellow villager's demise and that one of them is likely responsible. It's nice to see sweet Lillian stand up for her husband who never speaks a harsh or unkind word. She does seem to be in denial about her nephew being a grown adult and possibly a criminal though. The Pym sisters have a broken motor yet somehow they seem to know everything that is going on in the village. I don't know if it's because they're on the road or they have some kind of cosmic ability to know what is needed. Either way, they're as delightful as ever.
Peggy Taxman is the only person in the village mourning the death of her old friend Prunella. Prunella and Peggy were two-of-a-kind. Peggy seems to be enjoying the gossip and innuendo floating around the village. She's quick to accuse everyone else but denies killing her friend. Yet she doesn't have an airtight alibi! I don't like her but she's a well-rounded character. Last time we met, in Aunt Dimity Digs In, we learned about her background and why she is the way she is. There's an inconsistency in the plot here. She talks about her parents sending her away during the war for her own safety and later mentions mother and father. She could mean parents in the first instance, as in it was something they had discussed before her father left for war. In the second instance she could mean stepfather but I think she would have said so. It would make me less empathetic towards her if I was reading this book without knowing what she went through during the war. Her story is once again tragic and makes me feel for her but she had choices and chose one path over another so I don't feel TOO badly for her. That whole situation was not handled well by the author or anyone else.
Mr. Barlow is the first to be accused, however, he's out of town. Would someone really commit murder because a nasty lady kicked their dog? I'd be spitting nails but to protect my dog, I would NOT engage in fighting with her one way or another. I don't trust the police not to believe Pruneface that Buster bit her. Poor Buster! I'm sure Mr. Barlow left town for Buster's safety. I love Sally Pyne, the tea shop lady. She has fortunately abandoned her plans for a kitschy tourist trap but her tea shop sounds a little tacky. The food sounds divine though. She's nosy and fond of gossip but her gossip provides our sleuths with motives and suspects galore! As it turns out, she had a very good reason to want Pruneface gone. I doubt that's enough of a motive for murder though.
Christine Peacock has also abandoned plans for an alien-themed pub. She's dead set against gossip and shuts down her husband when she's within earshot. Good for her! Dick was seen on the town square at the time of the murder. What was he doing and why was it so mysterious? The villagers are divided on how they feel about his supposed crime. Most seem to support Dick. I doubt he was doing anything criminal. He doesn't seem the type. However, didn't he see anyone coming into or out of Pruneface's cottage?
Mr. Wetherhead is a little new to the village. I really like him and I hope the rumors are true! I did think at the end of Digs In, that he and Miranda might be brewing up a romance. Mr. Wetherhead is still sensitive and private about his personal life. Why shouldn't he be? They're both adults and it's nobody's business what they get up to when they're alone. Who cares? The villagers have their minds in the gutter because I figured out his secret right away. It was unfair and cruel of Nick to be so aggressive. I adore Miranda, the village witch. She also has a normal occupation- who knew? I think she's doing everyone a service with her herbs and potions and things. It's not illegal as long as she doesn't harm anyone. Pruneface wasn't poisoned. I don't even think what Nick suspects is a big deal. He can't prove it anyway. I love Miranda's sense of humor but I think she acts like she's superior to the villagers because she doesn't gossip, doesn't give in to threats or blackmail and doesn't really care what anyone thinks about her. I don't care for that attitude.
Poor Jasper Taxman is tortured because he worries Peggy is withholding something from him. He fears the worst yet everyone knows he's so devoted to her, he would be willing to break the law if it saved Peggy. Did SHE kill her old friend? Could Jasper have done it to save Peggy? I don't think he did it but I can see Peggy killing someone in anger. Prunella was a nasty woman who liked to make other people miserable. They say even her own son didn't love her. She spoiled her bratty grandson and loved him more than his father. Could there be some resentment and anger there? Why is no one asking where her son was at the time of the murder? What about her little grandson? Maybe she said no to him and the spoiled brat knocked her down and hit her on the head? This is one difficult mystery to solve.
It was good to return to Finch and the series will be more memorable if the mysteries stay in Finch with the regular cast.
Note on the recipe:
I heard the gingerbread cookies are very hard and need to be dunked in coffee (tea) to be edible. I have yet to try them so I can not offer an opinion.
