Customer Reviews

Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you like fun characters, and playful cozy mysteries without too much violence, you'll enjoy Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea. In this ongoing series, Lori, a lively mom and housewife, finds herself solving odd mysteries, with the help of the spirit of a departed friend, Aunt Dimity, who has willed her cottage in Englznd to Laurie. Dimity communicates with Lori through magic writing in a big blue journal.

This time, somebody wants to get even with her husband, Bill by harming Lori and her five-year-old twins, Will and Rob. This person signs himself Abbadon on threatening e-mails sent to Bill's office. There's nothing to do but whisk Lori and the boys away to an island on the west coast of Scotland, to a castle owned by an eccentric family friend.

Two body guards and Aunt Dimity's advice can't keep Abadon from finding the hideout fortress. But he doesn't come before Lori and two English aristocrat friends uncover what might be a dark secret on the island, and the castle's owner, Sir Percy almost turns out to be someone Lori nevvr expected him to be.

Everything comes together in a horrific storm that leads to a thrilling ending befitting any mystery, and a fun ending befitting a story where one of the characters communicates kindly from the Beyond.

For me the most fun of the Aunt Dimity series has been the way Nancy Athwerton creates fun and suspense out of what might in other hands become cliche situations. I think the playful spirit of Aunt Dimity lets this happen. If she can communicate with Lori through a blue journal, then Lori can have a good friend who owns a Scottish castle. The climax can come on a dark and stormy night.

Atherton cleverly adapts the magic of having spirits around to the every day world. The Aunt Dimity series is fantastic without venturing into an altered reality, such as a land of Hobbits, or a school for wizards. This attribute makes the books refreshing. We can be comfortable knowing Lori will come out all right, because the story is playful. We can solve a mystery without a lot of blood and guts. We can have fun with wonderful characters and settings that offer us an enjoyable read.

With Aunt Dimity & the Next of Kin being my first exposure to the Aunt Dimity series, I wasn't sure I was looking forward to Aunt Dimity & the Deep Blue Sea, but I decided to soldier on, since I already had it. The first book wasn't too bad, just extremely superficial with a small message attached to it. Would this be more of the same? Thankfully not. While the resolution of the plot leaves something to be desired, and the mystery turns out to be a bit corny, this held my attention much more than the first one did.

The book opens on a tense note, with Bill, Lori Shepherd's lawyer husband, coming home to tell his family that they must vacate their quiet village home because he has received death threats, apparently from a former client. While he works with the local police to figure out who it might be and to stop them, he gets one of their rich friends, Sir Percy, to fly the rest of the family away to a secluded location. It turns out to be an island cut off from most civilization. There, Percy has a castle and has hired two of the best bodyguards he knows (Damian and Andrew) to watch over Lori and the kids. Of course, she takes the Aunt Dimity journal with her, the one where Dimity's ghost communicates with Lori. But there's something strange about the only village on the island, with the residents doing everything in their power to keep tourists at bay. What's the secret behind their activities? And is it as nefarious as it seems?

Aunt Dimity & the Deep Blue Sea has a lot more tension than the earlier book, and I adored it for that reason alone. Unfortunately, this is also a strike against the book, mainly because none of the tension actually builds to anything, except reconfirming Lori's worldview that everybody is nice (except for the man trying to kill her family to take revenge on Bill, of course). Thus, I really enjoyed the book while I was reading it but I was left a little annoyed once I was done. The attempted murder plot almost feels tacked on and the rest of the story, while atmospheric, ultimately shakes down to nothing in particular.

Instead, Atherton gives us an extended tour of the castle and surrounding lands, spending quite a few pages doing this, despite the fact that the book is quite short. Usually, when an author does this, most of the information will be put to good use later in the story, but most of it isn't in this case. It just adds to the atmosphere a little bit while dragging the plot to a halt. This is, however, where we meet Damian and Andrew. Damian becomes the main focus of the plot, as he is Lori's personal bodyguard and she takes it upon herself to get him to lighten up a little bit. He never cracks a smile and he doesn't respond to her little jokes at all. When the mystery of what's going on with the village presents itself (and it does in a very coincidental fashion), Damian finds himself drawn in due to Lori's infectious curiosity.

