Armed with a well-provisioned pack and trail map, Lori sets off the next morning in search of gamboling lambs and peace of mind. Before she is too far along the trail a sudden freak blizzard kicks up. Completely unprepared for this turn of events, Lori locates Ladythorne Abbey on the map, a place Lori assumes is unoccupied.

The home of the late Lucasta DeClerke has recently been purchased by a celebrity (coincidentally represented by Lori’s husband) and is well-provisioned for guests. This is a good thing, as Lori meets up with fellow stranded hikers, Americans Wendy Walker and Jamie Macrae.

The unlikely trio is accosted by caretaker Catchpole, who upon learning Lori’s connection to the new owner becomes mollified. He tells the group of the irony of three Americans taking refuge in the house, as Lucasta had an intense dislike for Americans after an incident that occurred during World War II. It involved recovering GI’s that stayed in the Abbey, but Catchpole does not know the details.

Lori is immediately suspicious of Wendy’s intentions and turns to the only person she knows she can trust - Aunt Dimity. Aunt Dimity is a deceased, old family friend (from whom Lori inherited her cottage) who communicates with Lori through a blank book on which her words of counsel appear when Lori requests them. Aunt Dimity fills Lori in on the details: Lucasta accused the GI’s of stealing a family heirloom set of jewels which the GI’s denied and which have never been seen since. Lori immediately suspects that Wendy knows the story and has come to find the hidden treasure and steal it for herself. Soon Lori realizes no one is who they appear to be and that everyone may have stumbled into more than a haven from the storm.

Aunt Dimity: Snowbound is a cheerful mystery with many secrets and ghosts from the past and no present day dead bodies. Readers will enjoy the bucolic setting, but will be amazed at how stocked the larder of a house undergoing renovations is. Lori is a pleasant enough heroine, but has a bad habit of falling for any good-looking man who bats his eyes her way - though she never acts on her urges, remembering her marriage vows.

There are no dead bodies for Lori to contend with, just a lot of restless souls that need appeasement. Readers will more than likely catch on to what is really going on much earlier than Lori does. Aunt Dimity: Snowbound is quick, charming slice of English life that will provide entertainment, if not a lot of suspense, on a snowy winter day.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry