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...  more

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.

Emma Porter is forty, fat, frumpy, and a passionate amateur gardener. When her longtime lover dumps her for a younger woman, Emma escapes the cloying sympathy of family and friends by setting out on a summer-long driving tour of England 's glorious gardens. A Dimity-contrived coincidence...  more

Emma Porter is forty, fat, frumpy, and a passionate amateur gardener. When her longtime lover dumps her for a younger woman, Emma escapes the cloying sympathy of family and friends by setting out on a summer-long driving tour of England 's glorious gardens. A Dimity-contrived coincidence brings her to Penford Hall, a sprawling Gothic mansion in Cornwall , where the Duke of Penford is awaiting a miracle. An ancient artifact known as the Lady's lantern must light of its own accord or the Penford line will come to an end--but the lantern is missing. Convinced there's more than one mystery to solve at Penford Hall, Emma accepts the Duke's invitation to stay on and restore the once-glorious chapel garden to its former beauty. The dark rumors surrounding the death of rock star Lex Rex, who drowned five years ago in the Duke's yacht, and the suspicious near-death of the Duke's beautiful, supercilious cousin, set Emma--with Aunt Dimity's ghostly guidance--on the path to Penford Hall's secrets and the discovery of unexpected love.

Thanks to Aunt Dimity, Lori's life has taken on fairy-tale proportions: she's financially set for life and happily married--or so she thinks. When Lori's plans for a second honeymoon to England with her workaholic husband fall through, she begrudgingly takes along her...  more

Thanks to Aunt Dimity, Lori's life has taken on fairy-tale proportions: she's financially set for life and happily married--or so she thinks. When Lori's plans for a second honeymoon to England with her workaholic husband fall through, she begrudgingly takes along her father-in-law--who promptly disappears, leaving behind a mysterious note. Inspired and guided by the ghost of Aunt Dimity and her inimitable blue journal, Lori's search for the elderly gentleman turns into a harrowing mission to uncover a centuries-old family secret--complicated by mistaken identities, falsified deeds, family feuds, and Lori's unseemly attraction to her husband's beguiling English cousin. In a delightful chase that takes her all over the English countryside, Lori discovers the true meaning of marital bliss.

Lori Shepherd has her hands full--of pureed carrots and dirty diapers--as she strives to be the perfect mother to twins. Help arrives, in the form of a beautiful Italian nanny, just as Lori is plunged into the middle of a local civil war stirred up by a visiting archaeologist's controversial...  more

Lori Shepherd has her hands full--of pureed carrots and dirty diapers--as she strives to be the perfect mother to twins. Help arrives, in the form of a beautiful Italian nanny, just as Lori is plunged into the middle of a local civil war stirred up by a visiting archaeologist's controversial excavation.   With Aunt Dimity's guidance, Lori hunts down a vitally important missing document, while the archaeologist digs up a lot more than artifacts. Lori looks to Aunt Dimity's blue journal to provide the key to buried secrets and domestic malice, and show all the residents of Finch that even the darkest acts can be overcome by forgiveness.

Lori Shepherd can hardly wait to celebrate Christmas this year with her husband, Bill and twin sons in the beautiful cottage willed to her by Aunt Dimity. Then Lori makes a disturbing discovery beneath the cottage's snow-covered lilac bushes--the body of a mysterious stranger, barely...  more

Lori Shepherd can hardly wait to celebrate Christmas this year with her husband, Bill and twin sons in the beautiful cottage willed to her by Aunt Dimity. Then Lori makes a disturbing discovery beneath the cottage's snow-covered lilac bushes--the body of a mysterious stranger, barely alive. Lori must put her plans on hold to team up with Julian Bright--a devilishly attractive Roman Catholic priest--to seek out the tramp's identity. Their adventure takes Lori and Julian from abandoned World War II airfields to homeless shelters--places where the Christmas star shines dimly, if at all. Finally, Lori unveils the tragic secret that led the stranger to her door, and must confront painful truths about herself and the true meaning of a perfect family Christmas.

