With the country in the midst of World War II, you can be sure the small town of Elderberry, Georgia, will pull together to find a missing child. And you can be equally certain that first-grade teacher, Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, will be in the search partyโespecially since Peggy Ashcroft is one of her students. Miss Dimple carves out a search path all her own and once again, the sharp-as-a-tack teacher is right on point. But she finds Peggy too sick to walk and itโs too dark for Miss Dimple to find her way back.
Luckily, she comes upon the home of an elderly artist, Mae Martha, and her young companion, Suzy, who helps ensure that Peggy returns home safe and sound. A few days later, however, Miss Dimple receives a frantic call from Suzy: Mae Martha has been murdered and Suzy is seen as the most likely suspect, because her family is Japanese. Miss Dimple and her fellow teachers Annie and Charlie don't buy it; and set out to prove Suzy's innocence, only to discover danger where they least expect it.
Bringing warmth and nostalgia for small-town life, Mignon F. Ballard continues her "winning" (Publishers Weekly) cozy mystery series with Miss Dimple Suspects. Quick thinking and loyal to a fault, Miss Dimple is an amateur sleuth who will always stand up for what's right.
Review
โA cozy should make you feel good, and this one does. Characters who are good friends, a strong sense of community and a satisfying outcome make this a winner.โ โ RT Book Reviews
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โBallard complicates the generally heartwarming tone of her gently nostalgic mysteries by dramatizing a shameful episode in the countryโs history.โ โ Kirkus Reviews
โMignon Ballard has woven a story...with both charming and menacing characters.โ โ New York Review of Books
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โThe wartime setting will appeal to a wide range of readers [with] strong female characters of all ages." โ Booklist
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โEngaging.โ โ Library Journal
About the Author
MIGNON F. BALLARD grew up in a small town in Georgia and received a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. She is the author of Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause and Miss Dimple Disappears , along with seven mysteries featuring angelic sleuth Augusta Goodnight, and The War in Sallie's Station, a novel about growing up in rural Georgia during World War II. She lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina.