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Miss Dimple Kilpatrick #4
Miss Dimple Picks a Peck of Trouble
It's the summer of 1944 and the world seems mired in a war that will never end. On the home front, the people of Elderberry, Georgia, are doing everything they can to support the troops. Even with a war on, the peaches are ripe for picking. As veteran teacher Miss Dimple Kilpatrick and her colleagues work in the orchard, they hear frantic calls for help: An eighteen-year-old girl, Prentice, has been missing—and is later found murdered.
Miss Dimple and her fellow teachers-turned-sleuths are determined to find the killer. Although Prentice had recently broken up with her boyfriend, the most obvious suspect isn't always the right one: Prentice may have been keeping some secrets; and a local woman claims to have witnessed the whole abduction—except she also believes she is Scarlett O’Hara, that Nazi spies are pursuing her, and that she knows where the Confederate gold is buried. Figuring out what really happened to Prentice is sure to be a challenge. But Miss Dimple, who has taught the town's first graders for decades, has never been daunted by a challenge.
Mignon F. Ballard's newest edition to her Miss Dimple mystery series, Miss Dimple Picks a Peck of Trouble, is filled with period charm and a wonderfully brave band of amateur sleuths.
Miss Dimple and her fellow teachers-turned-sleuths are determined to find the killer. Although Prentice had recently broken up with her boyfriend, the most obvious suspect isn't always the right one: Prentice may have been keeping some secrets; and a local woman claims to have witnessed the whole abduction—except she also believes she is Scarlett O’Hara, that Nazi spies are pursuing her, and that she knows where the Confederate gold is buried. Figuring out what really happened to Prentice is sure to be a challenge. But Miss Dimple, who has taught the town's first graders for decades, has never been daunted by a challenge.
Mignon F. Ballard's newest edition to her Miss Dimple mystery series, Miss Dimple Picks a Peck of Trouble, is filled with period charm and a wonderfully brave band of amateur sleuths.
262 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
Mignon F. Ballard
28 books78 followersMignon Franklin Ballard grew up in a small town in Georgia, and now lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
February 24, 2014
Normally I don't read "cozy mysteries" because they are so goofy and silly and seem to only include a mystery for the purpose of having some silly romance and a bunch of women who crochet, bake, or like cats get together to "solve crimes." However, when I found that an old favorite mystery writer, Mignon F. Ballard, who wrote books I loved decades ago, books like Raven Rock, Cry at Dusk, and The Widow's Woods, had a new series about elderly retired school teacher in a made-up town in North Georgia outside Atlanta called Elderberry, I had to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised.
The story has a lot of women of all ages ranging from 18 year old murder victim Prentice to Miss Dimple Kilpatrick and this is typical 1944 north Georgia. In fact, this town reminds me of the small town in North Georgia my grandparents lived in during the 1960's and life was like it was in this book even then.
Prentice seemed to have everything going for her. She was 18 and about to go off to college. She had broken up with her boyfriend Clay who didn't want for her to go but had an affair with a former teacher and caught the eye of an old crush. Unfortunately, someone wanted to kill her. Who did it? Why? It's hard to say when the bodies keep piling up and we find that Prentice wasn't even the first but she also isn't the last. Miss Dimple to the rescue. I loved how the women worked together to solve the crimes and set things right. This is one cozy series I am going to read.
The story has a lot of women of all ages ranging from 18 year old murder victim Prentice to Miss Dimple Kilpatrick and this is typical 1944 north Georgia. In fact, this town reminds me of the small town in North Georgia my grandparents lived in during the 1960's and life was like it was in this book even then.
Prentice seemed to have everything going for her. She was 18 and about to go off to college. She had broken up with her boyfriend Clay who didn't want for her to go but had an affair with a former teacher and caught the eye of an old crush. Unfortunately, someone wanted to kill her. Who did it? Why? It's hard to say when the bodies keep piling up and we find that Prentice wasn't even the first but she also isn't the last. Miss Dimple to the rescue. I loved how the women worked together to solve the crimes and set things right. This is one cozy series I am going to read.
March 8, 2017
I dearly love this book...it is so good. I give this book 5/5 Stars here on Goodreads.
July 28, 2020
Despite the title this book is a serious mystery. It takes place during World War II in a small Georgia town where two people are murdered. More than the mystery however I enjoyed the depiction of the town, especially the rooming house, where the women band together to get through difficult times.
November 3, 2025
2025. This was a hard one to piece together - It was like a jigsaw puzzle I had once upon a time - it had been hand cut and the pieces came close, but there was enough fuzz on the edges that they didn't quite fit. It was a good mystery, but I'm left with questions on this one.
