Product Description

The original paranormal detective returns in the latest installment of a beloved mystery series

Lori Shepherd’s life in England couldn’t be more tranquil or more satisfying— except for one thing. Her five- year-old twins have started school, and Lori fears they’ll catch everything from the flu to fleas. What they do come home with, however, is worse: a report of a pale, cloaked figure with bloodstained lips lurking in the woods.

Lori is skeptical at first but soon grows concerned enough to consult with her late (but not entirely departed) Aunt Dimity and her dear friend Kit Smith. The vampire-hunting trail leads to Leo, a charismatic vagabond who just returned to England after a self-imposed exile, a bitter old crone named Lizzie Black, and finally to Aldercot Hall, where a mysterious murder took place forty years ago. With Kit and Aunt Dimity’s help, Lori uncovers the secret that will shock everyone—including herself—about the true identity of the twins’ vampire.

With its placid English countryside setting, eccentric characters, and lighthearted charm, Atherton’s newest novel will enchant cozy mystery aficionados and the many loyal readers of the Aunt Dimity series.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #107112 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780670018543
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Near the start of Atherton's engaging 13th Aunt Dimity mystery (after 2007's Aunt Dimity Goes West), series heroine Lori Shepherd, the overprotective mother of five-year-old horse-obsessed twins, is alarmed when her sons insist they saw a vampire during their riding lessons. From her strange friendship with the spectral Aunt Dimity, Lori knows anything's possible, even vampires, though Lori fears a pedophile may be skulking in the woods outside the Cotswolds village where she and her family live. In search of answers, Lori cozies up to her odd, reclusive neighbors and immerses herself in local history. Lori's stable master friend, Kit Smith, lends his support. Though the vampire's identity borders on the implausible, most readers will have had too much fun to mind. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Nancy Atherton is the author of twelve other Aunt Dimity mysteries, many of them bestsellers. The first book in the series, Aunt Dimity’s Death, was voted “One of the Century’s 100 Favorite Mysteries” by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful addition to the series
This cozy series is one of my absolute favorites. It's everything I love in a cozy: a quaint English village with interesting residents, lots of tea, and a spunky protaganist with a lot of heart. I always wait with anticipation for the newest installment.

American Lori Shepherd, her American husband Bill, and their five year old twin sons are continuing to enjoy their lives in their beautiful English village of Finch. The twins are thriving at school (although Lori is experiencing major separation anxiety), but one day, their teacher informs Lori and Bill that the boys have been telling their classmates that they saw a vampire while riding their horses at Anscombe Manor, the estate owned by Lori and Bill's good friends, Emma and Derek Harris.

Lori enlists the help of their other good friend, Kit Smith, whose family once owned the Manor, and who is employed there as stablemaster and riding instructor. Together, with supernatural help from Aunt Dimity, they set out to discover the identity of this vampire. But, much to their surprise, Lori and her friends discover a lot more than that. Indeed, they discover fascinating family secrets, betrayals, and great love stories that occurred forty years ago. The story is well-written, clever, and the multiple mysteries will keep you guessing right up until the end. As is always the case with this series, the ending is completely satisfying and dare I say, warm and fuzzy.

I love this series because it brings back characters/townspeople who have become like old friends, yet the author keeps it interesting by revealing previously unknown things about them. In this installment, it's Kit Smith about whom we learn more. Also, we get introduced to new, intriguing residents and I hope the author brings them back in the future. Lastly, as fans of this series have come to expect, there is a delicious pastry recipe in the back of the book.

I highly recommend the book to all Aunt Dimity fans. (For what it's worth, I liked it better than the previous one, Aunt Dimity Goes West). For those who aren't familiar with the series, I think you'll enjoy it as a "stand-alone", but you might get more out of it if you read the previous books in order. I say that only because the author, as I mentioned, reveals more truths about the main characters, and the emotional impact will be greater if you're already familiar with them.

Batty about Aunt Dimity
While I generally love the series, there have been some books not as fun as the others. This one is a good fluffy adventure. As always, the village is a great place to visit, with good people to chat up. I liked the way she cleared up the past to make the future rosy. This book should be read with a cozy cup of tea, and a couple of cookies.

A Very Pleasant Addition to the Series
I, too, enjoyed this book very much. I loved learning more about Kit. The twist at the end was very fun. Aunt Dimity was a much larger presence in this book than in the a couple of the newer ones. I thought the book was too short. I would have liked more interaction with the wacky people in Finch. That's the only reason I'm marking it down. If you've liked the other books in the series, you'll like this one, too.