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487th out of 962 books
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1,178 voters
Aunt Dimity's Good Deed (An Aunt Dimity Mystery #3)
Nancy Atherton’s growing number of fans will certainly be delighted by Aunt Dimity’s latest appearance in the honey-colored English cottage she bequeathed to her “niece”, Lori Shepherd. Thanks to Aunt Dimity, Lori’s life has taken on fairy-tale proportions: she’s financially set for life and happily married—or so she thinks. When Lori’s plans for a second honeymoon to Engl...more
Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Published
March 1st 1998
by Penguin Books
(first published 1996)
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Another good Aunt Dimity mystery. Even though Aunt Dimity has gone on, but not too far or permanently, she is still there for Lori. Lori is feeling sadly neglected and suspects Bill is having doubts about having married her. His awful aunts are very disapproving of her not being pregnant yet and cause her trouble about it. After all, their match-making was ended by Bill marrying her. They were frustrated in their desire to have a Boston high society wedding. Lori had arranged a second honeymoon...more
I just hated this book. I read the description before committing to it, about a mystery solving woman who receives clues from beyond the grave from her Aunt Dimity. I thought, "Chaz, why not take a walk on the wild side, like the old song says?" Well, I'll tell you what, now I know why I always order the exact same dessert from Dairy Queen, why I always watch the same 3 or 4 tv shows every night, and so on.
I HATED this book. All the characters have these stuffed animals they tote around with th...more
I HATED this book. All the characters have these stuffed animals they tote around with th...more
Lori has not heard from her (dead) Aunt Dimity for two years; since Lori and Bill got married and went back to the States. But that marriage is having some problems – Bill’s aunts keep harassing Lori about the fact that she’s not pregnant yet, and Bill has been burying himself in work and emotionally pulling away from Lori. So she convinces him they need a second honeymoon at the lovely, magical English cottage she inherited from Aunt Dimity. When it’s time to leave, Bill has a work emergency, a...more
Willis, Sr., - in very uncharacteristic fashion - has suddenly driven off into the English countryside, leaving behind a very worried and bewildered Lori.
Suspecting he's hatching a scheme to clear out of the Boston mansion and live in England for good, Lori decides there's only one thing to do: catch up to him and convince him he's desperately needed at home. The alternative of leaving her to fend for her self against an absentee husband and a couple of horrible condescending aunts is utterly un...more
Suspecting he's hatching a scheme to clear out of the Boston mansion and live in England for good, Lori decides there's only one thing to do: catch up to him and convince him he's desperately needed at home. The alternative of leaving her to fend for her self against an absentee husband and a couple of horrible condescending aunts is utterly un...more
I must admit that at first I was a bit disappointed that there don't seem to be dead bodies appearing for exploration of who murdered them. I guess I've gotten used to the dead body, solve crime and mystery mysteries. However, I like these Aunt Dimity mysteries that feature Lori Shepherd and her newly acquired life in the Cotswold village of Finch in what was Aunt Dimity's cottage before she died. Of course, being dead doesn't always mean being gone. And, to be fair, there are some dead bodies l...more
I found this book so irritatingly flawed that it will be difficult to explain what I liked about it. Here goes:
Atherton's supporting cast is full of fun characters I like, which somewhat makes up for how much I can't stand the main character.
Atherton's relatively quick storytelling style makes up for the giant reality-holes in the novel's fabric. (No, I do not expect a story featuring a ghost to be perfectly realistic, but this one is full of the "Why didn't they just Google it?" type of questio...more
Atherton's supporting cast is full of fun characters I like, which somewhat makes up for how much I can't stand the main character.
Atherton's relatively quick storytelling style makes up for the giant reality-holes in the novel's fabric. (No, I do not expect a story featuring a ghost to be perfectly realistic, but this one is full of the "Why didn't they just Google it?" type of questio...more
I enjoyed this 3rd book in the Aunt Dimity series. Lori, the main character, and her 12 y.o. friend Nell traverse England looking for Lori's missing father-in-law. This was supposed to be Lori's 2nd honeymoon with her husband, but he's stuck back in the U.S. As with the other books in the series, there's enough mystery to keep you interested but without the violence of many novels. All of the books in this series include a recipe at the end for something that has been consumed in the story. In t...more
What the British call "a bit of fluff," and wonderful for all that. A light-hearted, curious mystery without imminent danger, death-filled intrigue, or nation-crushing manipulations. The idea of having something akin to a guardian angel, one who communicates by means of having writing appear on the pages of a bound journal, is more comforting than anything else; in Atherton's skilled narratives, it's an absolute delight. This is no mere snack; it's Fortnum and Mason's finest tea, with crustless...more
Aunt Dimity's Good Deed is the third in the series, written by Nancy Atherton. This is a paranormal cozy mystery featuring the ghost of Aunt Dimity.