August 12, 2016
This time around Lori helps figure out whodunit in her small village of Finch with the help of another of her crushes, Nicholas. The Aunt Dimity books started out strongly, but they keep getting weaker. I think I've figured out what the problem is for me--Ms. Atherton is using what should be the secondary character as her primary protagonist. Aunt Dimity and the Duke was my favorite of the series by far, and Emma, is the primary character. The Harris family has a much more interesting history and the characters more depth. In this book in particular, Emma is barely mentioned and Aunt Dimity herself is barely a part of this one. Lori is written as a shallow man obsessed woman more and more as the series progresses. I frankly don't care one bit about her. Why can't Ms Atherton make the mystery solvers either Bill and Lori or better yet, Emma and Lori or Emma and Derek with Nell also a big part of each book? She developed them as more likeable interesting characters. I feel as if Ms Atherton is looking at the success of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series and is trying to make Lori like Stephanie disregarding the scads of critiques of that character's shallowness. Sigh, I think, unfortunately, that I'm through with this series.
March 21, 2020
I can't decide if I deserve to be publicly flogged for picking up another of these stupid books or if I deserve pity and compassion for deciding to put it down after 72 pages...
As soon as I read the description, I groaned. Really? Another story in which the fabulously disgusting Lori almost but not quite leaves her husband and kids for some dude who is ironically but of-course-ly drooling over her. Yuck. So sick of her. Why do I read these????
Why did the author even give Lori a husband and kids? She never spends any time with them. I stopped at page 72 and then read the last few pages. Super boring storyline and I have a big issue with Lori's mentality that it's ok for her and her husband to have "wandering eyes"....somehow this makes their relationship "stronger"?? I once read that Atherton says she bases Lori on herself. Guess I'm sad for her then... I really gotta be done. Really. Must be. Can't take it anymore. Sad, too, because Atherton's stories are fun, well-written, spunky...just can't stand the character of Lori. Maybe we could write her out, hmmm?
As soon as I read the description, I groaned. Really? Another story in which the fabulously disgusting Lori almost but not quite leaves her husband and kids for some dude who is ironically but of-course-ly drooling over her. Yuck. So sick of her. Why do I read these????
Why did the author even give Lori a husband and kids? She never spends any time with them. I stopped at page 72 and then read the last few pages. Super boring storyline and I have a big issue with Lori's mentality that it's ok for her and her husband to have "wandering eyes"....somehow this makes their relationship "stronger"?? I once read that Atherton says she bases Lori on herself. Guess I'm sad for her then... I really gotta be done. Really. Must be. Can't take it anymore. Sad, too, because Atherton's stories are fun, well-written, spunky...just can't stand the character of Lori. Maybe we could write her out, hmmm?
March 24, 2023
Lori returns from a trip to Boston to find that there has been a murder in Finch. Prunella Hooper (a new character) has been bashed in the head, and nobody in the village will admit to knowing anything. She teams up with the vicar's wife's visiting nephew, Nicholas, to worm the truth out of the villagers, and discovers entirely different and surprising truths. The Pym sisters give them the excuse of delivering Easter gingerbread to the major suspects; and they have the help of Aunt Dimity, of course. This is another of the 'roving eye' books, although with an entire village looking on, word soon spreads and Lori has to behave herself more than usual. Not one of my series favorites, as one important clue is telegraphed quite early in the book, and some of the discovered truths are a bit of a stretch. However, it is still very readable and enjoyable.
Sept 2020 - Rereading. Still an interesting book.
March 2023 Rereading
Sept 2020 - Rereading. Still an interesting book.
March 2023 Rereading
October 6, 2018
Bill and Lori arrive back in the UK after a three months' sojourn visiting family in the US. Bill stays in London to catch up on paperwork, while Lori returns to the village of Finch. There, murder dominates all, as a newly arrived tenant, Prunella, has been bashed on the head. Yet in a village where nothing goes unobserved, no one saw anything--at least that can be shared with the police. The almost universal feeling is that Prunella deserved to die.
Dimity, Lori and the vicar's wife and nephew disagree and set out to learn the facts. All of the villagers have seen something, heard rumors, and talked amongst themselves, but their interpretations are derived from their own biases and animosities, leading to untruths.
I have been finishing series that I started, some years ago, and filling in gaps. Generally I have enjoyed the Aunt Dimity series, though this was not, in my opinion, amongst the strongest.
Dimity, Lori and the vicar's wife and nephew disagree and set out to learn the facts. All of the villagers have seen something, heard rumors, and talked amongst themselves, but their interpretations are derived from their own biases and animosities, leading to untruths.
I have been finishing series that I started, some years ago, and filling in gaps. Generally I have enjoyed the Aunt Dimity series, though this was not, in my opinion, amongst the strongest.
June 17, 2017
I think I am growing tired of Lori's extramarital non-affairs. The characters [she and her husband] seem to have come to terms with it so I hope the author will give it a rest. It seems to be just a distraction added to the story line to pad it out. A bit of a crutch that I hope Atherton has outgrown.
May 3, 2017
Fun and silly again, but a good read.
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