Threatening notes and family drama take precedence when Lori and Bill stay at Derek's family estate for a week. We finally get the lowdown on Derek's background. It's far-fetched that the family's extremely high social standing might have escaped Emma's notice over the years - after all, Nell and Peter have spent plenty of time with their grandad. But that may be my strongest complaint when evaluating Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday.My irritation with Lori's wandering eye is quashed. A charming, attractive cousin of Derek's flagrantly hits on her and she finally finally! handles it well, flirting without going gaga and even making it abundantly clear that attraction does not necessitate action. Thank heavens.The mystery is somewhat lacking in excitement, the characters could have used a dash more spice, but I won't fuss too much as I get the impression this is a bridge book. The Harris family undergoes several changes that are bound to crop up later, and Nell's fascination with a certain stable manager is once again presented for our review. Lori's more sensible attitude towards men is established. And the epilogue assures us that romance is in the air for one of our new acquaintances.If there's one thing I miss as the books progress it's Dimity's less prominent involvement in events. She's more of a sounding board lately, eschewing direct action in favor of playing Lori's voice of reason. She does an admirable job, but I keep wanting her to supernaturally fling rabbits at passersby. I'd previously gotten the impression Atherton might explore the ghostly aspect more thoroughly - I'm still hopeful that comes to pass.
When Lori’s best friend Emma confides to her that her husband Derek is related to Earl Elstyn, Lori is shocked. She then learns that she and her lawyer husband Bill will be accompanying Emma and Derek to the Elstyn estate to settle Earl Elstyn’s will. But someone has a grudge against the Elstyn’s., Threatening letters and a burning topiary lead to family secrets. Lori consults ghostly Aunt Dimity in trying to puzzle out the clues and uncover the culprit before someone ends up dead. This is a fun, light mystery, and one of Atherton’s better novels. I loved meeting the Elstyn cousins and uncovering their secrets. Simon and Oliver were particularly interesting. I didn’t know who was threatening the family until the very end. I love the interplay between Lori and Aunt Dimity; she is a ghost who communicates with Lori through a blue journal. My only criticism is that Atherton puts temptation in Lori’s path too often. Although Lori never cheats on Bill, she is enticed by every handsome man who shows an interest and that’s not a quality I like to see in a main character. Despite this fact, I enjoy the Aunt Dimity books and look forward to reading more in this series.
A worthy addition to the series. Seeing Derek's home life at Hailesham versus his home life at the Manor, privilege versus rewarding work, is an eye-opener. If you ever thought it would be great to be an Earl, read this book first. I actually felt sorry for Peter at the end. What a tradition to have to continue! Hopefully after sorting out so many misunderstandings, Derek and his father will enjoy the remaining years of their lives more than the twenty years that preceded. Nell, as usual, is a delight, as is Emma. I loved the discussion between Claudia and Lori about make-up. Truer words were never spoken. Mostly make-up feels like expensive dirt on the face. I don't know how people can bear it.
—Maria
This wasn't one of the best Aunt Dimity mysteries, but it wasn't horrible. I both really liked the ending and, at the same time, think it was the main problem with this book. Lori, the main character, didn't really seem to solve this one. She kept jumping to the wrong conclusion, and it was really only because of the butler, the undercover Interpol agent, and Kit that the poison pen writer was discovered. For once, she was a part of the audience during the grand reveal. In a way, it was refreshi
—Matt Randall
Hmmm.... usually I give Aunt Dimity books more stars than this. I gave this one three stars for the following reasons [contains spoliers]:-It wasn't a murder mystery. I know that sounds insane-- I didn't like it so well because it wasn't a murder mystery. Haha. But, you must understand that Aunt Dimity books are cozy murder mysteries and when I read one, I expect to read a whodunnit.-The mystery surrounded a poison pen.-I could have never guessed the culprit which makes this not so great of a mystery in my opinion. I enjoy working my "little grey cells" and seeing if I can figure out whodunnit but in this mystery, not only were there no good clues to follow but no one seemed to be a suspect-- and for good reason-- believe me, you'll never be able to figure out whodunnit in this convoluted mystery.-Derek Harris, who I usually like a lot, really really got on my nerves in this book-- he seemed so one dimensional. You get to know his family in this book and all I'll say is his family doesn't really believe in communication and they are big on assumptions.What I did like was it was your classic drawing room mystery (minus the murder) that took place on a country weekend with Derek's wealthy family.All told, I'll continue reading the series because so far this is the only book to disappoint but it didn't disappoint me too terribly because it was still a good read despite the fact that it missed the mark.
—Elizabeth