It’s raining so hard and the wind is so fierce that Lori Shepherd can barely see through the windshield of her Range Rover. And as the car continues to climb up and up this treacherously steep embankment on the high moors of Northumberland, Lori is beginning to doubt the wisdom of her...  more

It’s raining so hard and the wind is so fierce that Lori Shepherd can barely see through the windshield of her Range Rover. And as the car continues to climb up and up this treacherously steep embankment on the high moors of Northumberland, Lori is beginning to doubt the wisdom of her latest adventure: perhaps the mind-numbing effect of caring for her twin toddlers wasn’t so bad after all?   Lori is on her way to Wyrdhurst Hall, having jumped at the opportunity offered to her by Stan Finderman, her old boss, to evaluate a rare book collection. The collection is housed in the grim neo-Gothic castle owned by newlyweds Nicole and Jared Hollander. The hall, the books, and the journey to this remote and misty corner of Northumberland are full of surprises--some pleasant and some not so. Meeting Adam Chase, a charming, handsome stranger, is definitely a pleasant one--although Lori suspects he knows more than he’s telling about the hall’s mysterious secrets.   Lori falls under Wyrdhurst’s spell--and Adam’s--when she unearths a cache of World War I letters that tell a tale of doomed love and hint at a treasure hidden in the hall. It will take all of Dimity’s supernatural skills to help Lori solve the puzzle and restore peace to a family haunted by it tragic past.   Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil is the perfect cozy mystery for Halloween, with everyone’s favorite phantom in a tale of family secrets, yesteryear romance, and spirits less friendly than Dimity herself.

When Lori Shepherd returns from her trip to America, she is shocked to hear that Prunella "Pruneface" Hooper has been killed. This is the first murder in the village of Finch in more than a century, and everyone is in an uproar. Before the town implodes in the wake of this scandal,...  more

When Lori Shepherd returns from her trip to America, she is shocked to hear that Prunella "Pruneface" Hooper has been killed. This is the first murder in the village of Finch in more than a century, and everyone is in an uproar. Before the town implodes in the wake of this scandal, Lori sets out to solve the murder. Unfortunately, nearly everyone in Finch had a reason to want Mrs. Hooper dead. With the help of the ghostly Aunt Dimity and Nicholas, the enigmatic (and charming!) self-defense instructor, Lori aligns motive, means, and opportunity to unravel this delightfully tangled and gossip-filled whodunnit.

When Lori Shepherd’s husband, Bill, is summoned to the reading of a will at the resplendent country estate of Earl Elstyn, Lori jumps at the chance to come along. She didn’t expect, however, to find herself entangled in a messy—and dangerous—family dispute. The aristocratic...  more

When Lori Shepherd’s husband, Bill, is summoned to the reading of a will at the resplendent country estate of Earl Elstyn, Lori jumps at the chance to come along. She didn’t expect, however, to find herself entangled in a messy—and dangerous—family dispute. The aristocratic earl has called together the entire Elstyn family to disclose the beneficiaries of his fortune, and all present will be affected. But someone has a grudge against the Elstyns and will stop at nothing for revenge. A burning topiary, a suspicious maid, family secrets, and threatening notes lead Lori to seek her phantom Aunt Dimity’s help in identifying the culprit before he or she can torch the whole house—with the guests in it.

Aunt Dimity, a romantic ghost in England is featured. Lori Shepherd and the phantom Aunt Dimity have become one of the mystery genre's most celebrated detective duos. In their latest adventure, a pleasant woodland stroll through the English countryside is rudely cut short by the blizzard of...  more

Aunt Dimity, a romantic ghost in England is featured. Lori Shepherd and the phantom Aunt Dimity have become one of the mystery genre's most celebrated detective duos. In their latest adventure, a pleasant woodland stroll through the English countryside is rudely cut short by the blizzard of the century, forcing Lori to take shelter in Ladythorne Abbey -- an old pile still haunted by the presence of the madwoman whose prison it once was. But the abbey’s greatest secret is the priceless jewel it conceals somewhere within its cloisters -- an heirloom that hides a treacherous past that Lori’s fellow guests can’t wait to get their hands on. Only Aunt Dimity’s indispensable wisdom can help Lori unravel a mystery that is considerably thicker than the accumulating snow in this page-turning treat.