In fact, the interplay between these two characters is the highlight of the book (along with Aunt Dimity, of course, but more later). I only have two books as a sample, but Atherton seems at her best when she gives Lori a male companion to play off of, whether it's Gabriel in Next of Kin or Damian here. Especially wonderful is the scene when the power goes out and Lori asks him into her room to find out his thoughts on the village. He is stiff as a board and even thinks she might try and seduce him. It's a hilarious scene and Damian's growth throughout the book is great.

It's too bad that none of the other characters even come close to this. All of them have their role to play in the plot and that's about it. The arrival of an old friend is way too coincidental, even as Atherton tries to justify it. Other coincidences abound too, supposedly adding to the tension but then being explained away. The attempted murder plot doesn't interfere with the island mystery except for the interludes provided by Bill's phone calls, which seem to be included in the story more to remind us that there actually is something serious going on than anything else.

Aunt Dimity is a bit more prominent this time around, actually doing something for once (using her unique situation to confirm what a departed spirit is either doing or not doing, but to say more would be spoiling). She's a great character, which can be surprising considering we only know about her through her writing in the journal to Lori. It also adds a bit more substance to her role in the series, as well as confirming some things (which admittedly may already have been confirmed in earlier books). She doesn't know anything about what happens in our world except what Lori tells her, but she can check out what any other dead people are doing (or not doing, if they're not around anymore). Good to know.

Aunt Dimity & the Deep Blue Sea is a much more satisfying book than Next of Kin, despite the way it ends. It's still light as a feather, but at least there appears to be something behind the story this time around. There is a sense of danger occasionally, which is a nice change. While this book certainly won't make me seek out any others, I will certainly read them if they come to me. They're a nice change of pace from having to think much. Just sit back and take a breather while immersing yourself in something kind of fun.

David Roy

Once again Lori Shepherd finds herself in the middle of a mystery but this time there is nothing she can do. Bill has been threatened with the death of his family (Lori and the 5-year-old twins). The police are working to try to identify the person writing the letters and advise that Lori and the children go into hiding. While in exile Lori, of course, finds a less threatening mystery to solve.

This one is more laid back than usual as Lori learns about her new environment and the people. She learns to trust the bodyguards ability to protect her and the boys. Then Peter shows up out of the blue with a girlfriend no less.

A wonderful book to get lost in for a day especially if you wish you had an Aunt Dimity to write in a blue journal and help to keep you on the right course of action and even to see the road to take.

When her husband receives death threats from an apparently angry client, Lori Shepherd and her twin sons are packed into a helicopter and whisked from England to an island off the Scotland coast. There, with family friend Sir Percy Pelham, and with a couple of bodyguards Pelhan provides, Lori hopes to remain safe--and to protect her children. Surely there is no way the mysterious "Abaddon" could follow them here. Even if he learned where they were hiding, he would have a hard time reaching the island, and a harder time doing it secretly. It seems that the islanders, wishing to prevent developers from ruining their island paradise, have cut off most contact with the outside world. Any strangers are closely observed.

The first night on the island, Lori observes mysterious lights on a nearby rock formation--a formation claimed by the locals to be both cursed and haunted. Could it be that the ghost of a long-dead monk still haunts the rock? Or is it more likely that Abaddon has somehow managed to cross the distance? With the assistance of her notebook, which contains the ghost of a spirit named Aunt Dimity, Lori hopes to address at least the question of lingering spirits. Gradually, though, and with the help of an old family friend, she begins seeing cracks in the too-perfect life of the islanders. Everyone lives comfortably, with the latest conveniences. Yet they distain tourism and the handcrafted tweed industry, said to be the basis of their wealth, simply couldn't generate the level of wealth enjoyed by the locals.

With the help of Aunt Dimity, and a sexy bodyguard, Lori attempts to unravel the mystery of the too-rich island, while simultaneously attempting to ensure that her children remain safe.

Author Nancy Atherton spins an enjoyable mystery. Lori makes a sympathetic sleuth, with the threat from Abaddon combining with the mysterious nature of the island's wealth combining to create interest. The notebook that is Aunt Dimity serves more as a sounding board for Lori's musings than as a major character, but then, most mystery readers would want Lori to solve the mysteries rather than being given the answer by a book.

Mystery traditionalists may object that Lori doesn't actually solve either mystery herself. One she has explained to her and the other leads to a bit of deus ex machina, but Atherton's engaging writing makes the reading worthwhile. I did think that Lori's crime rankings (drugs are bad, despoiling archeological remains and avoiding income taxes are okay) were a bit convenient. Surely a person as inately good as Lori would have more concerns about any type of illegal activity--especially as even morally justified illegal activities tend to create the need for other, more violent, crimes.

