Aunt Dimity and the King’s Ransom

Atherton’s genial 23rd paranormal cozy (after 2017’s Aunt Dimity and the Widow’s Curse) finds American Lori Shepherd and her husband, Bill, setting off from the English village of Finch for a romantic getaway from their three children. Plans go awry before they reach their destination of Rye when a coastal storm maroons Lori in an unfamiliar town miles away from Bill. Taking refuge in a dimly lit church, Laurie fears for her life when a strange man garbed in dark clothing approaches her. So begins a series of quick judgments and mishaps that lead Lori and her new friend, a retired bishop, on a quest to discover why the local King’s Ransom Inn is haunted. The inn—filled with stranded travelers, including Lori—was once a smugglers’ haven. Is the cook, a surly ex-con, using the inn’s tunnels and secret passages for criminal pursuits? Is a particularly unpleasant guest a criminal, too? And is the inn truly haunted? Aunt Dimity, a ghost who communicates with Lori through a journal, assists in the sleuthing. Fans of sweet mysteries will be well satisfied. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (July)