Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch (Aunt Dimity Mystery, #17)

by Nancy Atherton

[MurderByDeath]

I've been a huge fan of this series since I first stumbled on Aunt Dimity's Death. They are the very epitome of cozy mysteries, although almost never (never?) about a murder, but always some mystery - usually about somebody's past. Reading this book is truly like a visit with old friends, or like going home to the English village you never grew up in. The characters of the village are all there, adding colour and humour. The village itself comforting in it's very small size and unchanging face. I found the plot more interesting than most of the previous books, as this was a treasure hunt of sorts, following clues to the next step in the mystery. I love treasure hunts! I found several surprises as the story came to a close, which always makes the book that much better, I think.

About the only thing I can say negative about the book is that I often find myself not liking the protagonist, Lori. Not always, but sometimes the author makes her so silly, so melodramatic, it just rings false. There are scenes where she comes off as silly and empty headed. This doesn't jibe with a woman who is supposed to be running a multi-million dollar philanthropic trust. But these near-misses are only maybe 5% of the book and they won't stop me from picking this book up again in the future to visit Finch once again.