Nancy Atherton's charming Aunt Dimity series has won the hearts of cozy mystery fans everywhere. Now, Lori Shepherd, feeling a touch world-weary, decides to become a volunteer at the Radcliffe Infirmary, where she can spread a little good cheer in the community. There she meets Elizabeth...  more

Nancy Atherton's charming Aunt Dimity series has won the hearts of cozy mystery fans everywhere. Now, Lori Shepherd, feeling a touch world-weary, decides to become a volunteer at the Radcliffe Infirmary, where she can spread a little good cheer in the community. There she meets Elizabeth Beacham, a kind, retired legal secretary with no family except a brother who has mysteriously disappeared. Lori is saddened when Miss Beacham passes away suddenly after only a few visits. But when she receives an envelope containing a set of keys and a letter Miss Beacham wrote to her just a few days before her death, it becomes clear that there was much more to the gentle invalid than met the eye. Notices start arriving around the village of the large bequests made before her death. And Lori finds that Miss Beacham's flat is filled with priceless antiques -- an inheritance too precious to remain unclaimed. Armed with a few clues and Aunt Dimity's help, Lori begins to unearth Miss Beacham's secrets and, ultimately, the surprising truth about her next-of-kin. In this page-turning installment, Aunt Dimity reaches beyond the grave to help another kindly spirit finally rest in peace.

Another page-turning installment in Nancy Atherton’s beloved cozy mystery series featuring Aunt Dimity, phantom detective Lori Shepherd is no stranger to trouble and intrigue. But when Bill, her high-profile attorney husband, receives a number of chilling death threats aimed at his...  more

Another page-turning installment in Nancy Atherton’s beloved cozy mystery series featuring Aunt Dimity, phantom detective Lori Shepherd is no stranger to trouble and intrigue. But when Bill, her high-profile attorney husband, receives a number of chilling death threats aimed at his family, danger hits close to home. With Scotland Yard on the case, Bill decides to send Lori and their five-year-old twins to the safety of a remote island off the coast of Scotland. There, another mystery begins to unfold— Lori suspects that the locals on the island are making a fortune running an illegal smuggling operation. What else could explain their luxurious lifestyles? But after finding a human skull washed up on the beach, Lori fears something even more sinister is going on. With Aunt Dimity’s help, Lori begins to piece together the clues, unaware of the growing danger on the island. Will the murderous threats against her family finally catch up with her? Readers across America have fallen in love with Nancy Atherton’s mystery series and its popularity continues to grow and grow. With its wonderful storytelling and characters, and an evocative setting that leaps off the page, Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea will have fans getting their feet wet as they follow the indefatigable supernatural sleuth once again.

Lori Shepherd, still recovering from her most recent adventure, is taking a vacation with her family in the beautiful mountain town of Bluebird, Colorado. But there's something amiss at their seemingly perfect vacation home. Is the place cursed or is a sinister human hand shaping its eerie...  more

Lori Shepherd, still recovering from her most recent adventure, is taking a vacation with her family in the beautiful mountain town of Bluebird, Colorado. But there's something amiss at their seemingly perfect vacation home. Is the place cursed or is a sinister human hand shaping its eerie reputation? With Aunt Dimity's help, Lori sets out to solve a hundred-year-old mystery and discovers that sometimes the strangest places can seem the most like home.

