Aunt Dimity's Good Deed (Aunt Dimity Mystery) [Hardcover]

Nancy Atherton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Aunt Dimity Mystery | Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Lori, the heroine of Aunt Dimity's Death, married to a workaholic attorney, finds herself and Aunt Dimity searching for her missing father-in-law and her pink flannel bunny, only to discover a centuries-old secret about her husband's family. 20,000 first printing. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If you're looking for arch, cancel the trip to Chartres. Here's the third in a pointedly cute series featuring the ghost of "Aunt" Dimity, the dead friend of heroine Lori Shepherd's mother. Lori plans a second honeymoon for herself and her overworked husband, lawyer Bill Willis, in the idyllic English cottage Lori inherited from Dimity (Aunt Dimity's Death, 1992). When a case keeps Bill in Boston, Lori heads overseas with her father-in-law, William Willis Sr. He suddenly disappears, taking Lori's pink flannel bunny, Reginald, and leaving an enigmatic note about family business. Further clues come from Dimity's ghost via her leather-bound journal, in which Lori observes Dimity's handwriting materialize on the page. Lori tracks Willis Sr., accompanied by her friend Emma's precocious 12-year-old stepdaughter, Nell, and Nell's teddy bear, Bertie, through the picturesque countryside to London. There she finds the British Willises?including sexy Gerald, efficient Lucy and bumbling Arthur?who are at odds, their family law firm in disarray. The plot hangs on an 18th-century feud that divided the family, resulting in murder and theft, and leading to present-day blackmail; the villain is easily identified. At the end of this amusing but silly tale, Bill and pregnant Lori move to England, delighting Aunt Dimity's ghost. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Atherton's third serial title once again mixes mystery with a bit of gothic romance. Because her husband has a last-minute conflict, pretty Lori ends up at Aunt Dimity's English country cottage with her father-in-law instead. When he disappears, Lori searches?and finds an old family secret. For fans.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670867152
• ISBN-13: 978-0670867158
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #740,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Books by Nancy Atherton are to be read, savoured & treasured, June 18, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Dimity's Good Deed (Aunt Dimity Mystery) (Hardcover)

I happened upon Aunt Dimity Digs In, while in a bookshop about two years ago, read and absolutely delighted in Lori and Bill's antics with their twins. I was absolutely hooked!! Purchased and voraciously read Atherton's other Aunt Dimity novels in their proper order, delighting in each volume as does a chocoholic when gifted a box of heavenly morsels. Aunt Dimity's Good Deed was a great read. Lori's going to England with her father-in-law when she intended to have a second honeymoon with Bill was an adorable twist. From the beginning as Mr. Willis mysteriously disappears along with Reginald and Aunt Dimity (and her blue leather bound journal), through to the totally satisfying end, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I was very sorry when the story ended .... as I am when all of Aunt Dimity's tales end. All of Nancy's (sorry, I can't help but feel on a first name basis with her) Aunt Dimity stories have been satisfying delicious. Each and every of Aunt Dimity's stories brings out a different character's personality, and brings each and every one of them more to life. From Lori, Bill and their beautiful twin boys to the Pym Sisters, each unique person seems chosen by Aunt Dimity to add spice, merriment, intrigue and life to each other's lives and the story. Do I believe that Aunt Dimity can have possibly found a way to come back from the dead? Could I possibly believe that she is able to make contact through journalistic entries in her blue leather notebook? You bet, I do !!! Horray for Nancy Atherton ... The only thing I can't believe is how long it's taken Nancy to gift us with more of Aunt Dimity's wisdom.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aunt Dimity's Good Deed, May 8, 2001

By 

cheryl w arter (Pittsburgh,, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Dimity's Good Deed (An Aunt Dimity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I just "found" this series of books and have now read 4 and find them to be delightful. This is a well written book but easy to read. It's like going on a vacation.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back in form: a sweet, satisfying cozy, March 26, 1999

By 

A. Marina Fournier "voracious reader" (Campbell, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aunt Dimity's Good Deed (An Aunt Dimity Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't know how Aunt Dimity does it, but I'm glad she does. I never had much of a social life as a child (was rather outcast, always being new), thus I am unfamiliar with the idea of one's plush-toy friends being able to communicate with one another, much less with a ghost who then transmits information to a living human, via automatic writing without physical agency. Mind you, I find the Disbelief Suspenders (or Braces, if you're British) fit nicely while I'm reading this book.

As usual, there is a tangle of people, motives, opportunities, red herrings and misunderstandings to sort out; and a thoroughly good time watching how it's all played out. Yes, I'm fudging. I liked this book, but NOTHING in detail stays very long in my mind these days. I don't remember the names, and I don't want to haul the library chair/ladder out to get to the top shelf (it's late, I'm tired, I want to finish this before going to bed). The details are unimportant--this woman can tell a story and suck you into it. If more authors did this for me, I would be shorter of cash and shelfspace.

If you have read AD& the Duke and were less than satisfied, you will be more comfortable with this episode. I certainly was--and in spite of my reaction to the second book, did not hesitate to buy this as soon as I knew it was available. You ought to do the same. Order it, already.

Good night, good night--parting may be sweet sorrow, but I need my sleep. My only regret is that Ms. Atherton does not write *faster*.