Aunt Dimity: Detective [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Nancy Atherton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

When Lori Shepherd returns from her trip to America, she is shocked to hear that Prunella "Pruneface" Hooper has been killed. This is the first murder in the village of Finch in more than a century, and everyone is in an uproar. Before the town implodes in the wake of this scandal, Lori sets out to solve the murder. Unfortunately, nearly everyone in Finch had a reason to want Mrs. Hooper dead. With the help of the ghostly Aunt Dimity and Nicholas, the enigmatic (and charming!) self-defense instructor, Lori aligns motive, means, and opportunity to unravel this delightfully tangled and gossip-filled whodunnit.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A newcomer to town quickly shows herself to be hateful, spiteful, and malicious, so her subsequent murder involves numerous suspects. Lori and her ghostly aunt investigate. A comfortable addition to the popular and enchanting "Aunt Dimity" series.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The wish fulfillment overflows in Atherton's series of very cozy cozies. American-born Lori, her attorney husband, Bill, and their adorable twin sons live near Finch, in a Cotswold cottage left her by her mother's friend, Dimity, who offers Lori advice from beyond in the form of ghost writing in a blue leather journal. 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. She is aided in this by Nicholas, the charismatic nephew of the vicar, who has come to visit Finch for reasons of his own. Bill conveniently stays in London while Lori gets to the bottom of things, which include the local Wicca, the ninetysomething Pym sisters, an old heartbreak from World War II, and assorted characters from central casting, British charm division. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 274 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786238437
• ISBN-13: 978-0786238439
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,677,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not much fun..., July 26, 2002

By 

Bookworm "petra" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Dimity: Detective (Hardcover)

I was pretty disappointed in this latest Aunt Dimity installment. I really enjoyed all the previous books in the series, and was very much looking forward to this one.

The "Lori-meets-attractive-men-and-must-resist-their-charms" angle is getting tiresome. It was just plain annoying to read about her aborted dalliance with Nicholas. If this is so important to the author, why not split up Lori and Bill and turn her into a divorced mom, entering the dating scene.

The "quaint" townsfolk are starting to annoy me, as well. And, to me, the mystery was not believable either. Neither was the secret behind Nicholas's visit to Finch.

I am really glad I did not pay full-price for this book. I will certainly read the next installment, but if it turns out to be as lackluster as this one, I may forego any further Aunt Dimity novels.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed . . ., October 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Aunt Dimity: Detective (Aunt Dimity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Having been in the vortex of some pretty vicious rumors recently, I found myself totally engrossed in this book. I haven't read any of the Dimity series, but I enjoyed this one.

I have to admit the Lori-resists-a-handsome-man was a bit off-putting because there was enough tension in the main plot line to keep the action moving forward.

Atherton's message here was: one bad apple CAN spoil the whole bunch -- if you're not careful. It happened in my town and it happened in Finch.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Number seven close to the best, December 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Aunt Dimity: Detective (Hardcover)

In this cozy, number seven of the series, it is the victim you will love to hate, and that makes it all the cozier. All of the Dimity books are well-plotted but this plot is the tightest, with such a nasty victim that the many possible suspects are logical. The Dimity ghost appears less and less, as is reasonable since Lori is maturing as a detective. As in previous Dimities, family life and the hectic village provide a setting to allow laser-like views of human nature that make "cozy" a funny term. A real who-done-it!