Nancy Atherton Books In Order

Aunt Dimity’s Death

A compelling prequel to Aunt Dimity’s Death. When avid gardener Emma Porter’s longtime lover dumps her, she sets out on a summer long driving tour of England’s glorious gardens. A Dimity contrived coincidence brings Emma to Penford Hall, where dark rumors and suspicious circumstances lead her on the path to mystery and unexpected love. Reading tour.

Aunt Dimity and the Duke

A compelling prequel to Aunt Dimity’s Death. When avid gardener Emma Porter’s longtime lover dumps her, she sets out on a summer long driving tour of England’s glorious gardens. A Dimity contrived coincidence brings Emma to Penford Hall, where dark rumors and suspicious circumstances lead her on the path to mystery and unexpected love. Reading tour.

Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed

Nancy Atherton’s growing number of fans will certainly be delighted by Aunt Dimity’s latest appearance in the honey colored English cottage she bequeathed to her ‘niece,’ Lori Shepherd. Thanks to Aunt Dimity, Lori’s life has taken on fairy tale proportions: she’s financially set for life and happily married or so she thinks. When Lori’s plans for a second honeymoon to England with her workaholic husband fall through, she begrudgingly takes along her father in law who promptly disappears, leaving behind a mysterious note. Inspired and guided by the ghost of Aunt Dimity and her inimitable blue journal, Lori’s search for the elderly gentleman turns into a harrowing mission to uncover a centuries old family secret complicated by mistaken identities, falsified deeds, family feuds, and Lori’s unseemly attraction to her husband’s beguiling English cousin. In a delightful chase that takes her all over the English countryside, Lori discovers the true meaning of marital bliss, and Nancy Atherton’s fans, new and old, will savor a masterpiece of old fashioned fun.

Aunt Dimity Digs In

Nancy AthertonAunt Dimity’s world, says Dorothy Cannell, is a kind, gentle place where oatmeal cookies, stuffed bunnies, and cozy cottages bring warmth and joy. The latest in this enchanting and fast selling series opens in the ghostly Dimity’s idyllic English cottage. The lovable Lori Shepherd is up to her elbows in pureed carrots and formula bottles as she strives to be the perfect mother to twins! Luckily, a beautiful Italian nanny arrives just in time so Lori can help settle the local civil war stirred up by a visiting archaeologist’s excavation. While Lori with Reginald the stuffed pink rabbit and Edmond Terrance the stuffed tiger in tow hunts down a missing document and the archaeologist digs up a lot more than artifacts, Dimity’s magic blue notebook provides the key to buried secrets and domestic malice, and shows all the residents of Finch that even the darkest acts can be overcome by human forgiveness. A selection of The Mystery Guild Penguin will simultaneously publish Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed in March 1998

Aunt Dimity’s Christmas

Cozy mystery lovers’ favorite ghost brings the spirit of Christmas to a story of secrets, love, and renewal. ‘Immerse yourself in delight.’ Caroline HartThis latest in the Aunt Dimity series offers Nancy Atherton’s fans the perfect treat to top their Christmas list. Never has her ‘irresistible blend of romance, suspense and the supernatural’ Minneapolis Star Tribune held more appeal than in this touching tale of her lovable hero*ine’s Christmas wish and the truths it teaches her. Lori Shepard’s plans for a perfect family Christmas are derailed when a mysterious charismatic stranger collapses in the driveway of her cozy English cottage. While the nearby village of Finch prepares to celebrate the season with a nativity play on Christmas Eve, Lori teams up with Julian Bright a devilishly attractive Roman Catholic priest to search for the stranger’s identity. Their journey takes them from hospital wards to homeless shelters to insane asylums, places where the Christmas star shines dimly, if at all. As Lori unveils the tragic secret that led the stranger to her door, she confronts painful truths about herself and discovers the real meaning of a perfect family Christmas.’How do you describe an Aunt Dimity mystery…
the real magic is in the storytelling. This enchanting series is as cozy as a warm fire on a winter’s night.’ The Denver Post

Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil

The perfect cozy mystery for Halloween, with everyone’s favorite phantom in a tale of family secrets, yesteryear romance, and spirits less friendly than herselfFans of Nancy Atherton’s beloved series are eagerly awaiting her latest supernatural treat, as her lovable hero*ine Lori Shepherd is drawn into another adventure sure to tantalize the mind and touch the heart. In Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil, Lori’s twins are now toddlers, walking and talking enough to drive her nearly stir crazy. So she jumps at the offer of a break a trip to evaluate a rare book collection in a remote and misty corner of Northumberland. On a dark and stormy night in late October, she sets out for Wyrdhurst Hall, the grim neo Gothic castle owned by newlyweds Nicole and Jared Hollander. On the way there she encounters Adam Chase, a charming, handsome stranger who knows more than he’s telling about the hall’s mysterious secrets. Lori falls under Wyrdhurst’s spell and Adam’s when she unearths a cache of World War I letters that tell a tale of doomed love and hint at a treasure hidden in the hall. It will take all of Dimity’s supernatural skills to help Lori solve the puzzle and restore peace to a family haunted by its tragic past.

