Review by Booklist Review
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 friendsto 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 A. DeCandido
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For an American, Atherton nicely captures the British cozy spirit, but her ghostly gimmick is not for every taste. In her seventh appearance (after 2000's Aunt Dimity Meets the Devil), Lori Shepherd, her husband and two-year-old twins have returned home to a cold, rainy English April after a three-month family visit to the U.S. to find that there has been a murder in Finch, their idyllic Cotswold village. Prunella Hooper "Pruneface" to most villagers was found dead of a blow to the head in her home, Crabtree Cottage. Given her malicious nature, the residents of Finch aren't surprised by her death; in fact, they seem relieved and yet are strangely reticent to come forward with any information. The list of suspects seems endless. So, with the aid of the Pym sisters' gingerbread cookies (a recipe for which is provided at book's end) and the sage advice of phantom counselor Aunt Dimity, who appears to Lori supernaturally on the blank pages of a journal, Lori and the vicar's nephew, Nicholas, begin a quest to unearth the truth behind the murder. In the process, they uncover a multitude of village secrets, including a few pertaining to themselves. With eccentric village characters, a tightly woven, well-executed plot and a spunky heroine, Atherton has created a cozy as spicy and zestful as the Pym sisters' gingerbread. Series fans are sure to be pleased. For some, however, the fantasy of Aunt Dimity is like the edible gold leaf on the cookies a nice touch if you like it, but it would taste better plain. 5-city author tour. (Oct. 1) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
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. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Aunt Dimity, the author's unflappable, always with-it ghost-sleuth (Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil, 2000, etc.), is still writing directives that appear and quickly disappear in her niece Lori Shepherd's journal. While Lori's been away with her husband Bill and their two-year-old twin sons, there's been a murder in their tiny hometown of Finch. The victim, relative newcomer Prunella Hooper, has been found dead in Crabtree Cottage-for which, strangely, she pays no rent to owner Peggy Taxman. Aunt Dimity encourages Lori to work with recently arrived Nicholas Fox, nephew of Lilian Bunting, the vicar's wife, in looking for the killer. They soon find a plethora of motives for the demise of Pruneface, whose days were evidently incomplete without regular spots of blackmail and the spreading of vicious rumors. She had accused stablemaster Kit Anscombe of abusing his employer's teenaged daughter Nell; retired railwayman George Wetherhead of having an affair with town sorceress Miranda Morrow; and pub owner Dick Peacock of buying smuggled liquor. In due time, Lori and Nicholas also uncover the reason for Peggy Taxman's generosity in the sad history of her life before Finch. The solution, when it finally arrives, is barely believable, but fans of Aunt Dimity are as unlikely to complain about the lightweight, easy-flowing entertainment as they are to remember it two weeks later. Author tour
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
