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6th out of 9 books
—
4 voters
Aunt Dimity, Vampire Hunter (An Aunt Dimity Mystery #13)
The original paranormal detective returns in the latest installment of a beloved mystery series
Lori Shepherd�s life in England couldn�t be more tranquil or more satisfying� except for one thing. Her five- year-old twins have started school, and Lori fears they�ll catch everything from the flu to fleas. What they do come home with, however, is worse: a report of a pale, c...more
Lori Shepherd�s life in England couldn�t be more tranquil or more satisfying� except for one thing. Her five- year-old twins have started school, and Lori fears they�ll catch everything from the flu to fleas. What they do come home with, however, is worse: a report of a pale, c...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
February 21st 2008
by Viking Adult
(first published 2004)
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As with other Aunt Dimity books, this one was a cozy read. Nancy Atherton's writing style is perfect for light reading, whether you're tired, sick, or just need a distraction.
Lori Shepard, the protagonist, is very likable, as are the rest of the cast of characters featured in the Aunt Dimity series. This particular book was fanciful, but then again, this is a paranormal detective series, so what else should I have been expecting? However, although it was fanciful, it was a good book. Atherton di...more
Lori Shepard, the protagonist, is very likable, as are the rest of the cast of characters featured in the Aunt Dimity series. This particular book was fanciful, but then again, this is a paranormal detective series, so what else should I have been expecting? However, although it was fanciful, it was a good book. Atherton di...more
After much aggravation throughout my reading of this book, Atherton's Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter was in the end, very well done!
Lori, our heroine of the Aunt Dimity series, investigates vampirism in the Cotswolds after her twin sons claim they see a vampire during their horseback-riding expedition with Kit, one of the series' core characters, in the woods near the Anscombe Manor.
As is typical in many cozy mystery series, Lori allows her nosiness to possess her in discovering everything she pos...more
Lori, our heroine of the Aunt Dimity series, investigates vampirism in the Cotswolds after her twin sons claim they see a vampire during their horseback-riding expedition with Kit, one of the series' core characters, in the woods near the Anscombe Manor.
As is typical in many cozy mystery series, Lori allows her nosiness to possess her in discovering everything she pos...more
This book! Man, this book.
I think that having been thinking a lot about sensory detail lately, I was more aware of how other writers use it, and wow. Atherton keeps up a steady string of detail that never seems to be intrusive -- she's always telling us things, but she does it in a way where it doesn't totally feel like telling.
The other thing is the detail itself. Atherton subscribes to the Enid Blyton school of writing only instead of everything accompanied by lashings of ginger-beer, it's ju...more
I think that having been thinking a lot about sensory detail lately, I was more aware of how other writers use it, and wow. Atherton keeps up a steady string of detail that never seems to be intrusive -- she's always telling us things, but she does it in a way where it doesn't totally feel like telling.
The other thing is the detail itself. Atherton subscribes to the Enid Blyton school of writing only instead of everything accompanied by lashings of ginger-beer, it's ju...more
This is the first Aunt Dimity book I have read. It requires a large suspension of disbelief. First because Aunt Dimity is dead and does her communicating and sleuthing through automatic writing in a journal. The protaganist, Julie Shepherd, is almost as difficult to believe - in her English country life she has a full-time paragon of a nanny for her twin sons, and she seems to be universally adored by everyone in their nearby village. It would seem the world revolves around Julie Shepherd, but s...more
I didn't believe there was a cozy series that I had missed and when this appeared on our New Shelf I thought I'd try it. I don't need to read any more of them. The connection with Nancy Drew on the back is quite telling. Should have read that bit first. I was lured in by "humorous, satisfying" and "delightfully descriptive imagery and quirky characters."
The narrator is a "goofball" who has perfect children and a perfect husband and lives in a perfect house with a perfect nanny engaged to a perf...more
The narrator is a "goofball" who has perfect children and a perfect husband and lives in a perfect house with a perfect nanny engaged to a perf...more
I think this is a very strong entry in the "Aunt Dimity" series. The book makes good use of the hyperbole of Lori's overreactions (this time to the risks her sons face in starting school--what if a train carrying deadly gasses derails by the school?!) to keep the humor level up, even while dealing with a potentially very real threat.
I complained about Aunt Dimity Goes West for excessive use of the supernatural. In "Vampire Hunger," Atherton gets it right, in my opinion. While we are left wonderi...more
I complained about Aunt Dimity Goes West for excessive use of the supernatural. In "Vampire Hunger," Atherton gets it right, in my opinion. While we are left wonderi...more
I saw this book on the new books shelf at Manoa Public Library and picked it up with a quickening of breath. A new vampire book! Part of a series! Maybe more vampire books to read! Although I enjoyed reading this story of a mild mystery solved with the assistance of a dead woman communicating through the aid of her personal journal, it left me wanting more. More vampires, more mystery, more blood, more violence. Alas, this is not that type of book. Aunt Dimity is a proper Englishwoman, and, alth...more
I'm only marking this as a mystery, since while there are some paranormal elements they are limited and not the main point of the story.
