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Aunt Dimity Mystery #3
Aunt Dimity's Good Deed
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 England with her workaholic husband fall through, she begrudgingly takes along her father-in-law who promptly disappears, leaving behind a mysterious note. Inspired and guided by the ghost of Aunt Dimity and her inimitable blue journal, Lori's search for the elderly gentleman turns into a harrowing mission to uncover a centuries-old family secret complicated by mistaken identities, falsified deeds, family feuds, and Lori's unseemly attraction to her husband's beguiling English cousin. In a delightful chase that takes her all over the English countryside, Lori discovers the true meaning of marital bliss, and Nancy Atherton's fans, new and old, will savor a masterpiece of old-fashioned fun.
1 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 1996
357 people are currently reading
1263 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Atherton
62 books1,183 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 346 reviews
May 4, 2019
Nancy Atherton has become a cherished go-to author. I savour her, though she is here in our lifetime, going strong. You know when Billy Crystal hosts ‘The Academy Awards’ and we communally sigh in relief? How we know everything will be hilarious and unquestioningly let him take over? Nancy Atherton is like that. I ingest other authors and genres but when I just want to guarantee a fantastic book, I turn to her. Every line is interesting, astute, observations made in vividly unique angles, and the impeccable grammar is stupendously well put. Everything about these pages is a discovery and a treat, well beyond the paranormal-tinged mystery woven for us!
Because of Nancy’s daring in volume II, to deviate from Lori and build Emma’s character six years ahead of volume I; we pick up on both Finch couples now and know them intimately. Knowing them ahead of volume III: “Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed”, 1996, bodes well for stepdaughter, Nell. She rides with Lori in search of her cryptic and adventurous Father-in-law, after he leaves her cottage and she fears trouble. A peculiar child ahead of her years in volume II, Nell is now a gorgeous pre-teen whose inventive ideas and charm get them through sticky moments on their chase across England. We too are compelled by Nell and although we’re thrilled to see Lori, Bill and Willis Senior again, it is she who really makes this novel.
We reprise Lori & Bill in love, with clarity about changes that are needed; such as excessive absence from Finch and each other. A pinprick in perfection is relatable. We simultaneously investigate a centuries gap between the Boston, USA lawyers with their overseas cousins. The English Willises are charismatic and loveable too, so I’m thrilled we’ll continue seeing them a great deal.
Because of Nancy’s daring in volume II, to deviate from Lori and build Emma’s character six years ahead of volume I; we pick up on both Finch couples now and know them intimately. Knowing them ahead of volume III: “Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed”, 1996, bodes well for stepdaughter, Nell. She rides with Lori in search of her cryptic and adventurous Father-in-law, after he leaves her cottage and she fears trouble. A peculiar child ahead of her years in volume II, Nell is now a gorgeous pre-teen whose inventive ideas and charm get them through sticky moments on their chase across England. We too are compelled by Nell and although we’re thrilled to see Lori, Bill and Willis Senior again, it is she who really makes this novel.
We reprise Lori & Bill in love, with clarity about changes that are needed; such as excessive absence from Finch and each other. A pinprick in perfection is relatable. We simultaneously investigate a centuries gap between the Boston, USA lawyers with their overseas cousins. The English Willises are charismatic and loveable too, so I’m thrilled we’ll continue seeing them a great deal.
June 13, 2010
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 sandwiches and a three-tiered tray of the best freshly-baked butterscotch brownies... and there's a recipe for that last in the back of the book (the brownies are a plot point). Bon appetit.
September 5, 2021
4.5 stars
June 24, 2022
Not as good as the first two, but was just the ticket for a light read in a busy week.
Rather bothered me that a one-dimensional, mostly off-screen character was called "Sally the S---" very frequently, and the epithet was made into an adjective all too often. Derogatory remarks on her appearance followed swiftly. Why not give her a chance? Redeem her? Honestly. Misogyny should not be in cozy mystery territory.
Rather bothered me that a one-dimensional, mostly off-screen character was called "Sally the S---" very frequently, and the epithet was made into an adjective all too often. Derogatory remarks on her appearance followed swiftly. Why not give her a chance? Redeem her? Honestly. Misogyny should not be in cozy mystery territory.
November 23, 2018
Lori und Bill sind inzwischen miteinander verheiratet und eigentlich könnte alles schön sein, doch Bill verbringt viel zu viel Zeit mit seiner Arbeit als Anwalt. Lori plant daher eine zweite Hochzeitsreise nach England, doch kurz vorher sagt Bill ab und Lori muss mit ihrem Schwiegervater vorlieb nehmen. Doch in England verschwindet dieser, und Lori bittet Tante Dimity um Hilfe bei der Suche nach ihm und kommt einem Familiengeheimnis auf die Spur.
Mein Leseeindruck:
Die Bücher von Nancy Atherton rund um Tante Dimity sind einfach reine Wohlfühlbücher. Auch dieses habe ich mit viel Freude gelesen und konnte mich dabei so richtig in die Geschichte hineinfallen lassen und den Alltag aussperren. Es ist ein bisschen Magie enthalten, viel Spannung, ein Geheimnis, auch eine Prise Humor und Romantik. Ich fand es einfach nur schön!
Mein Leseeindruck:
Die Bücher von Nancy Atherton rund um Tante Dimity sind einfach reine Wohlfühlbücher. Auch dieses habe ich mit viel Freude gelesen und konnte mich dabei so richtig in die Geschichte hineinfallen lassen und den Alltag aussperren. Es ist ein bisschen Magie enthalten, viel Spannung, ein Geheimnis, auch eine Prise Humor und Romantik. Ich fand es einfach nur schön!
February 14, 2017
Continuing with this series, based on my desire for light reading. It continues to be super readable. I had a little more trouble getting into this one, mainly because no one wants to go back to their romance novel and find out things have slightly gone to hell in a handbasket. This one picked up midway through. Super pleased it managed to avoid the whole evil branch of the family trope (since most of them are not evil at all). I did find Nell a bit problematic in this one, in that she was far too all-knowing. On the other hand, it seems I'm perfectly willing to go along with the conceit of everyone having Dimity-possessed stuffed animals, SO.
And y'know, I already have the next one out from the library...
And y'know, I already have the next one out from the library...
