Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince (Aunt Dimity Mystery, #18)

by Nancy Atherton

[MurderByDeath]

The books in this series are truly fairy tales for adults. No murder mystery, but always a mystery of some kind, meant to provide an opportunity for growth for the protagonist, right down to a "moral of the story" of sorts at the end. Because, or in spite of, this, these stories are always entertaining with fantastic, colourful, characters and really no villains to speak of. My only complaint about the books - well, two really: I wish the author could figure out a way for Aunt Dimity to pass on her wisdom without making Lori impulsive to the point of childish and make Aunt Dimity less condescending while passing on her wisdom. Secondly, if Lori could not jump to so many ridiculous conclusions, that would be great. Although I will say, she was much more rational in this book.

Aunt Dimity and the Lost Price centers around the fantastical tales told by a child, and the reality that lies at the heart of them. The child herself makes exactly one appearance in the story, but she makes quite an impression with everyone she meets and Lori and her neighbor Bree follow a string of clues to find the "Lost Price". With an ending not quite what you'd expect, but a happy one, this was a fast, entertaining read. If you don't try to make these books something they are not (murder mysteries with suspects, etc.), and enjoy them for what they are, they'll never let you down.