This one picks up two years after Lori and Bill got married. The marriage has hit a snag, and Lori is miserable living the mansion in Boston. Lori is ready to start a family, but Bill has turned into a workaholic. So, Lori arranges a "second honeymoon". However, Bill has to work, and so Lori and her father in law fly to London together to stay in th...more
This one picks up two years after Lori and Bill got married. The marriage has hit a snag, and Lori is miserable living the mansion in Boston. Lori is ready to start a family, but Bill has turned into a workaholic. So, Lori arranges a "second honeymoon". However, Bill has to work, and so Lori and her father in law fly to London together to stay in th...more
This is the 3rd book in the Aunt Dimity series that I've read. Overall, I enjoy the series but liked book two the best so far as it had more of a mystery. I enjoy cozies and read them to relax and escape, which I can do with these books. Book three, frankly, became a bit tiresome chasing around after William, Sr for most of the book. I do enjoy the characters. Nell and Bertie are particularly charming and although I understand that the stuffed animals are a connection to Aunt Dimity, it is a lit...more
This is the 3rd in the Aunt Dimity, and Atherton returns to the story of Lori Shepherd and Bill Willis. The story line is very simplistic with very little intense writing. Again, the style reminds me of M C Beaton. I feel that this may be the last of this series that I will read. In this caper, Lori and Nell wander all over England trying to find Lori's missing father-in-law. Lori and Nell meet many of the English Willis family in their journey. A bitter feud over the ownership of land seems to...more
I wish I had an "Aunt Dimity" even if she is a ghost. She seems so helpful. In Aunt Dimity's Good Deed, we find Lori struggling with being married to a full-time lawyer. On a planned second honeymoon, her husband needs to stay behing in Boston while she travels to England with her father-in-law. Making matters worse, she loses her father-in-law, to which Aunt Dimity says he's opening a can of worms and I'm going to supervise him. Remember the ghost bit.
I really enjoyed this tale. I can't give a...more
I really enjoyed this tale. I can't give a...more
Ok, here it goes....the mystery was very interestingI I loved the way Lori and Nell were sent on a type of scavenger hunt meeting a variety of family members while in search for Lori's father in law. Along the way, given clues by none other than the ghost Aunt Dimity (written and left in her blue journal). The names were a little obnoxious in the fact that they all sounded the same or were the same when it came to the male lineage. The secondary characters, with the exception of one, are all ver...more
I have fallen in love with this series and plan to read all the Aunt Dimity books! This is the second in the series, and the characters are just as delightful in this outing as in the first book.
Lori [Dimity's sort-of niece] has come back to the cottage in England where she first discovered Dimity [who, BTW is dead, and as a benevolent ghost, speaks to Lori and gives her advice by writing in a special journal the writing of which only Lori can see].
Lori has lost her father-in-law who's come with...more
Lori [Dimity's sort-of niece] has come back to the cottage in England where she first discovered Dimity [who, BTW is dead, and as a benevolent ghost, speaks to Lori and gives her advice by writing in a special journal the writing of which only Lori can see].
Lori has lost her father-in-law who's come with...more
In this 3rd book of Aunt Dimity's series there is romance and mystery.
Once again Aunt Demity takes Lori on an adventure searching for her father-in-law who disappeared from the English cottage where he had gone with Lori since her husband, Bill, was too busy at work to accompany her on their second honeymoon.
William Willis, Sr., is trying to solve a centuries-old family scandal. This scandal couldmean the end of the lives that this family has known for so many years.
Great story. Looking forwar...more
Once again Aunt Demity takes Lori on an adventure searching for her father-in-law who disappeared from the English cottage where he had gone with Lori since her husband, Bill, was too busy at work to accompany her on their second honeymoon.
William Willis, Sr., is trying to solve a centuries-old family scandal. This scandal couldmean the end of the lives that this family has known for so many years.
Great story. Looking forwar...more
Another wonderful Aunt Dimity mystery.
In this, the third in the series, Lori and sweet Nell go on journey to find out about the British side of the Willis family.
This is such a fun and happy mystery with so many wonderful characters. We meet all the British Willis cousins.
It isn't a murder mystery per se but there was a murder involved-- just not a current one.
That being said, I just love how much of the mystery involves members of the Willis family who lived in the 18th century.
In this, the third in the series, Lori and sweet Nell go on journey to find out about the British side of the Willis family.
This is such a fun and happy mystery with so many wonderful characters. We meet all the British Willis cousins.