November 2, 2021
Kann leider nicht mit den vorherigen Bänden mithalten. Lori ist so undankbar, dass es fast nicht auszuhalten ist. All ihre Wünsche sind in Erfüllung gegangen und trotzdem jammert sie nur rum, weil ihr Ehemann (aus nachvollziehbarem Grund) keine Zeit für sie hat. Die Jagd nach einer alten Familiengeschichte hingegen war recht interessant. Auch wenn es nicht hilfreich war, dass alle Willis, William oder Willison heißen und das auch noch in verschiedenen Zeiten ;) Die Nebencharaktere reißen hier ziemlich viel raus, mal schauen wie sich die Reihe noch entwickelt…
October 26, 2022
Lori Shepherd is supposed to be on her second honeymoon in the English cottage left to her by Aunt Dimity with her beloved husband Bill, but he's too busy working back in Boston to have time to rekindle their romance. Instead, her father-in-law, William Willis, Sr. has come along. He's very kind and conscientious but Lori becomes concerned when he disappears without telling anyone where he's gone or why. What makes matters worse is that Aunt Dimity (in her journal) and Lori's stuffed rabbit Reginald seem to have gone with Willis, Sr.! Accompanied by Nell Harris, a preocious 12-year-old girl, Lori sets out to find Willis, Sr. Her search takes her across England meeting relatives she never knew she had (through Bill). It seems her father-in-law is about to dig up old scandals and cause a heap of trouble if Lori and Aunt Dimity can't stop him first!
The adventure is this story is more fun than the previous two. It's non-stop and the story intrigued me enough to stay up VERY late finishing it. However, it's complicated and none of the story about the Willis family in the 18th-century makes sense whatsoever. The history doesn't work AT ALL. It really, really bothered me but finally I let go and just told myself this is some kind of alternate universe and just go with it. When I finally got used to that, there were other things that bothered me. The attitude towards mental health was apalling and the author uses harmful language like "loony bin" to describe the private institution where a character resides. The treatment is unorthodox to say the least. ALSO problematic, is the use of the word "slut" to describe a character. In my book club discussion, some didn't care for that word being used so many times and I was one of them. Others felt the alliteration and repetitiveness helped them remember a character who is randomly mentioned infrequently. All that shows the age of this book and how it hasn't held up as well.
There are way too many characters to keep track of. It needs a family tree and a list of characters. Recurring characters are Lori Shepherd, Bill Willis, William Willis, Sr.; Emma and Derek Harris and the children, Peter and Nell; Aunt Dimity (deceased). Not to mention the stuffed characters Reginald the Rabbit and Bertie the Bear. Lori is still kind of a sad sack. She's whining about her marriage and how her husband's ghastly aunts and horrid peers hate her. His aunts are eager to continue the family line and all they care about is when the next generation of Willises will appear. I get that's frustrating for her and would drive me mad too but communication works both ways. Does Bill know how unhappy Lori is? Does he know she'd like him home more often? He's very clueless and bumbling. I think she needs to spell it out for him. He's sweet and kind but not very astute when it comes to relationships. His epiphany happens at a weird moment in the book for a bizarre reason but it made me laugh. Far more enjoyable are the Harrises. Emma is smart, energetic and a good friend. She's home in her garden but also helping with the research end of things because cell phones in cars were new things and the internet only existed on certain computers. (FYI: Most homes in England didn't have the internet yet in the 90s and when they did, it was dial up. I learned that the hard way in 1999). Willis, Sr. continues to be charming and delightful even though he doesn't appear much in the book. He's more astute than his son and a better listener.
Nell is a very precocious 12-year-old. She's like some fairy changeling child. On one hand, she's still very much a little girl with her favorite teddy in tow but on the other, she's a mystical sprite, a ghost, a French teenager. It's very weird. Not even my almost 14-year-old niece is THAT precocious. It's like Nell is an old soul in child's body. I love her though. She's a lot of fun and her "way with people" is funny and useful. Bertie doesn't have much to say in this book which is too bad. Reginald doesn't talk but they do learn they have cousins out there! Aunt Dimity is a wonderful character. I wasn't sure how I would feel about having the titular character be a ghost because paranormal isn't my thing, but I like how she isn't a phsyical ghost, she's just there in spirit. It's almost like she's still living because she communicates through writing just as she always did with Lori's mom. That's fun and makes it less paranormalish. Her voice is prim yet funny. I missed the elderly twin sisters though. They don't appear in this book.
In this story, we meet the English side of the Willis family, long estranged from the American branch over a family feud. No one knows exactly what happened and why so Willis, Sr. is eager to put out an olive branch and form a partnership, especially now the English branch of Willis & Willis is short a partner. Gerald Willis, a distant cousin of Bill's, was ousted from the company. He has a reputation as a womanizer and may have embezzeled money from the firm. Ladies are falling at his feet because he's so charming, Lori included. He claims he's caring for his elderly, ill father and left the firm of his own free will. He SEEMS like a nice guy but there are signs Lori might have fallen for a handsome face and sympathetic manner. I did not enjoy what happens shortly after they first met or all the lying. I'm not sure what to make of him. I really like his cousin Arthur who is a brainless but charming solicitor. He must be nearsighted or really, really, really clueless because the case of mistaken identity is bizarre but hilarious. Arthur seems kind and he's self-aware enough to know he's not the best and brightest mind the firm has to offer but that people would rather an incompetant man than an intelligent woman sometimes. (UGH).
I also really liked Arthur's cousin Lucy. She's very intelligent, down-to-earth and practical. She single-handedly runs the firm. Lucy is lovelorn and no it's not creepy to anyone but Americans but she doesn't let it stop her from doing her duty. She cares a lot about her eccentric mother who loves horses, the family history and her second husband, the younger Swan. Swan is devoted to her too and they seem like a nice family. They readily accept Nell and Lori into the family and Lori is able to repay Lucy for her kindness by helping Lucy out with her problem.
Their Uncle Williston is under a doctor's care in some kind of private mental institution referred to in not very kind tones. He's treated as kind of a joke because he thinks he's a distant ancestor from the 17th-century and transferring his feelings about his present day ex-wife and her lover to his ancestors. I find him perfectly delightful and a lovely man. I think he is more aware of things than his so-called doctor, Sir Poppet, gives him credit for. His meeting with Nell was a little weird and creepy but she wasn't bothered by it so no one else should be. I think he's fine the way he is. He isn't hurting anyone. I wasn't as enamored with Gerald's father, Tom. He's ill so maybe not at his best but his obession with antique planes and the reason why is far more bizarre and creepy to me than his brother's obsession with a woman or may or may not have existed. He seems a little forced into the story to provide a link back to Aunt Dimity. His butterscotch brownies are AMAZING though so I guess he's not so bad. Tom gives a hint about Aunt Dimity and perhaps we'll meet another cousin of Reginald's soon.
