Book Review: A Cozy Mystery With a Touch of Ghost Story

Okay, I have my cup of tea and my cat is purring on my lap, so now I am in the perfect frame of mind to tell you about one of my favorite cozy mysteries. (Yes, I have today off so I’m posting this from home.) Aunt Dimity’s Death by Nancy Atherton is a wonderful, romantic, cozy mystery, and it is also quite possibly the least spooky ghost story ever. Lori Shepherd is stuck in a downward spiral. First, she got a divorce and moved back to the east coast. She discovered that her old job had literally gone up in smoke, and had to turn to temping instead. Then, her mother died. After the funeral, she threw herself into her work and pretty much stopped talking to anyone. On the day that she came home early to find the letter waiting for her, she had pretty much hit rock bottom. But the letter’s news of Aunt Dimity’s death, when as far as Lori was concerned “Aunt Dimity” was a character from the bedtime stories of her childhood, became the catalyst that catapulted Lori out of her grey existence and onto the trail of a mystery over forty years old.

I blame this review on my mother. She’s the one that talked me into reading this book in the first place. And therefore it’s her fault that I read three of the series in one day. Perhaps it is more accurate to say *inhaled* rather than read. Okay, I admit it. She has good taste in books. I love that Lori has a stuffed rabbit named Reginald. That’s him on the cover. Come to think of it, perhaps that’s why my mother read it in the first place. She collects rabbits, you see.

The story is told in the first person from Lori Shepherd’s point of view. Through her eyes we see her slowly coming back to life. Nancy Atherton’s skill in characterization is obvious even here in book one. No one seems two dimensional. It’s really rather refreshing. The plot is just fast paced enough to keep you reading. And there is a lovely cookie recipe at the end of the book. Targeted at adults, but appropriate for young adults, Aunt Dimity’s Death is just the book for a nice quiet evening.

Place a hold on the book here.

Nancy Atherton’s Website: http://www.aunt-dimity.com

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