Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter (Aunt Dimity Mystery)
by Nancy Atherton
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nancy AthertonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-01-27
ISBN: 0143114794
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter (Aunt Dimity Mystery)
Book Review: A vampire spices up the small English village setting
Summary: 4 Stars
My first two experiences with the Aunt Dimity books, written by Nancy Atherton, made me wonder if I would ever try another one. They are so light that even the term "cozy" seems too harsh of a word for them. However, they are filled with quirky characters, are competently written and are a bit of fun. Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter is the latest Dimity book, and I don't know if it's because I was in the right mood for it or if I've just finally accepted what type of books these are, but I have to say it's the best of the (admittedly small) bunch of which I've read.
Lori Shepherd's life in a small village in England has just gotten a little scarier. Her twin 5-year-old boys, Will and Rob, have started school, and Lori's scared that something, *anything*, will happen to them. She's constantly worrying about them, to the detriment of her various activities around the village of Finch. So when they start telling stories of having seen a vicious vampire around the manor at which they take riding lessons, her maternal instincts go into overdrive. Convinced there's a vampire on the loose, or at least a pedophile observing her children, she's determined to track him down and make sure her kids are safe. Oh, and there's plenty of time to try and play matchmaker for a good friend as well. Her investigation will discover a village secret and will mean she has to intrude upon a local family that's kept to itself for 50 years. Sinister? You be the judge.
The problem for some people will be that the Aunt Dimity books are almost universally "nice." People may have secret agendas, but they're not doing it out of spite or malice. They have secrets, but they're mostly embarrassing ones. If they are bad, then they're probably going to be redeemed at some point. I mentioned in my review of Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea that Lori's worldview is that everybody's nice. With this book, Lori's motherly fears counteract that, but the book itself doesn't. While Atherton tries to build up the tension, experienced readers will always know that there's something much softer behind everything, thus diluting it somewhat.
That's not to say that Atherton doesn't know how to deal with it to please her audience. Non-cozy fans can stay away, as you will find nothing here. But fans of the genre will find semi-interesting characters, a flighty protagonist (is that a requirement of the genre?), and a mystery where everything will come together if Atherton has bothered to mention it previously in the book. There are no red herrings in an Aunt Dimity book; if it's mentioned, it's important, or will at least be dealt with.
It helps that this time around, Atherton has created a generally interesting situation. I loved the crazy old woman, Lizzie, with her monster stories about the history of the village, and I also found the DuCaral family intriguing as well. Lori's fears are actually quite funny because they're so over the top, with her never able to quite admit to herself that she is taking the vampire story at face value. It's amazing what fear for their kids will do to otherwise rational mothers, and Atherton demonstrates that superbly with Lori. The rest of the characters that are more than incidental have a certain depth that's nice to see in an otherwise superficial genre.
For once, Aunt Dimity isn't the most interesting thing about the book, though she does have her moments. I should state for those who don't know that Aunt Dimity has been dead for a few years, but she interacts with Lori through an old journal, with Lori talking to the journal and Dimity's replies showing up in glowing ink. She has her reasons for encouraging Lori on her wild goose chase, playing her like a fiddle when she wants to go to the police while still reining her in from some of her excesses. We find out even more about how the whole Dimity situation works (or at least I did, as this may have already been shown). It's been established that some people (Lori's husband, her best friend) know about Dimity's existence, but this is the first time that it's become clear that they can also interact with her. It would be neat to have a mystery where Dimity gets more involved, but maybe I've already missed that.
Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter is not without its faults, of course. The Coincidence Fairy has sprinkled a bit too much dust on the book, with too much coming together at the perfect time to really make sense. Also, Atherton's prose style, while definitely not annoying me as much as it did in previous installments, still made my sweet tooth ache occasionally. I was ready for it and it still overpowered me at times. You definitely have to be in the right frame of mind for any of the Aunt Dimity books, and this is no exception.
Nancy Atherton seems to have a theme in each one of her books, and the there are two in Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter. One is redemption and another concerns mothers being overprotective of their children. While Lori does take it to extremes, I'm sure many mothers of children just starting school will identify with her, and Atherton shows how this can be taken too far, as well as the effect it can have on those around you. I liked that, and I think it made this a more interesting book.
If you like cozy mysteries, you should give Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter a try. For those of you who need a bloody knife in your mysteries or thrillers, stay far away. It's an excellent book if you are ready for it, a fluffy piece of lint to throw away in disgust if you're not. You'll have to decide which one applies to you.
Originally published on Curled Up With a Good Book. © David Roy, 2008
Summary of Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter (Aunt Dimity Mystery)
Penguin's popular Aunt Dimity series returns and "loyal fans will be thrilled by every new revelation"(Kirkus Reviews)Everyone's favorite paranormal detective is back in Nancy Atherton's thirteenth Aunt Dimity mystery-but this time Lori's supernatural confidante may not be the only one who's not quite dead. Could the cloaked figure Lori's twins saw in the woods near the family's English country cottage really have been a vampire? Atherton's ever-growing legion of fans and all fans of cozy mysteries will find themselves curling up with a nice cup of garlic- er, tea-for the most spine-tingling Aunt Dimity mystery yet.
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