Back in the 18th-century, the Williston family was comprised of a strong, wealthy widow, Julia Louise and her two sons. Apparently because she was a strong-willed, wealthy woman, it means she has to come across as nasty. Did she do anything truly heinous or was she just tough? You must read the whole book to find out. Her sons were opposites of each other in spite of being twins. It's funny to learn which twin the American branch of the family is descended from because it seems like it would be the other way around.
I enjoyed this as a bit of mindless fluff to get out of the house and discuss with other cozy mystery fans but the datedness and the lack of historical accuracy bothered me too much to have this one be a favorite. DO try the recipe though. http://www.aunt-dimity.com/uncle-toms...
The adventure is this story is more fun than the previous two. It's non-stop and the story intrigued me enough to stay up VERY late finishing it. However, it's complicated and none of the story about the Willis family in the 18th-century makes sense whatsoever. The history doesn't work AT ALL. It really, really bothered me but finally I let go and just told myself this is some kind of alternate universe and just go with it. When I finally got used to that, there were other things that bothered me. The attitude towards mental health was apalling and the author uses harmful language like "loony bin" to describe the private institution where a character resides. The treatment is unorthodox to say the least. ALSO problematic, is the use of the word "slut" to describe a character. In my book club discussion, some didn't care for that word being used so many times and I was one of them. Others felt the alliteration and repetitiveness helped them remember a character who is randomly mentioned infrequently. All that shows the age of this book and how it hasn't held up as well.
There are way too many characters to keep track of. It needs a family tree and a list of characters. Recurring characters are Lori Shepherd, Bill Willis, William Willis, Sr.; Emma and Derek Harris and the children, Peter and Nell; Aunt Dimity (deceased). Not to mention the stuffed characters Reginald the Rabbit and Bertie the Bear. Lori is still kind of a sad sack. She's whining about her marriage and how her husband's ghastly aunts and horrid peers hate her. His aunts are eager to continue the family line and all they care about is when the next generation of Willises will appear. I get that's frustrating for her and would drive me mad too but communication works both ways. Does Bill know how unhappy Lori is? Does he know she'd like him home more often? He's very clueless and bumbling. I think she needs to spell it out for him. He's sweet and kind but not very astute when it comes to relationships. His epiphany happens at a weird moment in the book for a bizarre reason but it made me laugh. Far more enjoyable are the Harrises. Emma is smart, energetic and a good friend. She's home in her garden but also helping with the research end of things because cell phones in cars were new things and the internet only existed on certain computers. (FYI: Most homes in England didn't have the internet yet in the 90s and when they did, it was dial up. I learned that the hard way in 1999). Willis, Sr. continues to be charming and delightful even though he doesn't appear much in the book. He's more astute than his son and a better listener.
Nell is a very precocious 12-year-old. She's like some fairy changeling child. On one hand, she's still very much a little girl with her favorite teddy in tow but on the other, she's a mystical sprite, a ghost, a French teenager. It's very weird. Not even my almost 14-year-old niece is THAT precocious. It's like Nell is an old soul in child's body. I love her though. She's a lot of fun and her "way with people" is funny and useful. Bertie doesn't have much to say in this book which is too bad. Reginald doesn't talk but they do learn they have cousins out there! Aunt Dimity is a wonderful character. I wasn't sure how I would feel about having the titular character be a ghost because paranormal isn't my thing, but I like how she isn't a phsyical ghost, she's just there in spirit. It's almost like she's still living because she communicates through writing just as she always did with Lori's mom. That's fun and makes it less paranormalish. Her voice is prim yet funny. I missed the elderly twin sisters though. They don't appear in this book.
In this story, we meet the English side of the Willis family, long estranged from the American branch over a family feud. No one knows exactly what happened and why so Willis, Sr. is eager to put out an olive branch and form a partnership, especially now the English branch of Willis & Willis is short a partner. Gerald Willis, a distant cousin of Bill's, was ousted from the company. He has a reputation as a womanizer and may have embezzeled money from the firm. Ladies are falling at his feet because he's so charming, Lori included. He claims he's caring for his elderly, ill father and left the firm of his own free will. He SEEMS like a nice guy but there are signs Lori might have fallen for a handsome face and sympathetic manner. I did not enjoy what happens shortly after they first met or all the lying. I'm not sure what to make of him. I really like his cousin Arthur who is a brainless but charming solicitor. He must be nearsighted or really, really, really clueless because the case of mistaken identity is bizarre but hilarious. Arthur seems kind and he's self-aware enough to know he's not the best and brightest mind the firm has to offer but that people would rather an incompetant man than an intelligent woman sometimes. (UGH).
I also really liked Arthur's cousin Lucy. She's very intelligent, down-to-earth and practical. She single-handedly runs the firm. Lucy is lovelorn and no it's not creepy to anyone but Americans but she doesn't let it stop her from doing her duty. She cares a lot about her eccentric mother who loves horses, the family history and her second husband, the younger Swan. Swan is devoted to her too and they seem like a nice family. They readily accept Nell and Lori into the family and Lori is able to repay Lucy for her kindness by helping Lucy out with her problem.
Their Uncle Williston is under a doctor's care in some kind of private mental institution referred to in not very kind tones. He's treated as kind of a joke because he thinks he's a distant ancestor from the 17th-century and transferring his feelings about his present day ex-wife and her lover to his ancestors. I find him perfectly delightful and a lovely man. I think he is more aware of things than his so-called doctor, Sir Poppet, gives him credit for. His meeting with Nell was a little weird and creepy but she wasn't bothered by it so no one else should be. I think he's fine the way he is. He isn't hurting anyone. I wasn't as enamored with Gerald's father, Tom. He's ill so maybe not at his best but his obession with antique planes and the reason why is far more bizarre and creepy to me than his brother's obsession with a woman or may or may not have existed. He seems a little forced into the story to provide a link back to Aunt Dimity. His butterscotch brownies are AMAZING though so I guess he's not so bad. Tom gives a hint about Aunt Dimity and perhaps we'll meet another cousin of Reginald's soon.
Back in the 18th-century, the Williston family was comprised of a strong, wealthy widow, Julia Louise and her two sons. Apparently because she was a strong-willed, wealthy woman, it means she has to come across as nasty. Did she do anything truly heinous or was she just tough? You must read the whole book to find out. Her sons were opposites of each other in spite of being twins. It's funny to learn which twin the American branch of the family is descended from because it seems like it would be the other way around.
I enjoyed this as a bit of mindless fluff to get out of the house and discuss with other cozy mystery fans but the datedness and the lack of historical accuracy bothered me too much to have this one be a favorite. DO try the recipe though. http://www.aunt-dimity.com/uncle-toms...
