Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree (Aunt Dimity Mystery) (edition 2012)

Now, this is the sixteenth book in this series. I do think that the first 5 were Atherton’s strongest, but I do continue to read all of the new books because they just make me feel so good. Another cozy mystery, this book takes a further look into the life of Lori Shepherd, but I love her new look at older characters. We have known Lori’s father-in-law, William Sr., for quite a while, but this book takes a refreshing perspective on his new life in England. The characters are really the reason for reading these books. All cozy mysteries traditionally have a happy ending, so the ending of this book is no surprise. But, I love to see what the crazy inhabitants of Finch will be up to next.

Unfortunately, Emma, Kit, and the rest of the usuals take a backseat in this book, but they will undoubtedly be in Atherton’s future books. If you have never read this series before, I would start with the first book Aunt Dimity’s Death. You will fall in love with these characters from the beginning, and the conflict in Atherton’s earlier books is fresher and more believable. ( )

This is one of those gentle mystery series set in England. The main characters are Lori Shepherd and the ghostly Aunt Dimity. In this adventure, Lori and Bill are married and the parents of twin boys. Bill's father has retired and moved to England and purchased a manor in need of TLC. Of course the senior William Willis will need a staff to aid in running this house, thus enters an unlikely husband and wife team. No bloody corpses in this story, just a deception to fool the townspeople. ( )

Have you ever felt like you have read a book before but know you have not because it has only recently been released? Such was the case with this book. The plot was so similar to another book I had read that I pretty much knew what was going to happen before it did. Willis Sr. has moved into Fairworth Manor to be near his son's family. He hires a young couple as live-in staff, but his daughter-in-law Lori has her doubts about them. Meanwhile, the village tea shop owner got herself into a bind by pretending to be the lady of the manor while on a trip to Mexico. Now Henrique is coming for a visit, and she has to enlist the help of Willis and others to save face. There is no murder, but there are missing and moved objects. It was a quite pleasant read, but I'd have to say it was pretty predictable if I anticipated the outcomes. I keep trying to figure out if the plot is possibly plagiarized from another, but I haven't come up with one yet. ( )

Sarah Pyne, resident of Finch is gaga over Henrique Cocinero, a Mexican count. Only thing is, Henrique thinks that Sarah is Lady Sarah of Fairworth Manor. Fairworth Manor, however, is the property of William Willis, Sr., Bill's father and Lori Shepherd's father-in-law. And then there is the Donovans, Bill Sr's new house-keeper and gardener who are way overqualified for the job. Aunt Dimity raises her suspicions and Lori does her detecting in another enjoyable Aunt Dimity tale. ( )

Lori Shepherd is thrilled that her father-in-law is moving to Finch to be closer to his son and grandsons. William Shepherd, Sr. is a wonderful addition to the community. He has bought Fairworth House and spent an excessive amount of money fixing it up. The community is all a buzz with the modifications and restoration of this historic home, but a lot of the members of the community are just buzzing about William himself as an eligible bachelor!
After William, Sr. hires the Donovans to run his household, Lori notices strange things happening. She doesn’t have a lot of time to deal with those issues because she and William, Sr. are completely engrossed in a game of deception to help a member of the community. With so many things changing and so many people completely interested in the comings and goings of Fairworth House, Lori has to stay on her toes!
The community members are not happy with being out of the loop on Fairworth’s business and believe it is their duty to solve the mysteries Lori and her father-in-law have set into motion. Aunt Dimity has to keep reminding Lori to not judge people before you have evidence, but it is so hard when she believes there is no room for questions. The problem is, she may be wrong…
This is a wonderfully written cozy mystery! Perfect for curling up in front of a fire and reading and a great addition to the Aunt Dimity collection.

Reviewed by Ashley Wintters for Suspense Magazine ( )