Friday, January 26, 2018

2018 book 14

Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity's Death
I've been vaguely aware that this series existed for a while, but didn't know much about it except that the protagonist solves mysteries with the help of a friendly ghost. I was in the mood for some light but entertaining reading, though, and thought I'd try this out--and it fit the bill perfectly. I found the narrative voice to be engaging right away, and Atherton takes her time setting up the world in this first one. It centers on a thirty year old woman, Lori, recently divorced and temping, when her beloved mother dies, leaving her adrift. And then things take another turn when she discovers the silly stories her mother told her about "Aunt Dimity" were based on a real person, who has also recently died, and who wants Lori to go to her cottage in England and read through her decades of correspondence with Lori's mother. The ghost does come into it eventually, and there is a little bit of mystery solving as Lori tries to uncover the secrets of Dimity's past, but this seems to be the start of a series that is just as focused on the characters as on the plot. My favorite kind. Super cute. A/A-.

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