July 29, 2012
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 the cottage Lori inherited from Aunt Dimity.
But, Willis Sr. goes missing and Aunt Dimity gets involved.
All our favorite characters are back, we learn a great deal about Bill's family, and the stage is set for future installments.
This series introduced me to "Cozy" mysteries. I always read novels by Rex Stout, Agatha Christie, etc, but not mysteries like these. I was gifted an Aunt Dimity book for Christmas one year, and politely placed it on my shelf. My daughter asked me if I was really going to read that book. I didn't want it to get back to the person that gave me the book, so I told her that I was going to read it. She gave me a long stare and muttered something about it not being the type of book I normally read. Which is true. I'm normally the dark and twisty type. But, I was dusting my shelves one day and saw the book there, and got to worrying about the person that gave me the book asking me if I had enjoyed it or not. So, I took it down and read it. The rest is history. I have quite a cozy mystery collection now. I still love the dark, graphic, gory mysteries I always read, but I enjoy these cozies more and more. So, thank you, 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 the cottage Lori inherited from Aunt Dimity.
But, Willis Sr. goes missing and Aunt Dimity gets involved.
All our favorite characters are back, we learn a great deal about Bill's family, and the stage is set for future installments.
This series introduced me to "Cozy" mysteries. I always read novels by Rex Stout, Agatha Christie, etc, but not mysteries like these. I was gifted an Aunt Dimity book for Christmas one year, and politely placed it on my shelf. My daughter asked me if I was really going to read that book. I didn't want it to get back to the person that gave me the book, so I told her that I was going to read it. She gave me a long stare and muttered something about it not being the type of book I normally read. Which is true. I'm normally the dark and twisty type. But, I was dusting my shelves one day and saw the book there, and got to worrying about the person that gave me the book asking me if I had enjoyed it or not. So, I took it down and read it. The rest is history. I have quite a cozy mystery collection now. I still love the dark, graphic, gory mysteries I always read, but I enjoy these cozies more and more. So, thank you, Aunt Dimity!
March 9, 2011
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 little odd when a third character, an adult, turns up with a stuffed giraffe he talks to.
I'm hoping the series improves with more character development and a good mystery to solve.
I'm hoping the series improves with more character development and a good mystery to solve.
July 29, 2017
Very enjoyable. The characters from book number one, "Aunt Dimity's Death" return two years later and look into some old Willis family secrets. We get to meet Geraldine the Giraffe.
July 4, 2021
Not a murder in sight
Book 3 of the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton is a joy to read even though there isn't a murder in sight.
This book tells of the how and why Willis and Willis has a branch office in England. And how the hate of a mother for a son ruined a family. And how one man tried to save it by himself. It takes Willis Sr's idea to bring the truth out. Of course Lori, accompanied by the Lady Nell, gets the wrong end of the stick in both tracking down the disappearing father-in-law and her marriage. With Aunt Dimity's vague help this almost becomes a comedy of errors and was a much needed read for someone stuck in bed with a back that decided this weekend was a perfect time to cause trouble.
On to book 4
Book 3 of the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton is a joy to read even though there isn't a murder in sight.
This book tells of the how and why Willis and Willis has a branch office in England. And how the hate of a mother for a son ruined a family. And how one man tried to save it by himself. It takes Willis Sr's idea to bring the truth out. Of course Lori, accompanied by the Lady Nell, gets the wrong end of the stick in both tracking down the disappearing father-in-law and her marriage. With Aunt Dimity's vague help this almost becomes a comedy of errors and was a much needed read for someone stuck in bed with a back that decided this weekend was a perfect time to cause trouble.
On to book 4
April 27, 2018
Third in the Aunt Dimity cozy mystery series and revolving around the ghostly, helpful Aunt Dimity and her heiress, Lori Shepherd Willis. It appears to have been two years since
Aunt Dimity and the Duke
, 2, and the setting for this story is all over England.
My Take
Aunt Dimity's Good Deed was fun to read with plenty of scandal and horror that reached back to the early 1700s. It was also odd to read with a weird blend of coziness and me wondering which planet Atherton is on.
Oh, no, I don’t mean that she’s crazy, but that she had these characters engaging in questionable, impractical ways. William Sr is rather complaisant about being pushed out, and he’s the one with his daughter-in-law on her second honeymoon? I do like that he’s such a friendly bloke and willing to play chess with young Nell. Somehow, Derek is a building contractor AND an earl’s grandson? Emma is willing to let her twelve-year-old run off with Lori on her wild goose chase? Lady Eleanor? Only if her dad is the heir, and even then she’d be known as The Hon Eleanor Harris or Miss Harris. As for Sir Williston in the 1700s, how is that his YOUNGER brother is Lord William? I thought lords were a level above sirs??
As for the story, it’s all about perception and communication. And, hoo boy, are there ever some misconceptions running around in Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed! Not the least of which is Bill’s belief that his father should retire! As for Gerald’s "reputation"…well… And there are some interesting clues in Uncle Williston’s madness, ones that parallel the scandal in the eighteenth century.
Atherton uses a first person protagonist point-of-view — we’re only seeing events through Lori’s eyes, and I must say, her imagination works overtime. It was quite annoying, as she kept imagining how Bill "really" felt. It did fit in with that lack of communication that was running about. Communication, however, is not Nell’s problem. Oh, no, that young lady has got one heck of an imagination! She and Bertie are quite into disguises, er, I mean, costumes and creating fanciful backgrounds.
I confess, I don’t know why Lori is so frantic to find her father-in-law. He’s an adult. He left a note. OK, so it was an abbreviated note, but jeez.
I do, I do, I do adore the description of Anthea and Swann’s kitchen at the farm. It’s exactly what I would love.
Yep, it is a fun read, BUT it’s all sooo easy with extremely little tension, although it was high on the silly drama.
The Story
Between the overwhelming aunts insisting on babies and a workaholic husband, it’s left for Lori to take her father-in-law off to England for what was to have been her and Bill’s second honeymoon. Oh well…
Bored with less and less time on his hands, William Sr has his own plans, complicated by an ancient family scandal that may tie in with the current-day scandal involving the English family law firm of Willis & Willis.
It becomes a chase all over England, one that finds Lori and Nell accumulating clues everywhere!
The Characters
In Boston
Lori Shepherd had been married before. Reginald is Lori’s pink flannel rabbit. Joe and Beth Shepherd had been Lori’s parents, an overworked businessman and a schoolteacher.
