Part of Aunt Dimity Mystery, book 25
First published 2022
Crispin Windle moves into Pussywillows cottage in the English village of Finch, but he pushes away every friendly overture from his new neighbors. Most villagers write him off as antisocial. Lori and Tommy Prescott, a young army veteran, refuse to abandon their efforts to connect with the mysterious man. They arrange an encounter that takes all three to a set of forgotten ruins hidden in overgrowth. Aunt Dimity reveals these stones are what remains of a Victorian woolen mill that once made Finch wealthy. Among the crumbling walls, they discover unmarked graves of children who died laboring in the mill. The trio commits to an enormous task: identifying each forgotten child so they can receive proper burials. As Crispin works to restore names and dignity to the dead, he begins to trust his new friends. The cottage known for bringing couples together starts to mend his wounded heart.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, contemporary, cozy-mystery
Vibes: emotional, intimate, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: England, Finch, Pussywillows Cottage, Victorian Woolen Mill
Period: Victorian Era
341 pages · Library Binding · Thorndike Press Large Print