I picked this up on a whim from the paperback picks shelf at the library. It was entertaining, but it didn't fully capture my attention. I liked the setting - a small rural village in England - but the main character was not very identifiable. I never really cared what happened to her. I also found the conversations with Aunt Dimity (via a journal - similar to G...more
I picked this up on a whim from the paperback picks shelf at the library. It was entertaining, but it didn't fully capture my attention. I liked the setting - a small rural village in England - but the main character was not very identifiable. I never really cared what happened to her. I also found the conversations with Aunt Dimity (via a journal - similar to G...more
Aunt Dimity has generally been the gentlest of gentle reads, but frankly her detective Lori has been getting more and more annoying. You know that power-of-the-mom conservative vibe you get out of later Charlotte MacLeod books? Atherton is all over that. Even with a story that ostensibly chides Our Detective for being too focused on her kids, this one had very little reasonable, solvable mystery and way too much women-need-to-be-manipulated-for-their-own-good*. Still well written.
*Seriously, wha...more
*Seriously, wha...more
The twins are off to school and having their riding lessons and Lori is being a very protective mother... more so than normal.
After the boys come home from one of their lessons, they tell of seeing a "vampire" watching them ride with Kit, the stable master @ Anscombe Manor where they take their lessons. The twins took their tale to school, where the principle calls Lori in about the "tall tales" that the twins have been telling. Unfortunately the tales where truth, until they told the one about...more
After the boys come home from one of their lessons, they tell of seeing a "vampire" watching them ride with Kit, the stable master @ Anscombe Manor where they take their lessons. The twins took their tale to school, where the principle calls Lori in about the "tall tales" that the twins have been telling. Unfortunately the tales where truth, until they told the one about...more
Lori is concerned after her twins start school. She and Bill get called into the school where the principal tells them the boys are creating scary stories and other children are having nightmares. It turns out most of the stories are true, but the one about seeing a vampire while they are riding their horses near Anscombe Manor scares Lori, and she has to investigate. She gets Kit to help her. While hunting, Lori tries to convince Kit to marry Nell, but he says he is not fit to marry. They find...more
A quick little fluff read, although I didn't find it to be much of a mystery. The protagonist, Lori, was a bit annoying (must be nice to have a nanny to watch your twin boys when you're a housewife your own self, allowing you to wander all over the place trying to solve a "mystery"), and she allowed her imagination to run away with her a little too much. Of course, without that, we wouldn't have much of a story. I did like the persona of Aunt Dimity, that is, until the very end when all was reve...more
Although this book is in the middle of a series, it was easy to pick up back stories of the main characters, so it didn't matter that I hadn't read any of the previous books. Interesting that the title character, Aunt Dimity, is not even alive - she communicates with Lori Shepherd (who is really the main character) through an old journal. In this book, at least, most of Aunt Dimity's role is just to restate and summarize what has already happened - found myself skimming those parts pretty quickl...more
I so enjoy this series and got a big kick out of this one the first time...and the second time too! Yes, there's a lot of stuff that's just a little too "coincidental" for some people, but let's face it, this is Aunt Dimity's world and it all works just fine to my way of thinking. Plus, it does a lovely job reminding me that things/people are not always what they seem and you have to be careful about leaping to conclusions. AND we finally get a good advance on one of the main ongoing subplots......more
The Dimity books are getting weaker. I'd hoped this wasn't the case, but the last two I've read I only got through by gritting my teeth and slogging onward.
Lori has become not just a total airhead, but an unsympathetic one as well. The other characters are barely two-dimensional. Someone likened these books as adult Nancy Drew, but to me they're more Bobbsey Twins without the charm. I do not think I'll get others, even if they're on the cut-out shelves. Grabbed this one on spec when I was bored,...more
Lori has become not just a total airhead, but an unsympathetic one as well. The other characters are barely two-dimensional. Someone likened these books as adult Nancy Drew, but to me they're more Bobbsey Twins without the charm. I do not think I'll get others, even if they're on the cut-out shelves. Grabbed this one on spec when I was bored,...more
A ridiculous hunt for a vampire leads to startling discoveries. Though the revelations are a bit contrived, they serve their purpose and lead to a lovely ending.
It's hard to beat Atherton when it comes to comforting and pleasing outcomes. I also like how Lori's gossipy nature means we're always privy to what's going on in the secondary characters' lives. It's fun to catch up with them in between collecting clues and developing theories, and this installment includes a thrilling turn of events....more
It's hard to beat Atherton when it comes to comforting and pleasing outcomes. I also like how Lori's gossipy nature means we're always privy to what's going on in the secondary characters' lives. It's fun to catch up with them in between collecting clues and developing theories, and this installment includes a thrilling turn of events....more
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Reading an Aunt Dimity book is like visiting with dear friends you haven't seen in awhile - in short a delight! And this installment had an extra-special gift included.
When twins Will and Rob go off to school, Lori becomes a bit paranoid about their safety, giving up on all activities and interactions with her friends and neighbours to worry and fuss about every possible - and several highly implausible - way the boys could be harmed away from home.