The Boston branch of the Willis family was…
…established in the early eighteenth century. Today, Bill Willis is the lawyer in charge of Aunt Dimity’s will. A guy who fell head over heels in love with Lori. His family is part of a hoity-toity Boston family. Well, Father, William Willis, Sr, is a sweetheart with a love for armchair travel, and the head of Willis & Willis, one of the oldest and most prestigious law firms in New England. The hoity part comes with Bill’s aunts: Honoria and Charlotte. Nasty witches, they are.
Dr Stanford J. Finderman is the curator of the rare book collection at the library where Lori went to school. He’s also a friend and her former boss. The bickering Biddifords are Willis clients and have finally agreed to settle the late Quentin Biddiford’s will with Reeves Biddiford moving negotiations out of Boston. Randi is another Biddiford.
England
In Finch, there is…
…a lovely cottage that had belonged to Aunt Dimity Westwood; now, the cottage belongs to Lori. Aunt Dimity is the ghost who visits. Not a relative, but she had been Lori’s mother’s best friend. The Westwood Trust is a philanthropic organization formed by Aunt Dimity. Starling House was a home for widows and orphans founded by Dimity, and where Dimity took the newly orphaned Thomas. Bobby had been Dimity’s fiancé who was killed in World War II.
The garden-loving Emma Harris, a former computer engineer, is Lori’s friend in England who lives right next door to Lori’s new-from-Aunt-Dimity cottage with her husband, Derek, and her stepchildren, seventeen-year-old Peter and twelve-year-old Eleanor "Nell", a.k.a., Nicolette Gascon. Derek is a successful building contractor specializing in restoration work; his grandfather is an earl. Ham is Nell’s black Labrador retriever. Bertie is Nell’s always-coordinated teddy bear.
Mr Barlow is a retired mechanic who takes care of Lori’s English cars. Mr and Mrs Peacock’s pub is the closest thing to a hotel. Their son, Martin, left for the army 20 years ago. Peggy Kitchen has a shop on the square.
The Flamborough Hotel is…
…in London with Miss Kingsley the concierge. (She has an Aunt Edwina.) The Boston Willises have used it as a home base on every visit to England. Paul is a chauffeur friend who works for the hotel. Bjorn is the barman.
The English side of the Willises
The siblings of William Sr’s age group all retired from the family firm, leaving Lucy (Anthea and Douglas’ daughter) and Arthur Willis the cousins in charge of the English family law firm at No 3, Ann Elizabeth Court. I think George is the butler with the firm. Lucy’s sisters have only recently left university.
Haslemere, Surrey, is…
…where the angelic-looking Gerald Willis, a Willis cousin and former solicitor, now lives at The Larches. Mrs. Burweed is his housekeeper. The Georgian Hotel is a comfy place. Miss Coombs is the sighing receptionist; the maids include Mandy, Karen, and Jane; Denice works in the hotel garden; Alvira helps in the kitchen; and, Mr. Digby is the porter.
Cloverly House in Kent is…
…the nuthouse where Williston, the middle child, resides living out his guilty fantasies triggered by his wife, Sibyl Farrand. Sir Kenmare Poulteney is its director, and a friend of young Nell’s grandfather. Mrs Chumley is his housekeeper. Cyril is a gnomish-looking jack-of-all-trades for the place.
Old Warden, Bedfordshire is…
…the Picturesque village where Thomas, Gerald’s father and the oldest, has retired with his stuffed giraffe, Geraldine, after his heart attack. Nurse Watling takes care of him. Thomas loves living there as the village is near the Shuttleworth Collection of antique and airworthy aeroplanes. (Back in the day, Lord Ongley tore down the village and erected a Picturesque one to improve his view.)
Cobb Farm in Yorkshire is...
...where the horse-mad Anthea retired with her current husband, Swann. Seems Swann has had some SAS training. Douglas was her first husband.
Dr Hawkings is an English gynecologist? Mrs Farnham is of the miraculous triplets. Nanny Cole is a popular English couturier and a friend of the Harrises. Lady Rutherford is using the English Willis firm for her legal requirements. Toby "Toby the Terrible" Treadwell, an expert on papers and inks at the British Museum, is a friend of Lori’s. Danuta Sieggersson is a handwriting expert. Dr Sarah "Sally the Slut" Flannery was a physician with an open hand with the pills. Chief Inspector Mappin is with Scotland Yard.
Back in the early 1700s, in England…
…the infamous Julia Louise Willis is the Willis spouse who made the family firm successful in London. Sir Williston Willis was the elder son. Lord William was Sir Williston’s younger twin, who was shipped off to the Colonies and later married a Charlotte Eugenie Stoll. Sybella Markham was a wealthy orphan accepted into the Willis family.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white "mosaic" border of scrolls framing the cover with a background that is a deep royal blue that gets slightly lighter in the center. The author’s name at the top and info blurb are in white. A note about earlier books in the series is centered just below the author’s name and the title itself, centered at the bottom, are in yellow. Slightly above center is Reginald, Lori’s pink flannel rabbit.
I suspect the title is more about finding the real deed and with Aunt Dimity's Good Deed including all those helpful clues.
My Take
Aunt Dimity's Good Deed was fun to read with plenty of scandal and horror that reached back to the early 1700s. It was also odd to read with a weird blend of coziness and me wondering which planet Atherton is on.
Oh, no, I don’t mean that she’s crazy, but that she had these characters engaging in questionable, impractical ways. William Sr is rather complaisant about being pushed out, and he’s the one with his daughter-in-law on her second honeymoon? I do like that he’s such a friendly bloke and willing to play chess with young Nell. Somehow, Derek is a building contractor AND an earl’s grandson? Emma is willing to let her twelve-year-old run off with Lori on her wild goose chase? Lady Eleanor? Only if her dad is the heir, and even then she’d be known as The Hon Eleanor Harris or Miss Harris. As for Sir Williston in the 1700s, how is that his YOUNGER brother is Lord William? I thought lords were a level above sirs??
As for the story, it’s all about perception and communication. And, hoo boy, are there ever some misconceptions running around in Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed! Not the least of which is Bill’s belief that his father should retire! As for Gerald’s "reputation"…well… And there are some interesting clues in Uncle Williston’s madness, ones that parallel the scandal in the eighteenth century.
Atherton uses a first person protagonist point-of-view — we’re only seeing events through Lori’s eyes, and I must say, her imagination works overtime. It was quite annoying, as she kept imagining how Bill "really" felt. It did fit in with that lack of communication that was running about. Communication, however, is not Nell’s problem. Oh, no, that young lady has got one heck of an imagination! She and Bertie are quite into disguises, er, I mean, costumes and creating fanciful backgrounds.