If you're looking for a quick light mystery, AUNT DIMITY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA might just be the story for you.

You have to suspend disbelief for this book, but then again, you have to do that to swallow the basic premise of the Aunt Dimity series. So jump in, relax and enjoy the ride.
Bill receives a series of threatening e-mails. When Scotland Yard becomes involved, it's clear Lori and the boys have to clear off to somewhere safe until the villian can be uncovered. Hence, they are whisked off to a remote Scottish island by a millionaire friend where Lori becomes involved in investigating the enigma of the island and its locals.
This is a pleasant, fun, relaxing, excapist read. Enjoy.

This weekend I read the latest book in Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series: Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea. I don't read all that many "cozy" mystery books. I generally find them a bit light for my tastes. I prefer police procedurals and private investigator novels. However, I make an exception for the Aunt Dimity books. First of all, reading them is a bit of a bonding thing between me and my Mom. And second of all, I just love them.

The Aunt Dimity books are about Lori Shepard, an American woman living in an English village in a house that she inherited upon the death of her mother's close friend, Aunt Dimity. Turns out, however, that death isn't quite enough to quench Aunt Dimity's spirit. Her ghost remains with Lori, communicating via a blue-leather-bound notebook, and offering wisdom and guidance to Lori during her adventures.

In this book, Lori and her family are being stalked by a killer, due to some mis-step on the part of Lori's husband, Bill Willis. Bill sends Lori and their five-year-old twin boys away for their own safety, to the Scottish island fortress of their friend, Sir Percy Pelham. Sir Percy is an engaging and good-hearted man who has the additional desirable quality of being incredibly rich. His island castle, Dundrillin, features parapets and gloomy chambers, as well as modern conveniences like deluxe suites, a swimming pool, and a movie theater.

While on the island, Lori naturally runs into a mystery. This one involves the local villagers, a mysterious miniature island that might be haunted, an old monastery that might also be haunted, and a young man visiting the island under a false name. There are also caves and secret treasures. How could anyone resist? It's basically a cool children's book premise, slightly updated to be for grown-ups.

If you haven't read this series, and you like cozies, I highly recommend it. The characters are likable and funny. Lori's character is particularly well-rounded and realistic. She has flaws. She does stupid things sometimes. But she always triumphs. The ghostly Aunt Dimity aspect of the books adds an intriguing quirk, without overpowering any of the stories.

In summary, if you are looking for a quick, fun read that will restore a bit of your faith in humanity, and give you an adventure with castles and ghosts at the same time, check out Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on April 8, 2006.

I have read all the Aunt Dimity books. I enjoy every one of them. They are interesting & cozy, my favorite sort of mystery. Being set in England doesn't hurt either.

I am SO GLAD that Lori has been cured of her dreaded "wandering eye." That plot line was getting tiresome. I did enjoy this book as much as the rest of the series. It's fluff, but sometimes you just need some good brain candy. This is among the best. Enjoy!

I can not get enough of this series. I adore the characters, I adore the settings and I adore the fallibility and the deep caring that binds Lori Shepherd to her friends and family.

Lori's rather calm life is suddenly turned upside down when death threats hit home and her and the lives of her twin 5 year old sons are threatened. Bill calls in a trusted family friend, Sir Percy Pelham and his gigantic helicopter to whiz them away while Bill stays home going through old files to see who is holding a grudge.

But life can't be that simple for Lori, after arriving at Percy's castle on an island off of Scotland, she begins to notice things that just do not make sense. Like why do simple sheep ranchers need satellite dishes and gourmet food in the market? What are these villagers up to and can Lori figure it out, before jumping to too many conclusions, before the true danger arrives.

Peter a character from previous books makes reappearance and it's nice to see what he has been up to. I highly recommend this series - it's a great breakaway from the heavier stuff in our TBR's.

I just finished reading AUNT DIMITY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA. I have read all her previous books which I thought were very good, some better than others. DEEP BLUE SEA is her BEST yet!
I loved it! It caught my attention on the very first page, and would not turn me loose until the very end. Please, someone tell Nancy Atherton to keep it up! Please keep us supplied with more of your constantly improving writing about Aunt Dimity and her friends! Thanks!