It isn't a murder mystery per se but there was a murder involved-- just not a current one.
That being said, I just love how much of the mystery involves members of the Willis family who lived in the 18th century.
Third in the Aunt Dimity series--another fun mystery. I sometimes have trouble keeping all the characters straight, but this is a relaxing read. I appreciate the moral values that the main characters have, and I also enjoy being able to "escape" into a world where all of Lori's needs are met. Sort of a fairy tale, but a dream we like to indulge in on occasion.
Lori tries to have a second honeymoon with Bill in England, but he goes to Maine for work instead. Lori and Willis sr. Head to the cottage. Willis sr. takes off on a journey and Lori and Nell go trailing after. They meet the English Willis family and become part of a new adventure. Lori is finally pregnant. Bill show up after a while and everything ends up turning out just fine.
I am three quarters of the way finished with this book, I love the characters, nice read. I will read more of Athertons books, especially Aunt Dimity's series. No blood and gore, just a nice cozy mystery, great with a cup of tea and a scone. Cheerio, enjoy.
And Now I am finished with the whole concoction, i really enjoyed the loose ends being so tidy.
And Now I am finished with the whole concoction, i really enjoyed the loose ends being so tidy.
I'm really enjoying Aunt Dimity. I've now read the first in the series, followed by this one, the third. Even if I can figure out what's up fairly early on, I still enjoy the read. The characters are fun, and the plots are good. I'm going to stick with this series. I may even try to the butterscotch brownie recipe in the back of the book.
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I enjoyed book 2 in the series the best. This one was not as engaging. It felt like the main character could do nothing right and had to be rescued by the 12 year old to not embarrass herself. It kind of dragged with no suspense. The stuffed animals were a distraction and not really necessary. I don't know. I think I will take a break from Aunt Dimity series for a while and maybe appreciate book 4 more.
Not as good as the first two books, but enjoyable enough to continue on with the series. I was glad to have Lori and the Williams (Sr. and Jr.) back, and I found the family mystery to be interesting, though I couldn't understand why Aunt Dimity was objecting to bringing up the past in this instance.
I should have made up a family tree at the beginining of this one. As Lori and Nell travel around, meeting Bill's British cousins I got confused as to who was who, but the story was nice - relaxing - interesting. Maybe a tad drawn out but overall quite good. Aunt Dimity's presence adds a unique twist.
There was a lot of stuff I liked, but also stuff I didn't care for. One of my least favorite tropes is when the whole book could have been avoided if the characters had sat down and had a simple conversation. Each book is pretty different from the last, so I'll see what the next one is like.
I always start reading Atherton with apprehension that she cant be that good again, and luckily im surprised positively each and every time...she is good...if one is sick and tired of this f...ed up world that surrounds us with crazy people in it, one must read something good for the soul...Atherton is just that...
I definitely did not like this book as much as the previous two. It was just... silly. There were components that made for a potentially charming and interesting mystery, but the willful miscommunications and misunderstandings and low-grade romance story lines were not my cup of tea.
Dimity's ghost remains and Atherton moves to slightly deeper waters by examining a struggling marriage. But all is still in the delightful jaunts about England and discovering secrets of the past and present. These books are sweet escapes--fun and not overwhelming.
I liked this a little less than the first in the series, because Lori is being so dense and willfully obtuse and I just wanted to shake her (as opposed to all the other characters who tend to coddle her). But the adventure she's going thru was fairly compelling, so I tore thru this.
Nice to remember how good the beginning of this series was. I hate that Atherton has gotten away from the early stuff. She never mentions Willis Sr or the English Willises much anymore, which seems out of character for Lori who needs the family supposedly.
I am REALLY starting to dislike the character of Lori. Is anything ever enough for this girl? She is so incredibly selfish. I found myself getting more and more annoyed with her the longer I read.
Some of the reasons I disliked this book:
The characters make these huge assumptions / wild quesses that are treated as fact.
A 12 year old girl acts likes she's 37, and is treated as such.
Lori starts thinking about divorce based on almost nothing.
Character interactions are preposterous.
Several of the fam...more
Some of the reasons I disliked this book:
The characters make these huge assumptions / wild quesses that are treated as fact.
A 12 year old girl acts likes she's 37, and is treated as such.
Lori starts thinking about divorce based on almost nothing.
Character interactions are preposterous.
Several of the fam...more
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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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“The Handsome Prince Handbook is mute on the subject of chronic workaholism—Prince Charming, apparently, knew how to delegate—and I didn't know where else to turn for help. What do you do when life begins to go wrong and you've used up all three wishes?”
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Oct 11, 2012 12:36pm