Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

Summary:

Lori Shepherd thought Aunt Dimity was just a character in a bedtime story ...
... Until the Dickensian law firm of Willis & Willis summons her to a reading of the woman's will. Down-on-her-luck Lori learns she's about to inherit a sizable estate--if she can discover the secret hidden in a treasure trove of letters in Dimity's English country cottage. What begins as a fairy tale becomes a mystery--and a ghost story--in an improbably cozy setting, as Aunt Dimity's indomitable spirit leads Lori on an otherworldly quest to discover how, in this life, true love can conquer all.

My take: 3 stars
This was a very cute start to a prolific cozy mystery series. It was recommended to me by a friend after I asked for a "light read" and I am officially hooked.

The story grabbed me from the beginning and I felt the "hard-knock life" of orphan Lori. Just as I was getting used to her cash-strapped plight, her future started looking up!

Perhaps it is my naivete on this lifestyle, but I soon found her distrust of all things good and hopeful to get a little tiring. It seemed to me that she had not been through quite the dire straits necessary to be so negative and jaded. If someone bought me a closet full of new clothing, I would be delighted! If a wealthy, eligible bachelor kept smiling at me like the Cheshire cat, I would be intrigued. Instead, Lori did her best to repeatedly bite the hand that fed her.

Though this was a bit of a hindrance to the reading for me, it caused more light irritation and comments under my breath like, "What are you doing, Lori? Take the compliment!" rather than making the book less enjoyable. The introduction of Aunt Dimity and her unusual manner of communication were so entertaining that this turned into a page-turner for me. When I was finished, I immediately started the next one in the list!

Highly recommended.