Nancy Atherton Books In Order

Publication Order of Aunt Dimity Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Famously known for her mystery novels, Nancy Atherton, author of the ‘Aunt Dimity series’ is a hugely successful writer today. Defying the general perception of her as an ‘englishwoman’, she is, in fact, American and defines herself to be seemingly out of the ordinary.

Early And Personal Endeavours:

Growing up in Chicago, Nancy Atherton was the second of eight children (five brothers and three sisters) in her family. Her entire childhood was spent surrounded by public amenities such as schools, parks and transport which led her to experience various aspects of life. She also stated jokingly, much later on in life, that her family’s ‘tax payments were an excellent investment’. At the age of nine, she began her first journey with the pen and there was no stopping her ever since. Her initial words were restricted to letters that she wrote to her cousin as well as a few short stories. At that age, one particular short story titled “A Trip to the Moon” was her memorable first piece of writing. But as a couple more years passed, she broadened her horizons and began to venture into more exciting fields such as poetry and plays. That was when she started to discover her passion for writing. Her first publication happened at the age of twelve when her school’s literary magazine titled “Windfall” decided to print three of her poems to be read across the district. But even the many years of writing for hours endlessly did not give her the idea to take up writing as a profession till much later on in her life. It was only in her adulthood that she realised writing as a career option actually existed. As a child, she was an avid reader and read almost anything she could get her hands on. Right from stories about animals to non-fictional pieces and plays, she went through them all. This led to a personal statement, later on in an interview for omnimysterynews, where she attributed her diverse style of writing to her excessive reading. Nancy, an animal lover, of cats, dogs and rabbits in particular, has two cats of her own, also stating that she ‘lives just for them’ and that they are the most important beings in her household. Her hobbies when she is away from writing include visiting museums, experiences films and plays as well as spending time with her loved ones. At the moment, her place of residence is in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Journey of Writing:

Though she began writing at a very tender young age, it was only after working multiple minimum wage jobs in America that she began taking it serious enough to consider it as a living. This only happened when she was in her thirties. Taking inspiration from all forms of living and non-living beings around her, Nancy Atherton claims that even the most random and minor moment could spark an idea in her mind and drag it out till it became an elaborate story. She mainly depends on her own life experiences as well as stories of those around her to create the scenarios in her books, especially with regards to her characters. In her words, the biggest challenge of being an author is ‘keeping up with everything else in life’. She also describes her writing schedule as erratic and unhealthy because they involve her following the process of sleeping in reverse order, i.e., she writes at night and sleeps after the sun rises. The reason behind this, in her words, is the ‘lack of distraction’ after dark where everything seems more settled and peaceful. She said in numerous interviews about her that she wished for her books is to appear on television, especially BBC. Her advice to other writers is to let their creative freedom rise as high as possible and not allow anyone try to suppress it. A few of her favourite authors include Terry Pratchett, P.D. James,Dorothy Sayers and Georgette Hayers.

The ‘Aunt Dimity’ Series:

Nancy Atherton’s very first novel of the Aunt Dimity series, published in the year 1992 and titled ‘Aunt Dimity’s Death’ was listed as one of the top hundred mysteries of the century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Though not initially intended to be extended into a full set of books, the plan came about due to the highly positive ratings that her first book received. In her entire series, she uses ‘England’ as her setting of preference though she never really lived there for long periods of time. She stated that her usual time span to write one of the books in these series is anywhere from two hundred days to a full year.

Aunt Dimity’s Death (Book 1):

The theme of this novel revolves around the protagonist, Lori Shepherd, who grows up hearing about ‘Aunt Dimity’, a character from one of the bed time stories that her mother often narrated to her. However, as an adult, she realises that ‘Aunt Dimity’ is more than just a character and is actually a real person. The rest is about how Aunt Dimity’s death impacts Lori’s life, leading her to seek treasures that she never even dreamed of. Nancy stated that she associates herself to the character of Lori.

Aunt Dimity and the Duke (Book 2):

The second book that released the following year was titled ‘Aunt Dimity and the Duke’. The plot has a new main character called ‘Emma Porter’ who embarks upon a mystery set amidst the surroundings of the Duke of Penford. The tale was about figuring out the mystery behind a rock star’s demise with the help of the ghost of Aunt Dimity.

Nancy’s books are often described as delightful mixtures of friendship, fantasy and mystery. Each of the books in her series also feature recipes that are mostly from her family, especially her mother, and also her friends. These have also gained fame and received acclaim for their authenticity. One special quality of the ‘Aunt Dimity series’ is that they can be read in any order. Nancy, however, suggests that they are read in the order that they were published so that the reader can connect with the personal growth of each of the recurring characters.

6 Responses to “Nancy Atherton”

1. Heidi H: 3 months ago

   Have read of all the Aunt Dimity series and I would love to read more.

   Reply
2. Mary M. Diener: 7 months ago

   Looking forward to the next Aunt Dimity book..they are a joy to read! Thanks for bringing joy to so many!

   Reply
3. Patricia Zimmer: 10 months ago

   Aunt Dimity books are the first on my list to read when there has been a new one. Enchanted Cottage (2022) was awhile ago. I keep looking on line and hoping there is another book coming.

   Reply
4. Janet Chalpany: 2 years ago

   I also have the whole Aunt Dimity series and am on book number 23 , my second time around for the series. Have laughed and cried thru the whole bunch. Thank you for your talent.

   Reply
5. Beverly Mercer: 2 years ago

   Have all of your books and loved them all. Relaxed, fun reads. Good characters. Never disappoints.

   Reply
6. Jill Cline: 3 years ago

   Waiting and hoping for another installment of Aunt Dimity!!

   Reply