When Did We Lose Harriet?

Thoroughly Southern #1

by Patricia Sprinkle

A teenage girl has been missing from her Montgomery, Alabama, home for six weeks. She may be a runaway, a crime victim, or both. What’s amazing is other people’s lack of concern. Just one person cares that she’s gone: a spunky amateur sleuth on the sunset end of sixty.

Armed with razor-sharp insight, a salty wit, and tenacious faith, MacLaren Yarbrough follows a trail of clues -- a wisp of a hint, a shadow of a lie -- in search of answers to questions that come hot and fast and that grow increasingly alarming. How did a fifteen-year-old girl come across a large sum of money? Why did she hide it instead of taking it with her? Where is she now? And who is willing to kill to keep MacLaren from probing too far? Masked by Dixie charm and the scent of honeysuckle, a deadly secret lies coiled . . . one that holds the ultimate answer to the question, When Did We Lose Harriet?

When Did We Lose Harriet? is the first of the MacLaren Yarbrough Mysteries, featuring plucky, sixty-some heroine MacLaren Yarbrough. Look for further books in this series in the near future.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Southern, Cozy, Mystery Thriller, Humor

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 1997

About the author

Aka Patricia Houck Sprinkle.

When I met and married Bob, he looked over our budget and demanded, "Why don’t you write a mystery to pay for all the ones you buy?" I immediately knew I wanted to put a body in a building where I’d once worked. However, being over-endowed with the Protestant ethic, I wrote "important" things first and only wrote the mystery in my spare time, so my first mystery, Murder at Markham (reissued by Silver Dagger in 2001), took thirteen years to complete. It took even longer for me to learn that any writing which gives me pleasure is important, whether fiction or non-fiction.

Since 1988 I have written twenty mysteries, four novels, and five non-fiction books. I am grateful to my readers and editors for letting me do what I enjoy most in the world. Bob has concluded that writing is not a profession, it's an obsession--my favorite vacation is to go to a place where somebody else fixes my meals and where I can write more than I do at home, without interruptions. Thanks, if you are one of the readers who keeps my fingers on the keys. I enjoy spending time with you at conferences, book clubs, and signing events.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful characters and a puzzling mystery. Ms. Sprinkle has a wonderful way with similes and metaphors--I especially liked a description that said someone's skin looked like they had been left on the counter overnight when they should have been in the refrigerator. The plot relies on very complicated family relationships. I plan to read more of Ms. Sprinkle's mysteries.

[Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mac is visiting her sick brother and gets caught up in the disapperence of a teenager.

[Gale Penton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start, but the mystery grabbed me. It was periodically slow, the mystery was a good one.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

MacLaren Yarbrough leaves her church’s national meeting to be with her brother in Montgomery when he has a heart attack. When she substitutes for him at a local teen center the next day, she discovers an envelope in a library book checked out to Harriet Lawson with $3,000 in it. In her attempts to return the money to Harriet, she discovers that Harriet is missing and has been for several weeks, but none of her extended family seems to care. As Mac digs deeper into the mystery, she becomes friends with Josheba Davidson, the librarian and Lewis Henley, the director of the teen center. Together, they discover the plot behind Harriet’s disappearance, bust a drug and burglary ring, uncover a lot of family secrets, and help Josheba recover her faith and fall in love with Lewis. Mac does all this while persuading her brother to have bypass surgery and assisting with his care.

Although not overtly Christian, there are biblical/religious references and virtually no offensive language or situations. Sprinkle incorporates her intimate knowledge of the Montgomery area, southern hospitality, and a touch of race relations into the plot. This is a quick, easy read.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had never read the first book in this series, so I decided to go back and read it. I found it a bit annoying to read, actually -- I kept getting impatient with the plot. Although, I have to admit I liked the Bible verses at the top of each chapter: several were ones I hadn't encountered, and were extremely appropriate for the story. I liked the characters, and seeing them develop. Didn't totally love the jumps in narrative between MacLaren's point of view and Josheba's -- though I liked Josheba quite a bit, and wished she came into some of the later stories (and she may: I haven't read them all).

I didn't like that the title character died, although when a teenager gets lost for as long as she had been lost .... it's not a surprising outcome. But she was one of the more interesting Montgomery characters, and it seemed a shame.

[Jan Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in the MacLaren Yarbrough series hooked me from the beginning and I found it hard to put the book down. I really wasn't expecting the person "whodunit" and I love the element of surprise. Getting ready to start the next book in the series.

[Lisa Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun cozy mystery. I am Southern myself and I could relate to the characters and places. Great beach read.

[Tammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can not read another page. This book was published by Zondervan, a christian publishing house out of my home town. Each chapter begins with a Bible verse. HOWEVER, it is extremely racist and sexist. There are quite a few black characters and few of them can read or speak correctly. Several female characters apologize to their 'menfolk' for not getting the ironing done. WTH??!! If this had been published in 1900, maybe....but it came out in 1997. I'm not even going to donate this book; I'm throwing it in the recycling bin.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When 15 year old Harriet has been missing for six weeks, MacLaren Yarbrough, who is in town visiting her hospitalized brother, is the only one who seems to care. The relatives Harriet lives with won’t even report her missing so Mac decides to pursue Harriet on her own with the help of a young librarian who knows Harriet as an avid reader. The mystery is good but the character of MacLaren is what makes this book special. Her personality and her style of speaking made her my favorite character in the book and the other characters were also well drawn and engaging.

[Amulya N Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a riveting read.Initially,I was wondering how the story line would pan out as there were a lot of characters.But,the author has connected the dots beautifully and I was never bored for a second.This is my first book of the author .Pair this book with a couple of snacks and pillows.Worth the read!! Will definitely look at the other works from the author .Recommendations are welcome

[Christine Lucia Asha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved the different narration between our protagonist and a new friend she made in investigating the circumstances of a child's disappearance.

I then realized we would not be seeing Josheba again :( because this was not our protagonist's home town.

I didn't even mind the god references.

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is indeed thoroughly southern. The switching between narrative voices wasn't all that great as they sounded exactly the same, although they were wildly. I liked the plot. The main character had her moments where she was pretty great. But it won't be a book I'll be rereading anytime. I suppose to be polite, I should say anytime soon but you know 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Sue Beebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

When did we lose Harriet

I read this book years ago and just reread it again. Its a story of a child whom nobody wants or loves to the point where she is missing for two months and nobody even calls in a missing person report. Eventually , the unloved girl becomes unlovable. A good plot and poignant story

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is joining my dnf list, unfortunately. After the author described an overweight teenager as a "whale" and commented on black people calling her by her first name, I had to quit. It turned my stomach.

[Katie Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun new series! The solution to the mystery was a complete surprise to me. And, all the odd bits and pieces got tied up nicely.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start to a new series. I love Mac!

[Shannon White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good twists and turns and character development. one thing to remember is the date it was written (a few technology references give that away) - not a spoiler.

[Meredith Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Excellent Read!

[Judith Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the story kept your interest you could tell that this was Patricia's first mystery novel. Lots of questions not answered and one murder went unsolved.

[Mary Z : ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm happy to be introduced to Patricia Sprinkle's character. She's a strong woman without being too self-absorbed in her own intellect. It wasn't full of off-color language or steeped in sex as a lot of fiction is these days. The storyline was clean, thought-provoking, and not too predictable. I like Patricia's writing style, and will definitely pick up more of her books.
I REALLY appreciated the list of characters at the beginning of the book. I like to be able to look back if I can't remember how one character is related to others in the story. And the list of names wasn't too long. Often authors get so carried away with the number of people mentioned that I can't keep them straight. This mix was just right.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had it figured out about 2/3 of the book in, but I was wrong! Having already read some MacLauren Yarbrough mysteries, I was gratified to see that her character hasn't changed from this inaugural book in the series. I really enjoyed the change of setting, and the few chapters narrated by another character in the book. As always, Patricia Sprinkle's character sketches, both visual and psychological, help you draw great mental pictures. A light, enjoyable read.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tried a mystery, which is not my regular genre. It was okay, had some humorous moments. Either I misunderstood parts of it, or there were some glaring flaws in logic or extra information in the book that had nothing to do with the plot. With a mystery I like a book which gives you clues that lead up solving the mystery. This book seemed to present the solution at the end, then reveal the motive behind it afterwards. Probably won't read the rest of the books in the series.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this mystery! I typically like a mystery with a bit of 'a gritty, edginess' to it. I found this to be a different sort...I'd describe it as a 'nice' mystery...that has alot to offer! I'd probably rate it as a 3.75, but since it was...such as it was...I'll give it the 4th star! And I'll continue reading the series!

[Amber Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and easy read. .

Good clean entertainment! I was in the mood for something light and humorous and that it was. The beginning was a little confusing because of so many characters introduced so quickly and it still was a little hard to keep a few straight but overall it was a fun read. I will read more of Sprinkle's books for sure.

[Caitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick mystery read. It kept me guessing and didn't give anything away too easily. Not about a detective trying to find someone, rather a woman who was just in town to visit her brother in the hospital. I liked Mac the main character. I would read the next book.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This starts a new series for Sprinkle, one that features an elderly do-gooder with family problems on her mind. Nonetheless, she is worried about a young girl who is missing, and not very much missed by everyone else. As usual, Sprinkle provides well-written prose and memorable characters.

[Lila Thompson]

This is a fun cosy-style who-done-it with a God-fearing wife and her husband. If you want to get a taste of southern life this is a good start. Patricia's books only get better.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first but not the best of this series.

[Carolyn S-P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am reading this, now. Only 1/4 of the way through.

[Annabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I learned from this book is not to wear all black, not to spend money on manicures, and to tell the person I love that I love them. =)