Book Review - Aunt Dimity & the Village Witch by Nancy Atherton

The Aunt Dimity "mysteries" are so light that they would blow away in only the slightest breeze. Still, sometimes that's not a bad thing. Sometimes you want something that doesn't tax the brain too much, with well-worn characters that fit like a glove and just let you relax.

Other times that doesn't work so well.

The Aunt Dimity series has had its ups and downs in the ones I've read (I've read the last five or six, but haven't read the first few). After an appalling train wreck (Aunt Dimity Down Under), the last two have been good.

Which brings me to the latest entry in the series, Aunt Dimity & the Village Witch. This story really brings the sleepy English village of Finch to life with all of Atherton's characters shining through in their, admittedly stereotypical, ways. It's nice to see the main character, Lori Shepherd, not go off half-cocked for once. Aunt Dimity (the ghost who communicates with Lori through ghostly writing in a journal) is semi-useful and it's just a pleasant treasure hunt.

My review is now up on Curled Up With a Good Book. Check it out!

From the review:

"Somebody new is moving into the sleepy English village of Finch. The village gossips are keeping an eye on the woman as the moving trucks roll in, looking to know everything about her. She brings a secret or two to Finch, secrets that will keep the town hopping for a couple of weeks. Mrs. Amelia Thistle is actually a world-famous artist, and she's trying to hide from an overly rabid fan base that has set up what amounts to a religion in her honor. That's not all, though. She also possesses a fragment of a family diary that will lead the industrious Lori Shepherd and the rest of the villagers on a historical treasure hunt to find out just what happened to the village witch hundreds of years ago. Will they be able to successfully hide Amelia's identity from the stalkers? Will they find what they're looking for?"

It's sad that when Atherton actually brings a "bad guy" into the mix, it's along with some lame, heavy-handed environmental message. But what can you do? At least there's something in there.

It will be interesting to see where Atherton goes next. She keeps introducing characters who are sticking around Finch after the story's done. Is one of the old biddies scheduled to die soon to make room?

Stay tuned.