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A review by ncrabb
Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse by Nancy Atherton
3.0
If you get invited to a quilting bee any time soon, and yeah, I know, the odds of that happening are right up there with you getting an invitation to fly with Elon Musk to Mars, but if you do, you probably don’t want to handle things the way poor Annabelle Craven did in the fictional quilting bee in the fictional village of Finch. As her needle flew through the material, she announced quietly to her seat mate, Lori Shepherd, that she, Annabelle, had murdered her first husband and buried him in the rosebushes.
This is the 22nd book in the series, but if you haven't ventured into it, note that Lori is an American who, with her husband, came to the small English village to live some years earlier. By book 22, they have three kids. Bill Willis, (Lori didn’t take on his last name when they married), has gone camping during Easter break with their two sons. Lori is just as happy not to have had to go; roughing it wit a toddler isn’t her thing. She and the little girl remain at home, and it’s while the family is separated that the quilting bee occurs and with it the horrifying confession from Mrs. Craven.
Knowing that she can’t solve the mystery of the murder herself, Lori turns to the pages of an old journal wherein resides the communicative ability of Aunt Dimity. Aunt Dimity was Lori’s mom’s friend during World War II. Both her mom and Aunt Dimity are dead, but Aunt Dimity is able to manifest herself in the pages of the old journal. And she is excellent at solving those mysteries with Lori. So it’s to the journal Lori goes to learn what Aunt Dimity would do were she corporeal. Naturally, Aunt Dimity encourages her to investigate the story to determine its veracity.
With her friend, Bree Pym, Lori bundles the baby up and off they go to the village where the murder was supposed to have happened. What they find is startling indeed. The village of Old Cowerton is sharply divided on the reputation of Annabelle Craven. Some say she is indeed a killer; others insist she isn’t. So wherein lies the truth? And if Annabelle isn’t a killer, why would she lie to Lori?
This is a fun series, and this book is no exception. It’s a short read. I should tell you that your schmaltz meter or your sappy emotion gage will get tweaked a bit if you read this, but it won’t be ridiculously over the top. These are clean mysteries that anyone can read comfortably and enjoy. There is no profanity here nor are there any sexual descriptions. If you read this, you’ll be initially surprised at what Lori and Bree discover, and the final information at the end isn’t likely something you’ll see coming.
This is the 22nd book in the series, but if you haven't ventured into it, note that Lori is an American who, with her husband, came to the small English village to live some years earlier. By book 22, they have three kids. Bill Willis, (Lori didn’t take on his last name when they married), has gone camping during Easter break with their two sons. Lori is just as happy not to have had to go; roughing it wit a toddler isn’t her thing. She and the little girl remain at home, and it’s while the family is separated that the quilting bee occurs and with it the horrifying confession from Mrs. Craven.
Knowing that she can’t solve the mystery of the murder herself, Lori turns to the pages of an old journal wherein resides the communicative ability of Aunt Dimity. Aunt Dimity was Lori’s mom’s friend during World War II. Both her mom and Aunt Dimity are dead, but Aunt Dimity is able to manifest herself in the pages of the old journal. And she is excellent at solving those mysteries with Lori. So it’s to the journal Lori goes to learn what Aunt Dimity would do were she corporeal. Naturally, Aunt Dimity encourages her to investigate the story to determine its veracity.
With her friend, Bree Pym, Lori bundles the baby up and off they go to the village where the murder was supposed to have happened. What they find is startling indeed. The village of Old Cowerton is sharply divided on the reputation of Annabelle Craven. Some say she is indeed a killer; others insist she isn’t. So wherein lies the truth? And if Annabelle isn’t a killer, why would she lie to Lori?
This is a fun series, and this book is no exception. It’s a short read. I should tell you that your schmaltz meter or your sappy emotion gage will get tweaked a bit if you read this, but it won’t be ridiculously over the top. These are clean mysteries that anyone can read comfortably and enjoy. There is no profanity here nor are there any sexual descriptions. If you read this, you’ll be initially surprised at what Lori and Bree discover, and the final information at the end isn’t likely something you’ll see coming.