Aunt Dimity's Christmas [Mass Market Paperback]

Nancy Atherton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2000

Lori Shepherd and her family spend Christmas in the cottage willed to her by her late Aunt Dimity, but when she discovers a stranger barely alive in the snow, she teams up with a priest and together they unveil the tragic secret that led the stranger to her door.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Having inherited an English cottage from her mother's good friend, Dimity, American Lori Atherton (last seen in Aunt Dimity Digs In) is now settled into the village of Finch with her husband, Bill, their twin sons and her father-in-law. Shortly before Christmas, Lori's idyllic holiday plans are shattered when a derelict collapses in their snowy driveway. While the nameless man lies comatose in a local hospital, the late Dimity, who communicates from the other side by writing in a special journal, encourages Lori to pursue the man's identity. Bill is suddenly called to Boston for a funeral, so Lori teams up with the kindly Father Julian, a Catholic priest who runs a local homeless shelter, and who knows the man but not his real name or background. The mystery unwinds as Lori and Father Julian trace the trail of the charismatic stranger, who seems to have touched so many people in a positive way. As the duo discover the nameless man's fascination for WWII airfields, and uncover his family history, they and the other villagers experience a Christmas like no other. Though Atherton's novel requires a hefty suspension of disbelief, her charming characters and heartwarming narrative will make believers out of most readers. In this most unusual mystery, Atherton offers a glimpse of the finer side of human nature. Mystery Guild featured alternate; author tour. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Fans of the ghostly but helpful Aunt Dimity (Aunt Dimity Digs In) will appreciate this story of a stranger who collapses on Lori Shepherd's doorstep on Christmas Eve. Lori and a Catholic priest learn about themselves as they look for the man's identity.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140296301
• ISBN-13: 978-0140296303
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > British Detectives

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aunt Dimity is Back! Not that she ever really left..., February 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Aunt Dimity's Christmas (Hardcover)

Nancy Atherton's cozy mystery series is wonderful and Aunt Dimity's Christmas proves it all the more. While I am not a big fan of cozy mysteries this series touches the heart but is also fun. You really get to know Lori and her extended family of friends and creatures.

Dimity teaches Lori the true meaning of Christmas and the reader learns the lesson as well. While planning a lavish family holiday (as well as working on the town's preparations) Lori stumbles upon a homeless man, half frozen to death on her door step. Why has he chosen to seek her out and who is he?

Lori, with the help of Dimity, tracks the man's past down and makes some new friends along the way and realizes the true spirit of the season.

The only gripe I have with this book is that we did not get to see enough of the other characters that populate the Dimity series such as Emma and Derek and their daughter Nell (with her lovable bear Bertie).

I highly recommend this book for it's warm and wonderful story! Once you start reading this series you won't want to stop.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Rare Gem, January 17, 2000

By 

Southern Katrina "Kat" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Dimity's Christmas (Hardcover)

Having been enchanted by the Aunt Dimity series from the first installment, I am no doubt prejudiced, but this one is a cut above. Not only is there tantalizing mystery, but the author grabs your heart by the second page and holds it until the end. One feels every emotion, from bafflement to guilt and all in between, right along with Lori Shepherd. In addition, you will be teased by the puzzle, but not maddened, and then thoroughly satisfied by the result. This one is going to remain a favorite of mine.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cozy Mystery for the Holidays, January 13, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aunt Dimity's Christmas (Mass Market Paperback)

Lori Shepherd is ecstatic to be able to spend the Christmas holidays with her husband, Bill, and their two, young twin sons, in the cottage that her fabulous Aunt Dimity willed to her. But Lori's holidays are thrown into an upheaval, when she finds the body of a barely alive mysterious stranger lying beneath the cottage's lilac bushes. Lori decides that it's up to her, and her handsome accomplice, Julian Bright, a Roman Catholic priest, to figure out who the stranger is, and solve the mystery involving the man, before Lori's Christmas holidays are ruined.

This was my first AUNT DIMITY MYSTERY, and I am not disappointed. Atherton has created a mystery filled with lovable and enjoyable chracters, who will make anyone's spirit bright this Christmas. A must have book for anyone looking for a nice cozy during the Christmas holidays, and Winter season.

Erika Sorocco