Nancy Atherton is a well-known American author who started her professional writing journey in her thirties. Famous for her Aunt Dimity series, she writes cozy and romantic mysteries that will warm your heart and hold your interest throughout the read.
Hi! I am Priyanka from Hooked to Books, and today, I will share the complete list of Nancy Atherton books in order.
If you want to start with her books, go through the list once to understand the order before diving into her books.
I’ve also briefly described the 5 most-liked books from her collection to help you decide your next pick.
Who is Nancy Atherton?
Nancy Atherton was born in 1955 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents had eight children, and she was the second child. She started writing at the age of nine. A short story by her, ‘A Trip to the Moon, ‘ is one of her memorable writing pieces.
Later, she explored plays and poetries. Nancy’s school published three poems written by her in their literary magazine. She was an avid reader and read almost anything she could get her hands on.
Though having a passion for writing since an early age, she never considered pursuing it as a career. She did several jobs before taking writing seriously.
Nancy started writing in her thirties and published the first book, Aunt Dimity’s Death, which became part of a famous series called Aunt Dimity.
The author prefers to write at night and sleep during the day. She is a best-selling American author with a beaming smile and hazel eyes.
Nancy Atherton’s Books in Order
| Sr. No | Title | Publication Date | Print Length | Publisher | Where to Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aunt Dimity’s Death | January 1, 1997 | 256 pages | Doubleday Direct | Amazon |
| 2 | Aunt Dimity and the Duke | November 3, 1994 | 304 pages | Viking Adult | Amazon |
| 3 | Aunt Dimity Digs In | March 8, 2017 | 395 pages | Thorndike Press Large Print | Amazon |
| 4 | Aunt Dimity’s Christmas | October 1, 1999 | 224 pages | Viking Adult | Amazon |
| 5 | Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil | October 2, 2000 | 224 pages | Viking Adult | Amazon |
Aunt Dimity Books Reading and Publication Order
The Aunt Dimity series is a collection of stories filled with adventures and mysteries.
One of the characters, Lori Shepherd, is an American who solves several mysteries. The mysteries are not very challenging to solve.
Lori’s aunt and benefactor, Aunt Dimity, is dead and now is a ghost who communicates with her from the spirit world through a writing journal. She is a romantic ghost who solves romantic mysteries.
There are a total of 25 books in the Aunt Dimity series. Although the books under the series title can be read in any order, it is suggested to read in their publication order to understand the character developments and changes along with various references from the previous books.
I have listed the books in their publication order. This is also the reading order of the series; however, the second book, i.e., Aunt Dimity and the Duke, is a prequel to the series, so ensure to read that book first before picking up any other if you want to follow the entire series in chronological order.
- Aunt Dimity’s Death (1992)
- Aunt Dimity and the Duke (1994)
- Aunt Dimity’s Good Deed (1996)
- Aunt Dimity Digs In (1998)
- Aunt Dimity’s Christmas (1999)
- Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil (2000)
- Aunt Dimity: Detective (2001)
- Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday (2003)
- Aunt Dimity: Snowbound (2004)
- Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin (2005)
- Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea (2006)
- Aunt Dimity Goes West (2007)
- Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter (2008)
- Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon (2009)
- Aunt Dimity Down Under (2010)
- Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree (2010)
- Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch (2012)
- Aunt Dimity and the Lost Prince (2013)
- Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well (2014)
- Aunt Dimity and the Summer King (2015)
- Aunt Dimity and the Buried Treasure (2016)
- Aunt Dimity and the Widow’s Curse (2017)
- Aunt Dimity and the King’s Ransom (2018)
- Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold (2019)
- Aunt Dimity and the Enchanted Cottage (2022)
Brief Descriptions of 5 Popular Books from the Aunt Dimity Series
I’ve also added brief descriptions of the 5 most-liked books from the series. Have a look!
1. Aunt Dimity’s Death
This is Nancy Atherton’s debut novel and the first book in the Aunt Dimity series. Here, we are introduced to the main protagonist, Lori Shepherd, a recently divorced woman who also lost her mother.
Lori’s mother used to write letters to a woman named Dimity Westwood, and Lori always thought she was a fictional character made up by her mother. But when she hears the news of Aunt Dimity’s death, she becomes even more sad.
Lori learns that she must find Aunt Dimity’s cottage and publish her aunt’s writings. With the help of a lawyer, William Willis, and his son, Bill, she embarks on the journey to find the cottage.
After finding Aunt Dimity’s cottage, which she still haunts, they are eventually introduced to the ghost spirit. From here, the interesting adventures of Aunty Dimity and Lori begin.
2. Aunt Dimity and the Duke
This is the second book in the series and is also set before Aunt Dimity’s death. So, it can be called a prequel. The book has different characters and is unrelated to the first book.
The protagonist, Emma, is a forty-year-old passionate amateur gardener. Recently, her longtime partner dumped her for a much younger woman, but she is surprisingly calm and unaffected by the situation.
To avoid the sympathy of family and friends, she leaves for a tour of England’s most gorgeous gardens for the whole summer.
Although there are fewer appearances of Dimity in the book, a Dimity-created scheme lands her at Penford Hall, a Gothic mansion in Cornwall.
There, she meets the duke, who is on a quest for a magical lantern. Upon request, she agrees to stay and restore the garden with her skills.
With Aunt Dimity’s guidance, Emma embarks on the journey to find the secrets of Penford Hall and maybe also love.
3. Aunt Dimity Digs In
In this book, Lori is struggling as a new mother of twins. Between managing the kids and household chores, she is on the verge of giving up.
Sensing Lori’s distress, Bill writes to Aunt Dimity’s ghost for help. She sends a nanny, a perfect helper, who easily manages the kids and housework, freeing Lori from the chaos.
Conflicts are occurring between the village people, and only Lori can help solve the issue.
The harvest festival is coming, archaeologists are ready to dig in, and a document is missing from the vicar’s desk. Lori must find the missing document to resolve the ongoing disputes.
Will she be able to do it with Aunt Dimity’s guidance?
4. Aunt Dimity’s Christmas
This is a Christmas book! Lori is extremely happy with her twins growing and the arrival of festivities.
She is busy shopping and decorating the house for Christmas. This time, when Lori can afford everything she ever wished for, she finally believes that her holiday dream is coming true.
But when Lori finds a man’s body barely alive near their cottage, the environment becomes stressful.
She sets on a mission to help the stranger find his identity with the help of a Roman Catholic priest. The book shows the aftereffects of World War II to the people and surroundings.
5. Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil
The book starts after ten months from the incidents of the previous book, Aunt Dimity’s Christmas. Lori gets the chance to escape the chaotic life filled with kids’ tantrums and chores for a while.
Upon the request of her old boss, she travels to Tarrant Hall in Northumberland to analyze a library book collection.
Arriving at a Victorian mansion, she gets a warm welcome from the hosts of the place, Nicola and Paul Hollander.
While examining the library books, she finds piles of love letters dating back from WWI, written by a lieutenant to Nicola’s great aunt.
Within the collection, she finds one letter about a hidden treasure in the Tarrant Hall and immediately informs Nicola, who is more disturbed by the news than thrilled.
Nicola has some ghostly experiences within the house and confesses to Lori. With Aunt Dimity’s help, Lori begins to investigate the mysteries to uncover the secrets and spirits of the Tarrant Hall.
Wind-Up
This article on the complete list of Nancy Atherton books in order provides the list of novels written by the author. I hope this compilation helps you understand the sequence order so you can start with the books right away.
Many readers like Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity series.
Which Aunt Dimity book is your favorite? Tell me in the comments below!