Aunt Dimity Mystery
25 primary works • 26 total works
Book 1
The debut that kicked off twenty-two books (and counting...) of the bestselling, beloved Aunt Dimity series. Watch out for Nancy Atherton's latest, Aunt Dimity and the King's Ransom, coming in July 2018 from Viking!
Lori Shepherd thought Aunt Dimity was just a character in a bedtime story...
...Until the Dickensian law firm of Willis & Willis summons her to a reading of the woman's will. Down-on-her-luck Lori learns she's about to inherit a siazable estate--if she can discover the secret hidden in a treasure trove of letters in Dimity's English country cottage. What begins as a fairy tale becomes a mystery--and a ghost story--in an improbably cozy setting, as Aunt Dimity's indominable spirit leads Lori on an otherworldly quest to discover how, in this life, true love can conquer all.
Book 2
Emma Porter is forty, fat, frumpy, and a passionate amateur gardener. When her longtime lover dumps her for a younger woman, Emma escapes the cloying sympathy of family and friends by setting out on a summer-long driving tour of England’s glorious gardens. A Dimity-contrived coincidence brings her to Penford Hall, a sprawling Gothic mansion in Cornwall, where she finds a duke in search of a missing lantern with extraordinary powers.
Suspecting there’s more than one mystery to be solved at Penford Hall, Emma accepts the duke’s invitation to stay on and restore the once glorious chapel garden to its former beauty. The dark rumors surrounding a rock star and the near-death of the duke’s beautiful cousin confirm Emma’s suspicions, and set her–with Aunt Dimity’s ghostly guidance–on the path to Penford Hall’s secrets and the pleasure of unexpected love.
Book 03
Book 4
With Reginald, the stuffed pink rabbit and Edmond Terrance, the stuffed tiger in tow, Lori hunts down a missing document, and the archaeologist digs up a lot more than artifacts. It is Aunt Dimity's magic blue notebook that provides the key to buried secrets and domestic malice, and shows all the residents of Finch that even the darkest acts can be overcome by forgiveness.
Book 5
Lori can hardly wait for Christmas this year: lean times are over, the cottage Aunt Dimity willed her is more beautiful than ever, her nine-month-old twins, Will and Rob, are thriving, and she and husband Bill have never been happier. Determined to make this Christmas the best ever, Lori embarks on a round of shopping, holly-cutting, angel-cookie making, and more. When fat snow flakes begin drifting down outside of the window, Lori feels all her holiday wishes are about to come true. But the next day, beneath the lilac bushes now covered by freshly fallen snow, Lori makes a disturbing discovery: the body of a mysterious stranger--a tramp--barely alive.
While the nearby village of Finch continues with its seasonal preparations, including rehearsals for the Christmas Eve Nativity play, Lori puts her plans on hold and teams up with Julian Bright--a devilishly attractive Roman Catholic priest--to search out the stranger's identity. Their journey takes them from abandoned World War II airfields to homeless shelters, places where the Christmas star shines dimly, if at all. As Lori unveils the tragic secret that led the stranger to her door, she confronts painful truths about herself and discovers the real meaning of a perfect family Christmas.
Book 6
Lori arrives to find a creepy Victorian mansion with turrets and towers. But her hosts, newlyweds Nicola and Paul Hollander, warmly welcome Lori into their home. Lori works through the inches of dust and spider webs to examine the library's books -- and there she discovers a trove of love letters dating from WWI, written by a young lieutenant to his lover Claire, Nicola's great aunt. One of the letters hints at a hidden treasure somewhere within Tarrant Hall.
Lori is surprised when this news seems to disturb rather than intrigue Nicola, and as All Souls' Eve approaches, Nicola confesses to hearing bumps in the night. She wants to know: does Lori believe in ghosts?
Aunt Dimity guides Lori toward uncovering the mysteries of Tarrant Hall -- which involve old family secrets and otherworldy spirits -- and it all turns out to be much more interesting than evaluating a rare book collection.
Book 7
When Lori and her family return from a three-month visit to the States, she finds the town atwitter over the death of Prunella "Pruneface" Hooper. Prunella sowed the seeds of discord at every turn, and Lori is intrigued enough --and upset enough by the ugliness directed at several of her closest friends--to try to solve the murder.
Book 8
Book 9
Can Lori unravel a mystery that is thicker than the snow on the Cotswold hills?
The snow forces Lori to take shelter in a house of treasures and secrets in Aunt Dimity: Snowbound, the ninth mystery from much-loved author Nancy Atherton. Perfect for fans of M. C. Beaton and Ann Granger.
'Witty and engaging... just the thing when life gets to be too much, and you want to escape into a book' - Lincoln Journal Star
A winter's stroll in the Cotswolds takes an unexpected turn for Lori Shepherd when a snow blizzard strikes out of the blue. Together with two backpackers, she seeks shelter in the nearby Ladythorne Abbey, once home to Lady Lucasta DeClerke, and waits for the storm to pass.
But it soon becomes clear that there is more to the Abbey's late owner than meets the eye. And when Lori learns of a plot to steal a priceless family heirloom, she attempts to prevent the theft and keep herself out of harm's way. But as her ghostly Aunt Dimity says, 'Old sins cast long shadows'. If Lori is to banish the hatred and guilt shrouding Ladythorne Abbey, she will need all the wisdom and compassion she can find.
