- Nancy Atherton
Upon receiving this book, and looking at it on goodreads, I realised that it was sort of part of a big series. Number 19, in fact, of the ‘Aunt Dimity’ series. I was a little worried about whether I would be lost in all the characters, but I think I managed quite well as the story got going! When given a sequel to review I would usually read the earlier books, but with 18 before this one, I figured that would take too long… This series seems to be the sort of one where each storyline is completely different, with just small points that may be mentioned from a previous one. It doesn’t seem that important to have read them all!
When a strapping young Australian named Jack MacBride arrives in Finch to wrap up his late uncle’s affairs, heads turn in the sleepy English village. But when Lori volunteers to help Jack clear out his uncle’s overgrown garden, they discover something even more shocking than a stranger turning up in Finch.
After Lori laughingly tosses a coin into the garden’s old well and makes a wish, she is baffled to find that the wish seems to have come true. Word spreads, and the villagers turn out in droves to make wishes of their own. But as they soon learn, one person’s wish is another person’s worst nightmare and the village is thrown into chaos.
As more and more wishes come true, Lori resolves to find out what’s really going on. Is handsome Jack somehow tricking his neighbors? Or are they fooling themselves? With Aunt Dimity’s otherworldly help, Lori discovers that the truth is even more marvelous than a magical wishing well.
When I realised who Aunt Dimity was, it did make me a bit wary. I thought the whole story was just going to be a bit daft to be honest! If, like me, you hadn’t delved into this series before, all you need to know is that Aunt Dimity was a friend of Lori’s mother. Her ghost lives on through a journal, and this is how Lori communicates with her. However, it wasn’t actually that crazy – I was surprised!
This book has a good mystery – though not the kind I’m used to reading – as well as a view into the lovely English village life. Instead of hunting for a killer, Lori is trying to figure out why wishes are coming true. It can’t be magic, right?
Everyone knows everything about each other in Finch, you can’t keep anything a secret, so when Jack turns up, the villagers don’t know what to think.
I for one enjoyed reading about the characters. They all had their own little story, and although we only get glimpses the majority in this book, I imagine each book in the series will delve into each person at one point! They all seemed pretty likeable.
This mystery won’t appeal to all, and if you’re looking for something juicy then keep looking! Aunt Dimity and the Wishing Well is an easy read, with a small mystery going on. Maybe not as action-packed as the mystery books I would usually read, but enjoyable nevertheless! I may have to read through some more in the Aunt Dimity series!
