Review: Aunt Dimity & the Widow's Curse

 

• Title: Aunt Dimity & the Widow's Curse  
• Author: Nancy Atherton 
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking (May 30, 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1101981326
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1101981320

This is another murder mystery that I found in the thrift store and thought the premise was interesting.  I never heard of Aunt Dimity before finding this book however, little research revealed that Widow's Curse is number 22 of 25 books in the series.  

The plot of Widow's Curse surrounds the confession of an elderly women who recently moved to the village but who has quickly become beloved by the community.  Annabelle Craven confesses to  Lori, the main character,  that she murdered her husband many years prior. Understandably shocked and dismayed at first, Lori initially thinks that Annabelle Craven is pulling her leg or is suffering the onset of senility. Nonetheless, she takes it upon herself to either prove or disprove her neighbors claim before deciding whether to go to the police or not. Her friend Bree tags along to help in her investigate as well as to help take care of Lori's toddler daughter Bess. 

The Good 

This is another one of those books that is classified as a British Cozy Mystery, that is they are considered a comfy read that is less suspenseful and gives you a greater sense of comfort and a sense of alls right with the world. They usually take place in a picturesque British Village (complete with thatched roofs) where everybody knows everybody. Often the setting is a self-contained  or closed off community such as the Cotswold's in the Agatha Raisin series or fictional village of Lochdubh in the Hamish Macbeth Series (both of which I highly recommend if you like this genre). Finally, the central mystery is usually investigated by an amateur sleuth

Widow's Curse fits this description of a British Cozy quite well. Having grown up in a small village myself, I found the description of village life (and gossip) very accurate. I found that I liked Lori right away although some of her conversations with other people (most notably with her husband) don't always feel authentic but rather are more contrived. 

I loved the contrast between the two groups of ladies that Lori and Bree meet during the course of their investigation. On one hand you have the Sunnyside Gang, a group of bitter old ladies who swear that Annabelle is responsible for not only the death of her husband Zach Trotter but also four other men as a consequence of her Widow's Curse.  On the other hand you have the Craven Manor Crew who are comprised of Annabelle's old friends who not only swear that Annabelle is innocent but they also have supposed proof of her innocence in the form of newspaper records and police statements. This leaves Lori in the middle with the question if Annabelle is innocent, why did she lie about murdering her husband? The answer may surprise you. 

The Bad 

A lack of danger. Within the context of Widow's Curse, the murder took place many decades prior and so there is no danger in the present. There is no unknown killer lurking in the shadows working against the protagonist, no close calls, or red herrings. With no antagonist, there is also a lack of urgency in solving the mystery. In fact, the only time limit is given by Lori herself who aims to clear everything up while her husband and sons are away for a week long camping trip. 

However, at the completion of the story there is one mystery that remains and is never resolved.  Did Bree pay for half their stay at the White Hart Hotel? 

The Ugly 

And now we come to Aunt Dimity, remember her? Her name is in the title! The entire premise of the series is that Aunt Dimity was best friends with Lori's mother during World War 2. After the war, Lori's mother returned home to the United States but continued to correspond with Aunt Dimity for several years unbeknownst to anyone else. Lori only finds out about Aunt Dimity after both her mother and Aunt Dimity have passed away. 

In fact, Aunt Dimity leaves Lori a tidy sum an her house in England. In addition, Aunt Dimity also leaves Lori a blank blue journal through which she communicates with Lori. That is, Lori open the journal and speak to Aunt Dimity who then responds by making words appear on the page of the journal which later disappear at the conclusion of their conversation. Apparently the how and why of this is never explained. From a writer's point of view, I can see how Lori's conversation with Aunt Dimity allow her to process her thoughts about her conversations and experiences with other people as she investigates. Although this makes the series unique, I don't feel that it is a needed element. 

My Rating 

I am giving Aunt Dimity and the Widow's Curse three out of five bloody knives on Carolina Dean's Murder Scale (patent pending). Okay, okay. I am still working on my rating system. 

- Carolina Dean