Amazon.com (ISBN 0141002190, Paperback)

Lori Shepherd, niece of one of the most benevolent ghosts in fiction, discovers there's life (and death) after motherhood in this charming, neo-Gothic tale of haunted castles, time-traveling spirits, and hidden treasure. Leaving her twin toddlers at home in the Cotswolds with her husband, an American lawyer working in England, Lori sets off for Wyrdhurst Hall to evaluate a private library for a wealthy client who has given the castle to his niece Nicole and her new husband, Jared Hollander. But a mysteriously open gate leads Lori dangerously astray. Rescued from a potentially fatal accident by a handsome and charming stranger to whom she is immediately attracted, she resumes her journey to the gloomy Scottish estate. Once ensconced at Wyrdhurst, Lori finds the young mistress is terrified by the sounds and apparitions that haunt the castle and equally frightened of her cold and controlling husband. Lori uncovers a secret cache of letters from an earlier era that hint at a tragic love affair and a death that must be avenged before Wyrdhurst's ghost--and its present inhabitants--can rest in peace. With Aunt Dimity's magic journal warning her that danger surrounds her passionate infatuation with Adam Chase, who has his own reasons for wanting Lori to get to the bottom of the mystery, our intrepid heroine traces the ghostly apparitions to their source. In the process she makes the acquaintance of the restless spirit whose love for a World War I soldier was thwarted, but not destroyed, by Wyrdhurst's original owner and provides the happy-ever-after ending to this charming and lively mystery. Nancy Atherton's fans will adore Lori and Aunt Dimity, and readers new to the series will be delighted to discover the fearless duo in this atmospheric and very well-paced story. --Jane Adams