Aunt Dimity and the Buried Treasure

August 29, 2016
In this modern-day cozy, the kindly, British-accented spirit of Aunt Dimity streams live from a magical journal to request a favor of her niece, American amateur sleuth Lori Shepherd—to locate an elderly WWII acquaintance of Dimity’s, named Badger, and return a bejeweled gift he gave her. Lori, who resides in the pastoral Cotswold village of Finch, travels to London, where she is helped along by a youthful student archeologist, a sassy-sounding café proprietor, and three veterans of the war. Finch’s lovely, albeit nosy, neighbors, each provided with a unique dialect, personality, and temperament, are the heart of this spectral charmer that also includes a newcomer to the village, whose hobby of metal detecting causes a bit of discord. Reader Moore’s confidence and linguistic dexterity are admirable, since there are numerous characters who are integral to the plot, each with a distinguishable accent; Moore retains her American accent for Lori, then ably moves among various British dialects. Atherton’s Aunt Dimity fans will be delighted with this accomplished audio version of her latest mystery, which is light on intrigue, heavy on charm. A Viking hardcover.

March 21, 2016
Atherton’s amiable 21st paranormal cozy featuring Lori Shepherd (after 2015’s Aunt Dimity and the Summer King) highlights the benefits and hazards of uncovering the past. In the attic of her house in the Cotswolds village of Finch, Lori comes across a gold bracelet inlaid with garnets that must have belonged to her ghostly aunt, Dimity Westwood. This discovery prompts Dimity to tell the story of a post-WWII misunderstanding with a man she knew only as Badger; she asks Lori to try to locate Badger, even though he would be almost 90 years old. Reluctantly, Lori agrees to visit Dimity’s old stomping grounds in London, where she encounters three pensioners known as the Battle of Britain boys, who put her on the right trail. Meanwhile, “metal detectorist” James Hobson arrives in Finch, causing a stir with his hobby. The use of a metal detector by various villagers produces objects that reveal things better left hidden. Atherton smoothly blends history, village life, and the otherworldly. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency.