Imagine it’s chilly outside and you’re all bundled up in your favorite cozy sweats. You’ve got nothing planned for the day and all you want to do is read. You make a cup of coffee and peruse your bookshelves looking for the perfect book that will make you feel happy, and, well…cozy.
Any book from the Aunt Dimity Mystery series is perfect for times like these. If you’re a fan of the cozy mystery genre, add this series to your wish list, stat!
In Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree, which is book #16, William Willis, Sr. has traded New York City for the sleepy town of Finch in the Cotswolds. He wants to be closer to his son Bill, his daughter-in-law Lori, and his twin grandsons. But instead of buying a cozy little cottage of the Cotswold variety, William buys Fairworth House—a large, sprawling 10-acre estate in need of major renovations. Since William is unable to manage the estate on his own, he hires two live-in housekeepers, a married couple from Ireland named Deirdre and Declan Donovan.
When Deirdre and Declan are shown to excel at their jobs, Lori feels the couple are too good to be true. She can’t help but wonder if they have an ulterior motive. Plus, shortly after the housekeepers’ arrival, William and Lori note that random historic objects from the house seem to be shuffled around and misplaced.
Then, an old painting from the Fairworth barn is stolen from the restoration artists and Lori is set on blaming the Donovans. Are the Donovans really as amazing as they make themselves out to be, or are they running a sinister scheme? If you know anything at all about Aunt Dimity and the village of Finch, you may already know not everything and everyone is as they seem.
Nancy Atherton’s prose is unbelievably beautiful. She’s the perfect cozy mystery writer. Atherton writes in a manner so poetic and lyrical it instantly sets you at ease, which is why I like to describe her books as the ultimate cozy mysteries. Nothing invokes that comfy tea-and-scone atmosphere quite like an Aunt Dimity book.
The subplot featuring local townswoman Sally Pyne and her eccentric Latino lover from Mexico is hilarious and entertaining. William agrees to allow Sally to temporarily pose as a wealthy woman who owns Fairworth House for the sake of impressing and retaining her beau. So funny!
Here’s the full, up-to-date list of Aunt Dimity Mysteries by Nancy Atherton.
Last Updated on November 24, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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