Synopses & Reviews
Meet Miss Dimple
It is 1942, and most of the men in the town of Elderberry, Georgia, have gone to war. One frosty morning just before Thanksgiving, young schoolmistress Charlie Carr and her fellow teachers are startled to find that the school custodian, Wilson “Christmas” Malone, has neglected to stoke the furnace or empty the wastebaskets—and then is found dead in a broom closet, the apparent victim of a heart attack. But when Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, who is as dependable as gravity and has taught Elderberry first graders—including Charlie—for nearly forty years, disappears the following day, town residents are shaken down to their worn, rationed shoes. Knowing that Miss Dimple would never willingly abandon her students, Charlie and her friend Annie begin sleuthing—and uncover danger surprisingly close to home.
Review
“Ballards series launch offers plenty of wonderful nostalgia and the heartbreak that only war can bring.” -Library Journal
“Ballard writes with great warmth and sassy humor.” -Publishers Weekly
“The details of small-town life are completely engaging. Genre veteran Ballard fills her story with wonderful characters and warm humor.” -Booklist
Synopsis
It's 1942, almost a year since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the residents of the small town of Elderberry, Georgia, have been rattled down to their worn, rationed shoes. For young teacher Charlie Carr, life and love aren't going exactly as planned--her head dictates loyalty to the handsome corpsman, Hugh, but whenever she thinks of her best friend's beau, Will, her heart does the Jersey Bounce. Charlie is doubly troubled by the disappearance of beloved schoolmistress Miss Dimple Kilpatrick one frosty November morning just before Thanksgiving. Miss Dimple, who has taught the town's first graders--including Charlie--for almost forty years, would never just skip town in the middle of the school year, and Charlie and her best friend, Annie, are determined to prove it.
About the Author
MIGNON F. BALLARD is the author of seven mysteries featuring angelic sleuth Augusta Goodnight, and The War in Sallies Station, a novel set in rural Georgia during World War II. She lives in Calhoun, Georgia, where she grew up.