I confess, I don’t know why Lori is so frantic to find her father-in-law. He’s an adult. He left a note. OK, so it was an abbreviated note, but jeez.
I do, I do, I do adore the description of Anthea and Swann’s kitchen at the farm. It’s exactly what I would love.
Yep, it is a fun read, BUT it’s all sooo easy with extremely little tension, although it was high on the silly drama.
The Story
Between the overwhelming aunts insisting on babies and a workaholic husband, it’s left for Lori to take her father-in-law off to England for what was to have been her and Bill’s second honeymoon. Oh well…
Bored with less and less time on his hands, William Sr has his own plans, complicated by an ancient family scandal that may tie in with the current-day scandal involving the English family law firm of Willis & Willis.
It becomes a chase all over England, one that finds Lori and Nell accumulating clues everywhere!
The Characters
In Boston
Lori Shepherd had been married before. Reginald is Lori’s pink flannel rabbit. Joe and Beth Shepherd had been Lori’s parents, an overworked businessman and a schoolteacher.
The Boston branch of the Willis family was…
…established in the early eighteenth century. Today, Bill Willis is the lawyer in charge of Aunt Dimity’s will. A guy who fell head over heels in love with Lori. His family is part of a hoity-toity Boston family. Well, Father, William Willis, Sr, is a sweetheart with a love for armchair travel, and the head of Willis & Willis, one of the oldest and most prestigious law firms in New England. The hoity part comes with Bill’s aunts: Honoria and Charlotte. Nasty witches, they are.
Dr Stanford J. Finderman is the curator of the rare book collection at the library where Lori went to school. He’s also a friend and her former boss. The bickering Biddifords are Willis clients and have finally agreed to settle the late Quentin Biddiford’s will with Reeves Biddiford moving negotiations out of Boston. Randi is another Biddiford.
England
In Finch, there is…
…a lovely cottage that had belonged to Aunt Dimity Westwood; now, the cottage belongs to Lori. Aunt Dimity is the ghost who visits. Not a relative, but she had been Lori’s mother’s best friend. The Westwood Trust is a philanthropic organization formed by Aunt Dimity. Starling House was a home for widows and orphans founded by Dimity, and where Dimity took the newly orphaned Thomas. Bobby had been Dimity’s fiancé who was killed in World War II.
The garden-loving Emma Harris, a former computer engineer, is Lori’s friend in England who lives right next door to Lori’s new-from-Aunt-Dimity cottage with her husband, Derek, and her stepchildren, seventeen-year-old Peter and twelve-year-old Eleanor "Nell", a.k.a., Nicolette Gascon. Derek is a successful building contractor specializing in restoration work; his grandfather is an earl. Ham is Nell’s black Labrador retriever. Bertie is Nell’s always-coordinated teddy bear.
Mr Barlow is a retired mechanic who takes care of Lori’s English cars. Mr and Mrs Peacock’s pub is the closest thing to a hotel. Their son, Martin, left for the army 20 years ago. Peggy Kitchen has a shop on the square.
The Flamborough Hotel is…
…in London with Miss Kingsley the concierge. (She has an Aunt Edwina.) The Boston Willises have used it as a home base on every visit to England. Paul is a chauffeur friend who works for the hotel. Bjorn is the barman.
The English side of the Willises
The siblings of William Sr’s age group all retired from the family firm, leaving Lucy (Anthea and Douglas’ daughter) and Arthur Willis the cousins in charge of the English family law firm at No 3, Ann Elizabeth Court. I think George is the butler with the firm. Lucy’s sisters have only recently left university.
Haslemere, Surrey, is…
…where the angelic-looking Gerald Willis, a Willis cousin and former solicitor, now lives at The Larches. Mrs. Burweed is his housekeeper. The Georgian Hotel is a comfy place. Miss Coombs is the sighing receptionist; the maids include Mandy, Karen, and Jane; Denice works in the hotel garden; Alvira helps in the kitchen; and, Mr. Digby is the porter.
Cloverly House in Kent is…
…the nuthouse where Williston, the middle child, resides living out his guilty fantasies triggered by his wife, Sibyl Farrand. Sir Kenmare Poulteney is its director, and a friend of young Nell’s grandfather. Mrs Chumley is his housekeeper. Cyril is a gnomish-looking jack-of-all-trades for the place.
Old Warden, Bedfordshire is…
…the Picturesque village where Thomas, Gerald’s father and the oldest, has retired with his stuffed giraffe, Geraldine, after his heart attack. Nurse Watling takes care of him. Thomas loves living there as the village is near the Shuttleworth Collection of antique and airworthy aeroplanes. (Back in the day, Lord Ongley tore down the village and erected a Picturesque one to improve his view.)
Cobb Farm in Yorkshire is...
...where the horse-mad Anthea retired with her current husband, Swann. Seems Swann has had some SAS training. Douglas was her first husband.
Dr Hawkings is an English gynecologist? Mrs Farnham is of the miraculous triplets. Nanny Cole is a popular English couturier and a friend of the Harrises. Lady Rutherford is using the English Willis firm for her legal requirements. Toby "Toby the Terrible" Treadwell, an expert on papers and inks at the British Museum, is a friend of Lori’s. Danuta Sieggersson is a handwriting expert. Dr Sarah "Sally the Slut" Flannery was a physician with an open hand with the pills. Chief Inspector Mappin is with Scotland Yard.
Back in the early 1700s, in England…
…the infamous Julia Louise Willis is the Willis spouse who made the family firm successful in London. Sir Williston Willis was the elder son. Lord William was Sir Williston’s younger twin, who was shipped off to the Colonies and later married a Charlotte Eugenie Stoll. Sybella Markham was a wealthy orphan accepted into the Willis family.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a white "mosaic" border of scrolls framing the cover with a background that is a deep royal blue that gets slightly lighter in the center. The author’s name at the top and info blurb are in white. A note about earlier books in the series is centered just below the author’s name and the title itself, centered at the bottom, are in yellow. Slightly above center is Reginald, Lori’s pink flannel rabbit.
I suspect the title is more about finding the real deed and with Aunt Dimity's Good Deed including all those helpful clues.
June 19, 2013
Lori Shepherd has been married for two years to Bill Willis, the hard-working, kindly lawyer she first met in Aunt Dimity's Death, and she’s dissatisfied: dissatisfied with the way her workaholic husband neglects her, with her infertility, with her boring life.
Lori’s hoping that a second honeymoon will spice up her marriage; however, instead of heading to England with Bill, she’s forced to go with her father-in-law William when Bill has to stay behind for work. Once in the English countryside, William hares off without telling anyone, and Lori, accompanied by the young daughter of a friend, heads out to track the wayward William Willis down. In the process and with the help of the ghost of Aunt Dimity, Lori meets the English branch of the Willis family and rights a 300-year-old injustice.
Lori’s always had a propensity to whine, but she really way to the tendency in Aunt Dimity’s Death. I very nearly abandoned this mystery because of my annoyance at her. “Grow up!” I wanted to yell at her. “Considering your Cinderella story, you don’t have a right to gripe!” Goodness! Lori met the man of her dreams and has risen to a privileged life due to paranormal intervention, and she thinks it’s not enough? She’s a frigging idiot! Sure, Aunt Dimity encourages Lori to keep on wishing, but Lori really does take things too far.
As in Aunt Dimity’s Death, Lori stupidly creates some of her own problems because she jumps to conclusions and then silently stews about them rather than communicate — you know, as adults do. It’s pretty sad when 12-year-old Nell Harris, Lori’s companion on the journey, is more mature than the alleged adult.
By Chapter 16, readers will know one of the denouements of the novel; it’s obvious enough that tween Nell has noticed. But Lori won’t realize it until the final chapter. Talk about obtuse! Two-thirds of the way through Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed, Lori comes to her senses, and that and the interesting mystery saves this novel from failure. From then on, the novel morphs into something quite charming, and I was engrossed until the last page. Still, the whiny middle really detracted from enjoying the novel, and it wasn't nearly as fun as the first two books in the series.
The synopsis of the fourth book of the series, Aunt Dimity Digs In, makes it sound as if Lori won’t be such a wet blanket. Good thing, too, as I don’t think I’m up to another whine-a-thon.
Lori’s hoping that a second honeymoon will spice up her marriage; however, instead of heading to England with Bill, she’s forced to go with her father-in-law William when Bill has to stay behind for work. Once in the English countryside, William hares off without telling anyone, and Lori, accompanied by the young daughter of a friend, heads out to track the wayward William Willis down. In the process and with the help of the ghost of Aunt Dimity, Lori meets the English branch of the Willis family and rights a 300-year-old injustice.
Lori’s always had a propensity to whine, but she really way to the tendency in Aunt Dimity’s Death. I very nearly abandoned this mystery because of my annoyance at her. “Grow up!” I wanted to yell at her. “Considering your Cinderella story, you don’t have a right to gripe!” Goodness! Lori met the man of her dreams and has risen to a privileged life due to paranormal intervention, and she thinks it’s not enough? She’s a frigging idiot! Sure, Aunt Dimity encourages Lori to keep on wishing, but Lori really does take things too far.
As in Aunt Dimity’s Death, Lori stupidly creates some of her own problems because she jumps to conclusions and then silently stews about them rather than communicate — you know, as adults do. It’s pretty sad when 12-year-old Nell Harris, Lori’s companion on the journey, is more mature than the alleged adult.
By Chapter 16, readers will know one of the denouements of the novel; it’s obvious enough that tween Nell has noticed. But Lori won’t realize it until the final chapter. Talk about obtuse! Two-thirds of the way through Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed, Lori comes to her senses, and that and the interesting mystery saves this novel from failure. From then on, the novel morphs into something quite charming, and I was engrossed until the last page. Still, the whiny middle really detracted from enjoying the novel, and it wasn't nearly as fun as the first two books in the series.
The synopsis of the fourth book of the series, Aunt Dimity Digs In, makes it sound as if Lori won’t be such a wet blanket. Good thing, too, as I don’t think I’m up to another whine-a-thon.
February 19, 2013
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 unthinkable.
Lori is still brusque and short-tempered. Thankfully, her traveling companion is the quick-witted and intuitive Nell, who is known far and wide for having an incredible knack with people.
Nell's skills are proven beyond valuable when she and Lori continually miss Willis, Sr., at every stop. As they track him, they find themselves embroiled in Willis family mysteries both old and new. Atherton presents a tangling of details, each more curious than the last. She also introduces a large, affable cast, all of whom hold bits and pieces of the big picture.
It's a whirling story involving terrible scandals, family pressures, lost loves, and butterscotch brownies. Lori and Nell make a good team, though I daresay most of the work is handled by the eerily self-possessed child.
The unfolding of secrets kept my attention from start to finish. I enjoyed gathering clues and forming conclusions along with the characters; Atherton allows all the dots to connect on-page so the armchair sleuth feels quite included.
Pinpointing all the signs of Dimity's influence was just as entertaining. It's becoming clear that she helped a vast network of people throughout her life. Through Atherton's stories, all of England will soon be tapped in a massive game of Six Degrees of Dimity Westwood.
Why should a silly thing like death stop her work?
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 unthinkable.
Lori is still brusque and short-tempered. Thankfully, her traveling companion is the quick-witted and intuitive Nell, who is known far and wide for having an incredible knack with people.
Nell's skills are proven beyond valuable when she and Lori continually miss Willis, Sr., at every stop. As they track him, they find themselves embroiled in Willis family mysteries both old and new. Atherton presents a tangling of details, each more curious than the last. She also introduces a large, affable cast, all of whom hold bits and pieces of the big picture.
It's a whirling story involving terrible scandals, family pressures, lost loves, and butterscotch brownies. Lori and Nell make a good team, though I daresay most of the work is handled by the eerily self-possessed child.
The unfolding of secrets kept my attention from start to finish. I enjoyed gathering clues and forming conclusions along with the characters; Atherton allows all the dots to connect on-page so the armchair sleuth feels quite included.
Pinpointing all the signs of Dimity's influence was just as entertaining. It's becoming clear that she helped a vast network of people throughout her life. Through Atherton's stories, all of England will soon be tapped in a massive game of Six Degrees of Dimity Westwood.
Why should a silly thing like death stop her work?
June 9, 2012
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 lurking in the past. In this particular book in the series, there is a coming together of the two branches of the Willis family (into which Lori has married), the Boston branch, of which Lori is a part, and the English branch, from which the Boston branch originates. The back story of how the two branches were separated and estranged is one which takes Lori traipsing across England with her friend's 12-year-old step-daughter in pursuit of Lori's father-in-law. The discoveries yielded are both wonderful and painful. Nancy Atherton has created a most engaging world into which I plan to be a frequent visitor.
September 2, 2012
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 in England for her and Bill, but he is about to settle a fuss that's been going on for years in the Biddiford family - they asked for him especially. So, she goes with her father-in-law, William. After their arrival, she goes over to see Emma. Nell, Emma's stepdaughter goes to play a game of chess with Bill and discovers him gone - missing. He leaves a cryptic note that is totally confusing and Aunt Dimity has also left a note saying she is smuggling herself and Reginald, Lori's old pink flannel bunny, into his suitcase and Lori MUST come after them and stop him because he's stirring up a 300-year-old family fuss. And it's better to let sleeping dogs lie, isn't it?
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.
October 1, 2017
2nd Honeymoon, A Hunt for the Truth, and Scandal Lori has been under a great deal of stress trying to get to know her new husband and he has been under a lot of stress trying to do all the work so that he can take over for his father. All this stress and the aunts who constantly ask when are you going to have a baby. Lori decides that she and her husband, Bill, need to go on vacation to her English cottage. An inheritance from her mother's friend, Aunt Dimity. Just as they are ready to leave, her husband has to go out of town to deal with something that he had started and the family involved states they are ready to finish. So she and her father-in-law, William, go to England together. One day while she is visiting her friend, Emma, Emma's step-daughter comes running back to say that William has gone missing and the items from Aunt Dimity are with him. Nell and Lori take off to find William and bring him back.
Cute story that is a continuation of the 1st book, the 2nd introduces the love story of Emma and her husband and his children. The story is interesting as it brings more family into the story and allows for more story plots to develop.
Questions that are brought up:
1. Why did William take off?
2. Why did Gerald leave the firm?
3. Who was Sybilla and how does she play into the story?
4. Why is Lori sick all the time after leaving London?
5. Will Bill ever get to England to be with his wife?
6. What did Dimity mean that the money involved was not worth a life?
Cute story that is a continuation of the 1st book, the 2nd introduces the love story of Emma and her husband and his children. The story is interesting as it brings more family into the story and allows for more story plots to develop.
Questions that are brought up:
1. Why did William take off?
2. Why did Gerald leave the firm?
3. Who was Sybilla and how does she play into the story?
4. Why is Lori sick all the time after leaving London?
5. Will Bill ever get to England to be with his wife?
6. What did Dimity mean that the money involved was not worth a life?
October 16, 2018
Aunt Dimity is at it again. This time she rescues Lori from extreme loneliness and self pity by sending her off to England again for a second honeymoon. However, it didn't work from the beginning since Lori started the honeymoon alone, which pretty much destroys the honeymoon part of the trip. Once there with her father in law, who she loves but is no substitute for the missing husband, she misplaces the farther in law. Or, rather, he misplaced himself. Lori and her young neighbor Nell, age 12 going on 22 at least, take off to chase the father in law and try and figure out what on earth he is doing. Aunt Dimity gives a few clues along the way but most of the guessing was done by Nell and Lori. Nell did the most since Lori just didn't feel right. Nausea, backache, etc. The hints are pretty heavy handed and I doubt many readers will be as surprised as Lori was at the big reveal of what her symptoms meant. Hint: it wasn't jet lag. It turns out that Willis Sr had a scheme going which among other things meant contacting the English side of the Willis family who have some (literal) skeletons in their closet.
This book was fun and in many ways the beginning of the series since it now establishes the various locations and neighbors necessary to the series. It wasn't as good as the first in the series, but was better than the second. I'm going to continue reading.....
This book was fun and in many ways the beginning of the series since it now establishes the various locations and neighbors necessary to the series. It wasn't as good as the first in the series, but was better than the second. I'm going to continue reading.....
November 13, 2021
This one was....well...I mean, it was good and I enjoyed it, it's just that when I finished it I went....what did I just read?
This was a different kind of mystery; Lori, who is supposed to be on a second honeymoon with workaholic husband Bill, instead flies to London with her father-in-law who promptly disappears. After a warning from Dimity, Lori enlists the help of Nell, the tween daughter of her friend and neighbor Emma. They set off to find the missing William and uncover a family mystery that reverberates hundreds of years later.
If I had to sum up this series in one word, it would be magical. Not the Harry Potter WinGARdium LevIosa kind of magic but more like The Secret Garden kind of magic, which has a charm all its own. There's not much realism in this one, not that it matters. No, this exists to be a feel good happy ending kind of warm and cozy read and made for a relaxing evening read.
This was a different kind of mystery; Lori, who is supposed to be on a second honeymoon with workaholic husband Bill, instead flies to London with her father-in-law who promptly disappears. After a warning from Dimity, Lori enlists the help of Nell, the tween daughter of her friend and neighbor Emma. They set off to find the missing William and uncover a family mystery that reverberates hundreds of years later.
If I had to sum up this series in one word, it would be magical. Not the Harry Potter WinGARdium LevIosa kind of magic but more like The Secret Garden kind of magic, which has a charm all its own. There's not much realism in this one, not that it matters. No, this exists to be a feel good happy ending kind of warm and cozy read and made for a relaxing evening read.
April 21, 2022
It was very cute, overall a nice cozy series. Lots of names in this one because we find out some history about Bill's family, multi-generational similar names. so I got a bit confused about who was who, what uncle was who's dad, but it didn't let it stop me.
Looking forward to the next one, when I figure out which one that is. I read one out of order without realizing it, so trying to be a bit more careful.
Looking forward to the next one, when I figure out which one that is. I read one out of order without realizing it, so trying to be a bit more careful.
July 30, 2018
Thanks to Aunt Dimity, Lori Shepherd's life has become a fairy-tale. She plans a second honeymoon for herself and her workaholic boyfriend, Bill. Bill has a work emergency but insists she goes on ahead to England and take his father with her. Then he disappears. How can Lori tell Bill that she's lost his Dad?
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May 7, 2022Third in this paranormal cozy mystery series, in which the couple who marry earlier are now having some difficulties because Bill is a workaholic. These are sweet and fun books and sometimes that's just what a person needs.
August 20, 2019
These books are so cute and enjoyable! Are they completely unrealistic? Yes. Do I love the crap out of them anyway? Also yes.
October 17, 2020
I really enjoyed the characters and the plot, which had a lot of chuckle-worthy humor.
August 21, 2021
I do enjoy this series
January 26, 2020
This series is great as a fun read.
June 13, 2020
Full of surprises
September 15, 2018
I know that the stuffed animals are symbolic in these books, but I've just started getting a little annoyed at how even the adults treat them as if they were alive.
The plot was thickened a bit too much by adding a ton of supporting characters that you had to weed out information on.
That said, it was a cozy read trying to figure out what Willis Sr. is up to then figuring out what the heck is going on with the family.
The plot was thickened a bit too much by adding a ton of supporting characters that you had to weed out information on.
That said, it was a cozy read trying to figure out what Willis Sr. is up to then figuring out what the heck is going on with the family.
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