The premise of the Aunt Dimity series sounds a bit twee even for confirmed cozy lovers: wealthy American Lori Shepherd, living in the Midlands region of England, communicates with "Aunt Dimity," a deceased family friend, through a mysterious journal. For readers willing to play Atherton's game, however, the series can be thoroughly entertaining. To know Lori, who manages to be incredibly altruistic yet not particularly angelic, is to love her. Reading about her life in her snug cottage with her five-year-old twin sons and kind husband is as comforting as a cup of hot cocoa, with the denizens of her tiny English village serving as the marshmallows on top. This time Lori, volunteering at the hospital, befriends a certain Miss Beacham and is greatly saddened when she dies. Then Lori receives a letter from the deceased asking her to solve a mystery: Where is Miss Beacham's estranged brother? Fans of complex plots and taut suspense won't find succor here, but lovers of simpler pleasures will purr quietly. Jenny McLarin
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"Atherton’s series is for those who like the puzzle of a mystery minus the corpses. . . . Put on the teakettle and enjoy."
—Rocky Mountain News

"A charming mystery, filled with warmth and affection."
—Deadly Pleasures