And when Lori and Bill are summoned by the boys...more
When twins Will and Rob go off to school, Lori becomes a bit paranoid about their safety, giving up on all activities and interactions with her friends and neighbours to worry and fuss about every possible - and several highly implausible - way the boys could be harmed away from home.
And when Lori and Bill are summoned by the boys...more
A very light-hearted chapter in Lori Shepherd's life. Her twins are now in school, and Lori has been obsessed with their safety. When the Shepherds are called into the principal's office because the twins have been scaring the kids with stories of vampires, Lori goes on a quest to discover the whereabouts of the vampire her boys say they saw. Along the way, Lori manages to unite two pairs of lovers, and change her ideas about what constitutes good mothering. I really enjoyed this installment of...more
Just what I needed to continue my "vacation" from the classics - requiring no brain cells, yet pleasantly cozy. Not as good as the earliest books in the series, but I still like them. Aunt Dimity has become an interested observer rather than an active participant. Once again Lori has let her imagination run away with her......
Book Description from amazon.com
Lori Shepherd’s life in England couldn’t be more tranquil or more satisfying— except for one thing. Her five-year-old twins have started sch...more
Book Description from amazon.com
Lori Shepherd’s life in England couldn’t be more tranquil or more satisfying— except for one thing. Her five-year-old twins have started sch...more
A deeply irritating book. It gets one star because on a line by line level it's not badly written. But the main character over-reacts to everything, leaps to absurd conclusions and is generally unconvincing. So's the world she inhabits where everything is pretty much perfect. As for Aunt Dimity, she's even blander than the main character. I should have taken more notice of the back cover and the reference to Nancy Drew. I like escapist books, but this is absurd. Not sure why I finished it.
Fun little non murder mystery. I realized partway through that I had read another one of the series earlier. The one thing that I don't get, though, is how the main character's mother could have worked through WWII and become best friends with Dimity even though Lori (main character) is only in her mid-30s. Which is my age and my mom is a boomer. I thought maybe they were supposed to be set in the past but then the internet is mentioned. So, what's up with that?
Really love these novels - even as much as I'm green with envy because I don't have the perfect cottage and a NANNY so I can spend my time gallivanting around the English country side, solving "crimes" that generally turn out to be nothing! *LOL* I really do like these books. In the latest installment, a shadowy figure is seen watching the children at riding lessons - they swear he is a vampire, so of course what's a self respecting mother to do but track said vampire down?
Aunt Dimity helps Lori Shepherd solve mysteries which doesn't sound so unusual except that Aunt Dimity is dead and speaks only through an old diary left in Dimity's English cottage which Lori inherited. This time out there are vampires afoot and he may be related to none other than that most famous of vampires: Count Dracula. This is the 13th in the series of Aunt Dimity books and I am definately going to look for more, a very fun cozy mystery!
I really like the Aunt Dimity series, but I think the story line is moving in a different direction from my own life which makes it harder for me to connect with the main character. In the first book, Lori was a single female solving mysteries. Even when she got married and became a mother, the focus of the book was still on the mystery, and some romance. Now, Lori has become a mother obsessively absorbed in the lives of her children. I felt that the vampire plot, and especially the involvement...more
Somehow I missed the 1 and thought this was book three instead of thirteen. I didn't like the characters at first (too perfect) and it took me a while to figure out they were the people from book #1. I liked them much better after that, but I think I would have liked the book more if I had read it in the correct order.
I didn't like how they championed being gossipy. And for all the fuss they made of her being this ultra-mom, she really wasn't that involved with her kids other than to make them...more
I didn't like how they championed being gossipy. And for all the fuss they made of her being this ultra-mom, she really wasn't that involved with her kids other than to make them...more
She didn't dissappoint this time! I could hardly put it down. She even tied up a "loose end" ;) that she had been stringing along for several books. These books make me feel so good and they are such light easy reads. They aer cozy little cheer-you-up books and I can't get enough. I only wish she would crank them out a little faster. But I guess I will have to wait for that. Very enjoyable, very entertaining, I even laughed out loud which I never do!
well I always enjoyed my Aunt Dimity novels, because they are easy read and because I became fond of it's characters, but I'm afraid the series is about to wear itself out. I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the previous ones, even though it is tying up a few lose ends. But every writer should be allowed 1 or 2 books that are not as "well-liked" as others and maybe it is just me growing a little tired of Lori and her repeated jumping to the wrong conclusions...
Another goofy and fun read in this series of misdirection and misunderstanding. Who is the mysterious stranger camping in the woods? Is there a vampire hiding in the old manor house or someone who thinks he's a vampire? Is there a potential kidnapper stalking the children at the riding school or is it the vampire? And which of the many suitable suitors will the beautiful Nell choose to marry?
This one irritated me in the beginning, but it had its moments, including a couple of unexpected twists (along with several I saw coming) at the end. What irked me was Lori's continued hyper-active imagination fueled silliness. Thank heavens she didn't fall for some extra-curricular hunk this time! At least the author did a nice job of tying up all the loose ends when the book finished.
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Nancy 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 pla...more
More about Nancy Atherton...
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 pla...more
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Feb 26, 2013 05:04am