Aunt Dimity and the Buried Treasure

Atherton’s amiable 21st paranormal cozy featuring Lori Shepherd (after 2015’s Aunt Dimity and the Summer King) highlights the benefits and hazards of uncovering the past. In the attic of her house in the Cotswolds village of Finch, Lori comes across a gold bracelet inlaid with garnets that must have belonged to her ghostly aunt, Dimity Westwood. This discovery prompts Dimity to tell the story of a post-WWII misunderstanding with a man she knew only as Badger; she asks Lori to try to locate Badger, even though he would be almost 90 years old. Reluctantly, Lori agrees to visit Dimity’s old stomping grounds in London, where she encounters three pensioners known as the Battle of Britain boys, who put her on the right trail. Meanwhile, “metal detectorist” James Hobson arrives in Finch, causing a stir with his hobby. The use of a metal detector by various villagers produces objects that reveal things better left hidden. Atherton smoothly blends history, village life, and the otherworldly. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)