The original paranormal detective returns in the latest installment of a beloved mystery series Lori Shepherd’s life in England couldn'’t be more tranquil or more satisfying— except for one thing. Her five-year-old twins have started school, and Lori fears they'’ll catch...  more

The original paranormal detective returns in the latest installment of a beloved mystery series Lori Shepherd’s life in England couldn'’t be more tranquil or more satisfying— except for one thing. Her five-year-old twins have started school, and Lori fears they'’ll catch everything from the flu to fleas. What they do come home with, however, is worse: a report of a pale, cloaked figure with bloodstained lips lurking in the woods. Lori is skeptical at first but soon grows concerned enough to consult with her late (but not entirely departed) Aunt Dimity and her dear friend Kit Smith. The vampire-hunting trail leads to Leo, a charismatic vagabond who just returned to England after a self-imposed exile, a bitter old crone named Lizzie Black, and finally to Aldercot Hall, where a mysterious murder took place forty years ago. With Kit and Aunt Dimity’s help, Lori uncovers the secret that will shock everyone— -- including herself— -- about the true identity of the twins’ vampire.

Lori Shepherd loves living in the small English village of Finch, but as her eighth summer in the town approaches she finds herself wishing for something exciting to spice up her all-too-familiar routine. When King Wilfred's Faire opens nearby, Lori gets her wish and more. The age of...  more

Lori Shepherd loves living in the small English village of Finch, but as her eighth summer in the town approaches she finds herself wishing for something exciting to spice up her all-too-familiar routine. When King Wilfred's Faire opens nearby, Lori gets her wish and more. The age of chivalry lives again at the Renaissance fair. Wizards, wenches, magicians, and minstrels cajole the fairgoers while lords quaff, jesters joke, and knights battle in the joust arena. But Lori discovers that it's not all pageantry and play. A sinister figure is stalking the angel-voiced madrigal singer. A jealous rival has sabotaged the Dragon Knight's weapons. And an evil assassin is trying to murder Good King Wilfred. With Aunt Dimity's otherworldly guidance, Lori races to save her dear village and risks her neck to keep the medieval revelry from ending in tragedy.

The original supernatural sleuth is back in the latest cozy Aunt Dimity mystery A shock wave rocks Lori Shepherd's world when she hears that her beloved neighbors, Ruth and Louise Pym, may be dying. Bracing herself for a final farewell, Lori instead receives a request from the...  more

The original supernatural sleuth is back in the latest cozy Aunt Dimity mystery A shock wave rocks Lori Shepherd's world when she hears that her beloved neighbors, Ruth and Louise Pym, may be dying. Bracing herself for a final farewell, Lori instead receives a request from the eccentric sisters: Find their long-lost brother before it's too late. Aubrey Pym is a wicked scoundrel who was banished from his family long ago; and much to Lori's surprise, she must travel all the way to New Zealand to find him. In granting her dear friends' dying wish, Lori sets out on a journey full of surprises. And with the help of a charming Kiwi and the otherworldly guidance of Aunt Dimity, Lori goes Down Under to search for the mysterious Aubrey, unraveling a web of secrets that has haunted the Pym family for generations.

Her debonair father-in-law has moved to town and is renovating Fairworth House, a grand estate nearby. William Sr. expects a quiet, small-town life, but among the spinsters vying for his attention, shifty servants, and the discovery of a mysterious painting of a family tree in Fairworth's...  more

Her debonair father-in-law has moved to town and is renovating Fairworth House, a grand estate nearby. William Sr. expects a quiet, small-town life, but among the spinsters vying for his attention, shifty servants, and the discovery of a mysterious painting of a family tree in Fairworth's attic, he discovers that life in Finch is anything but quiet. On top of it all, Lori and William are embroiled in a case of deception and false identity by one of Finch's own. It's nothing the plucky Lori can't handle, but once things get truly peculiar at Fairworth-moving furniture, strange sounds, and mysterious visitors-she calls on Aunt Dimity for her otherworldly guidance and uncovers the shadowy past beneath the estate's magnificent surface