Aunt Dimity: Detective

The ‘irresistible flair and charm’ Publishers Weekly of Nancy Atherton’s lovable hero*ine and her phantom aunt intensify with each new adventure. This time, in Aunt Dimity: Detective, murder comes to roost in Lori Shepherd’s own village. Nobody in the little town of Finch was really surprised when Prunella ‘Pruneface’ Hooper came to a nasty end but murder? There hadn’t been a murder in Finch since 1872 when one shepherd bashed another with the hook of his crook. Despite her hectic home schedule with her three year old twins, Lori agrees to investigate. But narrowing the list of suspects is a major challenge: the newly arrived Pruneface had quickly become privy to everyone’s secrets and used her secret knowledge to plant rumors, nurture backbiting, resurrect feuds, and season it all with downright lies. Almost everyone had a reason to want her dead. Fortunately, Aunt Dimity’s supernatural skills and her insight into uncovering the true goodness of human nature make the experience of unraveling the mystery ‘as cozy as a warm fire on a winter’s night’ The Denver Post.

Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday

Lori Shepherd and the phantom Aunt Dimity have become one of the mystery genre’s most celebrated detective duos. In their latest adventure, a pleasant woodland stroll through the English countryside is rudely cut short by the blizzard of the century, forcing Lori to take shelter in Ladythorne Abbey an old pile still haunted by the presence of the madwoman whose prison it once was. But the abbey s greatest secret is the priceless jewel it conceals somewhere within its cloisters an heirloom that hides a treacherous past that Lori s fellow guests can t wait to get their hands on. Only Aunt Dimity s indispensable wisdom can help Lori unravel a mystery that is considerably thicker than the accumulating snow in this page turning treat.

Aunt Dimity: Snowbound

Lori Shepherd and the phantom Aunt Dimity have become one of the mystery genre’s most celebrated detective duos. In their latest adventure, a pleasant woodland stroll through the English countryside is rudely cut short by the blizzard of the century, forcing Lori to take shelter in Ladythorne Abbey an old pile still haunted by the presence of the madwoman whose prison it once was. But the abbey s greatest secret is the priceless jewel it conceals somewhere within its cloisters an heirloom that hides a treacherous past that Lori s fellow guests can t wait to get their hands on. Only Aunt Dimity s indispensable wisdom can help Lori unravel a mystery that is considerably thicker than the accumulating snow in this page turning treat.

Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin

Nancy Atherton’s charming Aunt Dimity series has won the hearts of cozy mystery fans everywhere. Now, Lori Shepherd, feeling a touch world weary, decides to become a volunteer at the Radcliffe Infirmary, where she can spread a little good cheer in the community. There she meets Elizabeth Beacham, a kind, retired legal secretary with no family except a brother who has mysteriously disappeared. Lori is saddened when Miss Beacham pas*ses away suddenly after only a few visits. But when she receives an envelope containing a set of keys and a letter Miss Beacham wrote to her just a few days before her death, it becomes clear that there was much more to the gentle invalid than met the eye. Notices start arriving around the village of the large bequests made before her death. And Lori finds that Miss Beacham s flat is filled with priceless antiques an inheritance too precious to remain unclaimed. Armed with a few clues and Aunt Dimity s help, Lori begins to unearth Miss Beacham s secrets and, ultimately, the surprising truth about her next of kin. In this page turning installment, Aunt Dimity reaches beyond the grave to help another kindly spirit finally rest in peace.

Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea

Another page-turning installment in Nancy Atherton’s beloved cozy mystery series featuring Aunt Dimity, phantom detective

Lori Shepherd is no stranger to trouble and intrigue. But when Bill, her high-profile attorney husband, receives a number of chilling death threats aimed at his family, danger hits close to home. With Scotland Yard on the case, Bill decides to send Lori and their five-year-old twins to the safety of a remote island off the coast of Scotland. There, another mystery begins to unfold- Lori suspects that the locals on the island are making a fortune running an illegal smuggling operation. What else could explain their luxurious lifestyles? But after finding a human skull washed up on the beach, Lori fears something even more sinister is going on. With Aunt Dimity’s help, Lori begins to piece together the clues, unaware of the growing danger on the island. Will the murderous threats against her family finally catch up with her?

Readers across America have fallen in love with Nancy Atherton’s mystery series and its popularity continues to grow and grow. With its wonderful storytelling and characters, and an evocative setting that leaps off the page, Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea will have fans getting their feet wet as they follow the indefatigable supernatural sleuth once again.

Aunt Dimity Goes West

Everyone’s favorite sleuth heads to the Rocky Mountains in the twelfth installment of Nancy Atherton s cozy mystery series

Lori Sheppard barely survived her last adventure in Scotland before she s off on her next. This time in the mountain town of Bluebird, Colorado. No sooner than she s arrived do things start to go amiss. Someone has mysteriously disappeared, a charming and charismatic man seems to know more than he s letting on, and the whole town is hiding a dark secret. With Aunt Dimity s help, Lori sets out to solve a hundred year old mystery and discovers in the process that sometimes the strangest places can seem the most like home.

