Aunt Dimity's Christmas

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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Lori Shepherd lives in England, in the village of Finch, with husband Bill and nine-month twins. She owns her pretty cottage and a considerable fortune besides'a legacy from her mother's long-dead friend Dimity Westwood, who still gives advice and support via ghostly writing in a blue leather journal (Aunt Dimity Digs In, 1998, etc.). Christmas is near and Lori is deep in elaborate preparations when, one snowy morning, a man is found on the ground outside'skeletal, shabbily dressed, and barely alive. Airlifted to the nearest hospital, he shows few signs of recovery, but Lori is intrigued, not to say obsessed, by the mystery of his appearance and is determined to ferret out his identity. Her interest is shared by Father Julian Bright, a local priest who runs St. Benedict's Homeless Shelter. Christmas plans take a back seat as Lori and Julian track their quarry back through a series of men's shelters'all near WWII bomber bases. What is the connection to the war medals and ribbons found with the derelict? Finally, research helpers bring Julian and Lori to London and the home of Lady Haverford, daughter of bomber hero Sir Miles Anscombe and sister of Christopher, the ailing tramp. She refuses to help her brother and accuses him of having driven their father to suicide. Back in Finch, Lori finds that her neighbors have done all the work for her Christmas party and that Aunt Dimity is eager to provide answers to all her unanswered questions, leaving Lori to contemplate some major changes in her own life. Interesting ideas narrated in a bright, literate style, but burdened by much treacly preaching and an obsession that remains unconvincing throughout.