Aunt Dimity's Christmas

Rating:
Summary: Initially delightful series now losing its spark
Review: I really enjoyed the first couple of Aunt Dimity mysteries, but this one left me feeling that the series is starting to wear a little thin: will Lori perpetually end up lusting after handsome strangers and completely forgetting about the existence of her husband Bill? It strikes a big sour note in the books' otherwise cozy/comforting world. And now she's also forgetting about the existence of their two baby sons for chapter after chapter -- and giving away almost all the boys' Christmas gifts at the end of the book, to boot (it's meant to seem charitable, but to me it seemed more like Joan Crawford/Mommie Dearest). For a protagonist who's intended to be sympathetic and appealing, she's beginning to seem pretty annoying and unsympathetic -- and since these mysteries are fun mainly because everyone in them is so nice and unthreatening, this book isn't as enjoyable as the earlier ones in the series.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed in This Book
Review: Lori and Bill and the babies are back, this time rescuing a beautiful stranger Lori finds in the cold. We get our usual dose of Aunt Dimity wisdom, both about the stranger and Lori's life, with a Christmas message thrown in. Also, if it's not too much of a spoiler, Finch gets a new regular. A great gift for a cozy lover.

Let's face it, no one is going to award Ms. Atherton the Nobel Prize for Literature. Any potential plot problems are summarily dealth with in advice from beyond, so things never get too complex or challenging. Good always wins out and Lori always goes back to Bill and you know that's what's going to happen when you pick up one of these books. That's more than OK with me -- it's just perfect. If I want a world that isn't fair, I can just look out the window. If I want enjoyment, a little encouragement, and a happy ending, I read Aunt Dimity.

Rating:
Summary: Cozy Mystery for the Holidays
Review: Lori Shepherd is ecstatic to be able to spend the Christmas holidays with her husband, Bill, and their two, young twin sons, in the cottage that her fabulous Aunt Dimity willed to her. But Lori's holidays are thrown into an upheaval, when she finds the body of a barely alive mysterious stranger lying beneath the cottage's lilac bushes. Lori decides that it's up to her, and her handsome accomplice, Julian Bright, a Roman Catholic priest, to figure out who the stranger is, and solve the mystery involving the man, before Lori's Christmas holidays are ruined.

This was my first AUNT DIMITY MYSTERY, and I am not disappointed. Atherton has created a mystery filled with lovable and enjoyable chracters, who will make anyone's spirit bright this Christmas. A must have book for anyone looking for a nice cozy during the Christmas holidays, and Winter season.

Erika Sorocco

Rating:
Summary: Aunt Dimity Does it Again
Review: Nancy Atherton's cozy mystery series is wonderful and Aunt Dimity's Christmas proves it all the more. While I am not a big fan of cozy mysteries this series touches the heart but is also fun. You really get to know Lori and her extended family of friends and creatures. Dimity teaches Lori the true meaning of Christmas and the reader learns the lesson as well. The only gripe I have with this book is that we did not get to see enough of the other characters that populate the Dimity series such as Emma and Derek and their daughter Nell (with her lovable bear Bertie).

I highly recommend this book for it's warm and wonderful story! Once you start reading this series you won't want to stop.

2 people found this review helpful.

Rating:
Summary: A Cozy Christmas Read
Review: Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked the question of why the "tramp" was carrying WWII medals and visiting WWII airfields. I liked the idea of learning valuable lessons from people you first wanted to ignore.

My problem is with Aunt Dimity. I couldn't suspend my disbelief to accept that Lori's dead aunt communicates with her by post-humously writing in a journal.

Rating:
Summary: Cozy Christmas Mystery Will Delight and Uplift You
Review: This is my first entry into the Miss Dimity series and I am resolved to go back and read the entire series in chronological order. I don't normally jump into the middle of things, but I wanted a cozy Christmas mystery, and this one was perfect.

Lori Shepherd Willis is the heroine of this tale. She is looking forward to celebrating the holiday in the manner in which her late and beloved father would have. She is about to embark on a merry whirl of shopping, decorating, and baking his famous angel cookies in preparations for a lavish Christmas Eve party. Her plans all go awry, however, when a handsome stranger is found unconscious in the snow outside her home.

Lori's unexplainable attraction to the stranger coupled with a chance meeting with a Catholic priest lead her on a hunt to discover the story behind the tattered stranger and why he happened to collapse at her cottage. At times reminiscent of a grown-up Nancy Drew, Lori's quest to find the answers is a fun and cozy Christmas read that packs a powerful message about helping others and opening your heart to the true message of Christmas.

From WWII medals to a widow's farm and a London socialite, this book is a pure delight as Lori faces some unpleasant truths about herself and learns to share her blessings. Aunt Dimity, gone but never forgotten, adds her own special wisdom via a most unusual blue journal. Highly recommended for a cold winter's night. Just add a cup of cocoa and a few angel cookies from Lori's recipe which is included in the book.

Rating:
Summary: a sweet Christmas mystery
Review: This latest in the Aunt Dimity series follows the delightful American heroine Lori as she prepares for Christmas in her English cottage with husband Bill and new twin boys. In skillful cozy style, this author blends the supernatural (the wise and witty Dimity is dead but communicates to Lori via a blue notebook) with a crisp mystery in which Lori unravels the identity of a strange but oddly appealing tramp who is found, near death, in her front yard - a trail which leads back to WWII aviation heroes, and a wealthy London socialite. We all love mysteries for the order they restore to our world,and this is no disappointment- a funny and fun read, and comforting at the holidays. Recommended highly!