Nancy Atherton s Aunt Dimity series has charmed its way into the hearts of mystery fans through eleven installments. In Aunt Dimity Goes West, Atherton s vivid storytelling and knack for bringing a setting to life will have fans lassoed to their chairs and guessing to the very end.

Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter

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.

Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon

Lori’s peaceful English village is being overrun by a rowdy and mischievous Renaissance fairLori Shepherd loves living in the small English village of Finch, but as her eighth summer in the town approaches she finds herself wishing for something exciting to spice up her all too familiar routine. When King Wilfred’s Faire opens nearby, Lori gets her wish and more. The age of chivalry lives again at the Renaissance fair. Wizards, wenches, magicians, and minstrels cajole the fairgoers while lords quaff, jesters joke, and knights battle in the joust arena. But Lori discovers that it’s not all pageantry and play. A sinister figure is stalking the angel voiced madrigal singer. A jealous rival has sabotaged the Dragon Knight’s weapons. And an evil assassin is trying to murder Good King Wilfred. With Aunt Dimity’s otherworldly guidance, Lori races to save her dear village and risks her neck to keep the medieval revelry from ending in tragedy. Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon is another gem in Atherton’s perennially beloved cozy series, sure to enchant her many loyal fans and attract new ones.

Aunt Dimity Down Under

The original supernatural sleuth is back in the latest cozy Aunt Dimity mystery A shock wave rocks Lori Shepherd’s world when she hears that her beloved neighbors, Ruth and Louise Pym, may be dying. Bracing herself for a final farewell, Lori instead receives a request from the eccentric sisters: Find their long lost brother before it’s too late. Aubrey Pym is a wicked scoundrel who was banished from his family long ago; and much to Lori’s surprise, she must travel all the way to New Zealand to find him. In granting her dear friends’ dying wish, Lori sets out on a journey full of surprises. And with the help of a charming Kiwi and the otherworldly guidance of Aunt Dimity, Lori goes Down Under to search for the mysterious Aubrey, unraveling a web of secrets that has haunted the Pym family for generations. Nancy Atherton and her Aunt Dimity series have a dedicated fan base that eagerly awaits each new installment. With its exotic setting, endearing characters, and paranormal storyline, Aunt Dimity Down Under is sure to be a hit with loyal readers and new fans who are just discovering Aunt Dimity.

Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree

Cozy lovers’ favorite otherworldly detective cracks a classic country house case. In Atherton’s sixteenth mystery, Lori Shepherd returns from Down Under to her normal life in the village of Finch. But Lori’s normal quickly becomes anything but. Her debonair father in law has moved to town and is renovating Fairworth House, a grand estate nearby. William Sr. expects a quiet, small town life, but among the spinsters vying for his attention, shifty servants, and the discovery of a mysterious painting of a family tree in Fairworth’s attic, he discovers that life in Finch is anything but quiet. On top of it all, Lori and William are embroiled in a case of deception and false identity by one of Finch’s own. It’s nothing the plucky Lori can’t handle, but once things get truly peculiar at Fairworth moving furniture, strange sounds, and mysterious visitors she calls on Aunt Dimity for her otherworldly guidance and uncovers the shadowy past beneath the estate’s magnificent surface. Nancy Atherton’s titles continue to delight fans who eagerly anticipate each new book. Her latest will draw cheers and bring new readers to this charming series.

Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch

Nancy Atherton’s seventeenth cozy mystery featuring the beloved Aunt Dimity the original paranormal detective When Amelia Thistle moves to Finch, her new neighbors welcome her with open arms and inquiring minds. Among them is Lori Shepherd, who isn’t fooled by Amelia’s unassuming persona. Amelia is, in fact, a world famous artist with a rabid and eager to stalk fan base. In order to keep peace in Finch, Lori must help Amelia conceal her identity. Amelia, meanwhile, sets about working on the riddle that brought her to town in the first place. A fragment of a family diary hints that one of Amelia’s ancestors might have been Mistress Meg, the Mad Witch of Finch. Following the clue, Lori hunts through Finch’s darkest and most secret corners, all the while dodging nosy neighbors and Amelia’s frantic fans. With Aunt Dimity’s otherworldly help, Lori inches closer to the true story of Mistress Meg and Amelia. Returning to the charming world of Finch, Nancy Atherton’s latest novel is sure to delight faithful Aunt Dimity readers, Anglophiles, and cozy mystery fans.

Naked Came the Farmer

‘A human head crashes through a window. A naked woman zooms by on a motorcycle. A sleazy lawmaker gets an arrow in the back. ‘That’s life in central Illinois or at least the twisted version of central Illinois concocted by 13 writers collaborating on a tongue in cheek mystery.’ So writes Christopher Wills of the Associated Press in his recent article covering the new serial book, Naked Came the Farmer. Building on the success of NAKED CAME THE STRANGER a collaborative effort of 20 Newsday staffers back in 1969 and on the success of NAKED CAME THE MANATEE a suspense thriller cooked up by 13 Miami based writers in 1995 now comes Naked Came the Farmer, a satirical, round robin murder mystery drawing on the talents of some of Illinois’ top writers.