When Amelia Thistle moves to Finch, her new neighbors welcome her with open arms-and inquiring minds. Among them is Lori Shepherd, who isn't fooled by Amelia's unassuming persona. Amelia is, in fact, a world-famous artist with a rabid and eager-to-stalk fan base. In order to keep...  more

When Amelia Thistle moves to Finch, her new neighbors welcome her with open arms-and inquiring minds. Among them is Lori Shepherd, who isn't fooled by Amelia's unassuming persona. Amelia is, in fact, a world-famous artist with a rabid and eager-to-stalk fan base. In order to keep peace in Finch, Lori must help Amelia conceal her identity. Amelia, meanwhile, sets about working on the riddle that brought her to town in the first place. A fragment of a family diary hints that one of Amelia's ancestors might have been Mistress Meg, the Mad Witch of Finch. Following the clue, Lori hunts through Finch's darkest and most secret corners, all the while dodging nosy neighbors and Amelia's frantic fans. With Aunt Dimity's otherworldly help, Lori inches closer to the true story of Mistress Meg-and Amelia. 

It’s a cold, dreary February in the sleepy village of Finch and Lori Shepherd has two stir-crazy seven-year-old boys on her hands. So when her good friend Bree Pym suggests an outing to Skeaping Manor, the bizarre Jacobean-house-turned-museum, Lori leaps at the chance. There she meets...  more

It’s a cold, dreary February in the sleepy village of Finch and Lori Shepherd has two stir-crazy seven-year-old boys on her hands. So when her good friend Bree Pym suggests an outing to Skeaping Manor, the bizarre Jacobean-house-turned-museum, Lori leaps at the chance. There she meets Daisy Pickering, a sweet (if a little odd) nine-year-old dressed in a shabby pink parka who regales Lori with a wild tale about the Russian aristocrats who once owned the priceless silver pieces on display. A few days later, when a finely wrought silver sleigh figurine turns up in the pocket of a shabby pink parka at her thrift shop Lori recognizes it instantly as the object that mesmerized Daisy at Skeaping Manor. Hoping to avoid any real commotion, Lori tracks down Daisy’s mother, only to find that the Pickering family has disappeared without a trace. Stranger still, it seems that one of Daisy’s imagined Russian princes may be very real -- and in desperate need of help. With Aunt Dimity’s otherworldly guidance, Lori’s search for the sleigh’s true owner and the fate of the Pickering family begins to unravel a tangled web of secrets stretching from England’s finest country estates back to the blood-drenched soil of the Russian Revolution.  

When a strapping young Australian named Jack MacBride arrives in Finch to wrap up his late uncle's affairs, heads turn in the sleepy English village. But when Lori volunteers to help Jack clear out his uncle's overgrown garden, they discover something even more shocking than a stranger...  more

When a strapping young Australian named Jack MacBride arrives in Finch to wrap up his late uncle's affairs, heads turn in the sleepy English village. But when Lori volunteers to help Jack clear out his uncle's overgrown garden, they discover something even more shocking than a stranger turning up in Finch. After Lori laughingly tosses a coin into the garden's old well and makes a wish, she is baffled to find that the wish seems to have come true. Word spreads, and the villagers turn out in droves to make wishes of their own. But as they soon learn, one person's wish is another person's worst nightmare and the village is thrown into chaos. As more and more wishes come true, Lori resolves to find out what's really going on. Is handsome Jack somehow tricking his neighbors? Or are they fooling themselves? With Aunt Dimity's otherworldly help, Lori discovers that the truth is even more marvelous than a magical wishing well.

 Four recently sold cottages are standing empty, and the locals fear that a developer plans to turn their cozy village into an enclave of overpriced weekend homes. But for once Lori Shepherd can't help. Her infant daughter, her father-inlaw's upcoming wedding, and the crushing...  more

 Four recently sold cottages are standing empty, and the locals fear that a developer plans to turn their cozy village into an enclave of overpriced weekend homes. But for once Lori Shepherd can't help. Her infant daughter, her father-inlaw's upcoming wedding, and the crushing prospect of her fortieth birthday have left her feeling inadequate and overwhelmed. Until, that is, she has a chance encounter with an eccentric inventor named Arthur Hargreaves. Dubbed the Summer King by his equally eccentric family, Arthur is as warmhearted as the summer sun. In his presence, Lori forgets her troubles—and Finch's. But Lori snaps out of her happy trance when she discovers detailed maps of Finch in the Summer King's library. Next, a real estate agent comes knocking. Is Arthur secretly plotting Finch's demise? With Aunt Dimity's otherworldly help—and her new daughter in her arms—Lori mounts a crusade to save her beloved village from the Summer King's scorching greed.

Nancy Atherton's twenty-first cozy mystery in the beloved, Nationally Bestselling Aunt Dimity series. While exploring the attic in her cottage near the small English village of Finch, Lori Shepherd makes an extraordinary discovery: a gold and silver bracelet inlaid with gleaming garnets,...  more

Nancy Atherton's twenty-first cozy mystery in the beloved, Nationally Bestselling Aunt Dimity series. While exploring the attic in her cottage near the small English village of Finch, Lori Shepherd makes an extraordinary discovery: a gold and silver bracelet inlaid with gleaming garnets, which she quickly learns belonged to Aunt Dimity. When Lori brings news of the garnet bracelet to Aunt Dimity, it awakens poignant memories of a doomed romance in Aunt Dimity's past. Regretfully, Aunt Dimity asks Lori to do what she could not bring herself to do -- return the bracelet to her unsuccessful suitor or to his rightful heir.   In the meantime, a new family has moved to Finch. The villagers are thrilled because their new neighbors are avid metal detectorists. Metal detectors soon become all the rage in Finch and the villagers unearth a lot of rubbish (some of it quite embarrassing) before one of them stumbles upon a real treasure -- an ancient hoard of priceless gold and silver artifacts.   The artifacts look strangely familiar to Lori. She begins to suspect that the villager isn't the only person who's stumbled upon the hoard. Did Aunt Dimity's suitor get there first? If he took the garnet bracelet from the hoard, what else might he have taken? Was Aunt Dimity's long-lost love a common thief? If so, who is his rightful heir? As Lori searches for answers, she discovers an unexpected link between the buried treasure in the village and the treasure buried in Aunt Dimity's heart.

It's early April in the small English village of Finch. Lori Shepherd's husband and sons are spending Easter break camping, and Lori is perfectly happy to be left at home with Bess, spared a week of roughing it with a curious toddler. The two attend a village events committee meeting and...  more

It's early April in the small English village of Finch. Lori Shepherd's husband and sons are spending Easter break camping, and Lori is perfectly happy to be left at home with Bess, spared a week of roughing it with a curious toddler. The two attend a village events committee meeting and Lori is astonished when the elderly, soft-spoken widow Mrs. Annabelle Craven stands to make an announcement: she's decided to hold a quilting bee in the old schoolhouse.  At the quilting bee, Lori ends up seated beside Mrs. Craven, delighted at the opportunity to learn more about her neighbor's life in the village of Old Cowerton. But dear, sweet Mrs. Craven's stories reveal a startling secret about her first husband's death.  With Aunt Dimity's advice, Lori sets out to learn the truth about what the residents of Old Cowerton refer to as the "widow's curse" -- and the deeper she digs, the more horrifying the tale becomes, until she discovers the most astounding revelation of all.

In the 23rd installment of the bestselling Aunt Dimity series, a dark and stormy night kicks off a ghost chase in rural England. On a dull and dreary October day, Lori Shepherd and her husband Bill set off for the historic town of Rye, in the southeast coast of England, for a quiet weekend...  more

In the 23rd installment of the bestselling Aunt Dimity series, a dark and stormy night kicks off a ghost chase in rural England. On a dull and dreary October day, Lori Shepherd and her husband Bill set off for the historic town of Rye, in the southeast coast of England, for a quiet weekend together without the kids. Bill must first pay a visit to a reclusive client--but after Lori drops him off, the storm that's been brewing intsensifies so much she ends up stranded in an ancient, rambling inn called the King's Ransom, in a tiny attic room up a creaky (and creepy) set of narrow stairs. When Lori begins hearing footsteps and strange noises in the night, Aunt Dimity reminds her rather tartly the inn is almost certainly haunted, but that not all ghosts have any interest in harming the living, don't you know. But the longer Lori is stuck at the inn, the stranger things seem. She learns that the inn's name comes from a king's ransom in smuggled goods that passed through the village in ages past, and that the inn's winding hallways connect to a network of smuggler caves and tunnels. And then there's the inn's hulking, grizzled cook, a mute ex-con named Steve who seems to be everywhere at once. Are the noises she hears the spirits of smuggling's past? Or should Lori be more concerned with the living inhabitants of the inn? Joining forces with her new friend Bishop Smallwood, Lori sets out to discover once and for all who--or what--is haunting the King's Ransom.

It's almost Christmas in the small English village of Finch -- and everyone is sick. Though many of the villagers regretfully decline their invitations to Emma Harris's annual Christmas bash, Lori Shepherd has no intention of missing it. When the winter weather takes a turn for the...  more

It's almost Christmas in the small English village of Finch -- and everyone is sick. Though many of the villagers regretfully decline their invitations to Emma Harris's annual Christmas bash, Lori Shepherd has no intention of missing it. When the winter weather takes a turn for the worse, it's agreed that none of the guests will leave until morning. There's general merriment as the Christmas party becomes a pajama party -- until a car appears in the winding driveway and promptly slides off the slick pavement and into a ditch. Matilda "Tilly" Trout -- a lost and scatterbrained, middle-aged woman -- is mercifully unhurt and invited to stay the night. While she catches her breath, Emma asks her other guests if they would like a tour of the Manor -- including an odd room that puzzles her. Several guests put forth guesses as to its purpose, but it's Tilly who correctly identifies the room as a chapel. Placing a palm on one of the ornately-carved panels, Tilly finds a hidden compartment concealing a pile of glittering treasure -- including an exquisitely decorated heart made of solid gold. Where did it come from, and why does it look so different from everything else in the chapel? Why didn't Emma even know about this hidden compartment in her own home until now -- and how did Tilly? With Aunt Dimity's otherworldly help and Tilly's bewildering store of knowledge, Lori and friends set out to unravel the mystery behind the heart of gold. And, against all odds -- and Christmas finally comes to Finch!

It's early May in the small English village of Finch and the air is crackling with excitement: a newcomer is about to move into Pussywillows, a riverside cottage with a romantic reputation. Will the cottage's newest resident prove yet again its enchanting ability to match-make? But when...  more

It's early May in the small English village of Finch and the air is crackling with excitement: a newcomer is about to move into Pussywillows, a riverside cottage with a romantic reputation. Will the cottage's newest resident prove yet again its enchanting ability to match-make? But when Crispin Windle arrives, no one knows what to make of him: seemingly a loner, he repels every welcoming gesture and appears altogether uninterested in being a part of the community. Soon, the townspeople have all but dismissed him. Only Lori and Tommy Prescott, a young army veteran who recently moved to Finch, refuse to give up. They orchestrate a chance meeting that leads to a startling discovery: a set of overgrown ruins. They are, Aunt Dimity shares, the remains of a Victorian wooden mill that once brought prosperity to Finch. As the three explore, they stumble upon the unmarked graves of children who died working at the mill. Heartbroken, Lori, Tommy, and Mr. Windle get to work on the seemingly impossible task of identifying the children to give them a proper burial. And as Mr. Windle works tirelessly to name the forgotten children, he slowly begins to open up--giving the romantic cottage a chance to heal his heart, as well.