What readers are saying about Aunt Dimity: Snowbound:
'If I only had one book to read on a rainy afternoon, this would be the one'
'Not since I first went through the wardrobe to discover the magic of Narnia have I so enjoyed a book'
'Delightful. Interesting characters, great descriptions of village life, and a unique concept make this series a comforting read'
Book 10
Feeling a touch world-weary, Lori Shepherd decides to become a volunteer at the Radcliffe Infirmary, where she meets Elizabeth Beacham, a kind, retired legal secretary. But after only one visit, Miss Beacham passes away, leaving behind no family except a brother who has mysteriously disappeared. Armed with the generous help of a handsome neighbor and, as always, Aunt Dimity's supernatural skills, Lori begins to unearth Miss Beacham's secrets--including the surprising truth about her next of kin. Full of delightfully surprising twists and turns, Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin is another page-turning installment in the mystery series that has won the hearts of cozy mystery fans everywhere.
Book 11
Nancy Atherton ’s Aunt Dimity novels have enchanted thousands of readers, and this new addition to the series is likely to broaden the spell. A series of death threats sends Lori Shepard to a remote island off the Scottish coast and to a fabulous castle restored by an eccentric friend of her husband’s. But she finds herself drawn into an elaborate whodunit that may involve smuggling—or worse. Why has a human skull washed up on the beach? Is a desolate island really the best place to hide from a murderer? As Lori draws once more on Aunt Dimity’s supernatural aid, Atherton whips equal measures of whimsy and suspense into an irresistible confection.
Book 12
Nancy Atherton 's Aunt Dimity series has charmed its way into the hearts of mystery fans everywhere, finding a larger audience with each new book. In Aunt Dimity Goes West, Atherton's vivid storytelling and knack for bringing a setting to life will have fans lassoed to their chairs. Lori Shepherd, still recovering from her most recent adventure, is taking a vacation with her family in the beautiful mountain town of Bluebird, Colorado. But there's something amiss at their seemingly perfect vacation home. Is the place cursed or is a sinister human hand shaping its eerie reputation? With Aunt Dimity's help, Lori sets out to solve a hundred- year-old mystery and discovers that sometimes the strangest places can seem the most like home.
Book 13
Penguin's popular Aunt Dimity series returns and "loyal fans will be thrilled by every new revelation"(Kirkus Reviews)
Everyone's favorite paranormal detective is back in Nancy Atherton's thirteenth Aunt Dimity mystery-but this time Lori's supernatural confidante may not be the only one who's not quite dead. Could the cloaked figure Lori's twins saw in the woods near the family's English country cottage really have been a vampire? Atherton's ever-growing legion of fans and all fans of cozy mysteries will find themselves curling up with a nice cup of garlic- er, tea-for the most spine-tingling Aunt Dimity mystery yet.
Watch out for Nancy Atherton's latest, Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse, coming in May 2017 from Viking!
Book 14
Book 15
Mystery readers everywhere continue to be won over by Nancy Atherton's popular cozy series. In the latest installment, Lori Shepherd is bereft when she learns that her beloved neighbors, Ruth and Louise Pym, may be dying. Summoning her to their sickroom, the elderly sisters have a favor to ask: Will Lori find their long-lost brother, Aubrey, before death claims them? Despite her misgivings, Lori sets out for distant New Zealand-where Aubrey fled after being cast out of the family in disgrace. With the help of a charming kiwi bird and her otherworldly friend, Aunt Dimity, Lori tries to heal a family broken by deceit.
Book 16
After a dizzying time Down Under, Lori Shepherd returns to Finch and finds that her wealthy father-in-law, William Willis, Sr., has just purchased a splendid ten-acre estate nearby. While William fends off local ladies intent on romance, Lori oversees the painstaking restoration of a peculiar painting found during renovations. It's nothing Lori can't handle-until moving furniture, strange sounds, and the theft of the painting prompt her to call on Aunt Dimity for help uncovering the estate's shadowy past.
Book 17
When Amelia Thistle moves to Finch, her new neighbors welcome her with open arms-and inquiring minds. Among them is Lori Shepherd, who isn't fooled by Amelia's unassuming persona. Amelia is, in fact, a world-famous artist with a rabid and eager-to-stalk fan base.
In order to keep peace in Finch, Lori must help Amelia conceal her identity. Amelia, meanwhile, sets about working on the riddle that brought her to town in the first place. A fragment of a family diary hints that one of Amelia's ancestors might have been Mistress Meg, the Mad Witch of Finch. Following the clue, Lori hunts through Finch's darkest and most secret corners, all the while dodging nosy neighbors and Amelia's frantic fans. With Aunt Dimity's otherworldly help, Lori inches closer to the true story of Mistress Meg-and Amelia.
Returning to the charming world of Finch, Nancy Atherton's latest novel is sure to delight faithful Aunt Dimity readers, Anglophiles, and cozy mystery fans.
Book 18
It’s a cold, dreary February in the sleepy village of Finch and Lori Shepherd has two stir-crazy kids on her hands. So she leaps at the chance to visit Skeaping Manor, a bizarre Jacobean-house-turned-museum. There she meets Daisy Pickering, a sweet, but strange little girl from a poor family who spins a wild tale about the Russian aristocrats who once owned the priceless silver pieces on display. A few days later, Daisy’s shabby pink parka turns up at Lori’s thrift shop—with a silver sleigh figurine in the pocket. Lori tries to track down the Pickering family, only to find that they’ve disappeared without a trace.
A delightful whodunit stretching back to the Russian Revolution, Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince will beguile new and longtime fans.
Book 19
Book 20
