Miss Dimple Picks a Peck of Trouble

December 23, 2013
At the start of Ballard's delightful fourth WWII-era mystery featuring Elderberry, Ga., first-grade teacher Miss Dimple Kilpatrick (after 2013's Miss Dimple Suspects), a scream causes Miss Dimple to pause while she's picking peaches in an orchard one summer morning. She soon learns that pretty 18-year-old Prentice Blair, who was working alone at the nearby Peach Shed, has disappeared. Could Prentice's lanky, good-natured boyfriend, Clay Jarrett, with whom she recently broke up, be involved in some way? When Prentice's body is found by the old mill, where she and Clay liked to neck, things look bad for Clay. Eccentric "Mad Hattie" McGee, who says she witnessed Prentice's abduction, could exonerate Clay, but can you trust the word of a woman who claims that Nazi spies are after her and that she knows the location of buried Confederate gold? Plenty of period Southern charm will satisfy cozy fans. Agent: Laura Langlie, Laura Langlie Agency.

December 15, 2013
A murder horrifies the residents of a small Georgia town already coping with the deprivations of wartime living. The blazing hot summer of 1944 is taking a toll on the hardy citizens of Elderberry, who consider themselves lucky to be living in a rural area where they can grow and can their own food. Respected teacher and part-time sleuth Miss Dimple Kilpatrick is picking peaches with her fellow teachers, Charlie Carr and Annie Gardner, when Miss Dimple hears a scream. Only later do they learn that the lovely Prentice Blair has vanished from her job selling produce at the Peach Shed while her somewhat older best friend, Charlie's sister Delia, was across the road buying some cold soda. When her body is found, her longtime boyfriend, Clay Jarrett, whose family owns the peach farm, is immediately suspected. Prentice and Clay had recently split, partly over her decision to go away to college even though he wanted to marry. In addition, Prentice had been depressed since the recent death of a woman who had been like a mother to her. Miss Dimple is certain that Clay does not have it in him to murder the woman he desperately loved, despite his admission that Prentice had told him she had sex with a man she didn't name. A woman living in a nearby shack claims she saw the killer and found something that could identify him, but since she thinks that she's Scarlett O'Hara battling both Yankees and Nazis, only Miss Dimple understands that her testimony might be worthwhile. When she's found dead as well, Miss Dimple and her friends go all out to discover the identity of Prentice's lover. Ballard's latest exercise in nostalgia (Miss Dimple Suspects, 2013, etc.) presents more delightful characters tangled in a solid mystery.

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January 1, 2014

Teacher Miss Dimple Kilpatrick puts her sleuth hat on for the fourth time (after Miss Dimple Suspects) when a young local woman is found dead, and subsequently, the Klan makes its appearance in the tight-knit Georgia community. This cozy historical is perfect for World War II buffs interested in the home front scene.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
In the latest installment in this excellent series set in 1940s rural Georgia, schoolteacher Miss Dimple thinks she hears a cry for help while picking peaches but decides it was something else. Later, a young woman is discovered missing, then murdered. Prentice left behind a heartbroken ex-boyfriend whom the police believe is the killer. Miss Dimple disagrees. Eccentric Hattie mumbles about gold and seeing Nazis before someone kills her, too. Miss Dimple soon realizes that a previous death ruled accidental is also related. Under the cloud of waiting to hear news from the men fighting in WWII, Miss Dimple and her fellow teachers learn who is behind the murders in their close community. Ballard infuses emotion and empathy into a very intelligent, believable mystery. Fans of Rhys Bowen may also appreciate this appealing and engagingly written series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)