Book Review: Aunt Dimity's Death

Lori Shepherd's life has been going through a series of rough patches lately: trying to survive on temp job after temp job, moving from one low cost apartment in a seedy neighborhood to another, and coping with the recent death of her Mother and the guilt she feels for not being there before she passed away. The one thing she clings to are the stories her Mother told her about Aunt Dimity, a fictitious British woman, very ordinary in every way, but who could make an adventure out of anything, like going to Harrod's to buy a flashlight. They always seem to lighten her mood when she thinks of them.

When she arrives at her empty apartment one night, she finds an envelope from the Boston law firm of Willis & Willis stating that Aunt Dimity passed away and mentioned her in her will. The letter also requests that she drop by their office as soon as possible to discuss the next steps. Still trying to comprehend that Aunt Dimity was a real person rather than a figment of her Mother's imaginative stories, Lori gives in to her curiosity and sets off on an adventure to a tiny cottage in England where Dimity's ghost can't find eternal rest until Lori uncovers the story of what happened to Dimity's great love during WWII.

Aunt Dimity's Death was a very charming little mystery. No dead bodies piling up, no poisonings or stabbings or murders of any kind -- which is more in line with my tastes in reading, but I found myself so caught up in the tale that I couldn't put it down. Aunt Dimity proves a wonderful spirit guide to keep Lori on track, nudging her in the right direction when she needs it and reminding her of what's important in her life. She also shows Lori that the past isn't always quite as we remember it. Lori remembered the Dimity stories, but only what she wanted to remember. When she reads the actual stories, penned in Dimity's own hand, she realizes how much she pushed aside -- the same way she'd pushed aside aspects of her own life: family, love, work.

I loved the mixture of love story and mystery with a bit of humor and the supernatural thrown in to keep the tale fun and interesting. Definitely a great intro to the Aunt Dimity series, and I intend to read every single one.