February 18, 2022
I've read the first four books in the Miss Dimple Kilpatrick's series. While I've given the first three 3's, this one had to be a 2. I felt it fell flat. It was boring and why it took me 9 days to read it. I never take 9 days to read a book.
As there are 5 in the series, I feel I should see if my library has the last one. It seems silly to read the first four when there's only one left. Ha! None of the libraries in my city has the book. Oh well.
These are cozy mystery novels and we are now into the 4th year of WW2. It's 1944 in small town Elderberry, Georgia and Miss Dimple and her posse are out to solve another murder when pretty 18 year old Prentice shows up dead. She's recently broken up with her long time boyfriend, Clay and everybody feels he killed her. Fortunately, Miss Dimple, Annie and Charlie don't think so.
Then the town's eccentric, Miss Hatti shows up dead.
As always, too many characters and as more characters are added to each novel. The story seems true to time period. Sometimes too much is given in the story that maybe should have been edited out as it has no bearing or need.
As there are 5 in the series, I feel I should see if my library has the last one. It seems silly to read the first four when there's only one left. Ha! None of the libraries in my city has the book. Oh well.
These are cozy mystery novels and we are now into the 4th year of WW2. It's 1944 in small town Elderberry, Georgia and Miss Dimple and her posse are out to solve another murder when pretty 18 year old Prentice shows up dead. She's recently broken up with her long time boyfriend, Clay and everybody feels he killed her. Fortunately, Miss Dimple, Annie and Charlie don't think so.
Then the town's eccentric, Miss Hatti shows up dead.
As always, too many characters and as more characters are added to each novel. The story seems true to time period. Sometimes too much is given in the story that maybe should have been edited out as it has no bearing or need.
February 17, 2025
There is a nice tale in the book and a satisfying mystery. But....I have the book on audiobooks, and it is just too much to listen to. Although likely if I had a print or ebook copy, I would have skipped most of it and just read the ending. This book is a very slow, extraordinarily (or excruciating) descriptive amble through town. There are so many details, it's not like you could be there, you are there. Through every leaf blowing in the wind, every glass of iced tea, every single conversation and thought that any character has. I do not notice this much detail in my own life, so I found it difficult to get through. But I listened during the winter while walking endless laps at the indoor track. So there's that. For example, some children discover a body. But before that happens, we are party to several conversations about what game they will play and whether the boys will include the girls. While I'd have to buy the book to verify, I'm sure there are more than 100 characters who are mentioned. At first, I tried to keep track of who was who - a completely lost cause. If you like a languid meander through a small town in another place and time, this is the book for you.
January 29, 2019
This book is set in 1944 with everyone worried about their loved ones and what is happening. Miss Dimple and her fellow former teachers are picking peaches when they hear a scream, a local girl is missing and found murdered. The boyfriend she just broke up with is the main suspect. Miss Dimple is sure he didn’t do it and goes out looking for who really did it.
August 23, 2020
This was a really good book with fascinating characters. Set during WWII gave it an added storyline as women worrying about their husbands and few men around in this small Georgia town. Kept me guessing till the end which always makes for a good mystery. Will be reading more of Miss Dimple's mysteries.
June 22, 2021
A young woman disappears while alone at work, and when she's later found dead, her ex-boyfriend is the prime suspect. Miss Dimple and her "posse" don't think he did it, so they investigate. Lots of summer heat, ice tea, and lots of worry about their men who are at war in Europe.
July 11, 2017
Another great mystery! Dimple and her fellow teachers and neighbors help a family clear the name of their son who is accused of murdering a local girl.
August 9, 2017
Enjoyed other books in this series more. Shallow and predictable. However, helped my commute on the subway seem faster.
April 24, 2019
I enjoy the characters in these mystery books. I love reading about this small southern town and how it adapts to living during WWII with food/gas rations and very few men in town.
September 23, 2022
Way too many descriptors and side stories. The plot line was hard tonfollow and soooany different tangents.
June 7, 2023
Nicely plotted with a homey and clean feel ( it’s a murder mystery - but the people are “neighbors” or we all wish they were). An excellent narrator.
March 27, 2024
I will be looking for more of her books. She is such a great writer.
July 1, 2026
Nice ladies solve a murder mystery
December 5, 2016
When Delia Varnadore returns to the store where her friend Prentice works with cold drinks and snacks, Prentice is nowhere to be found. Delia fears the worst but everyone else in town believes there to be a practical reason for Prentice's disappearance. Sadly, Delia's suspicions are correct and Prentice is found murdered with rose petals strewn across her body. Elderberry residents believe the killer was a serial killer from Atlanta, until Prentice's ex-boyfriend is taken in by the police. Miss Dimple suspects Clay is innocent and vows to prove it. The only witness to come forward is Hattie McGee, an eccentric woman who believes she is Scarlett O'Hara. How can Miss Dimple solve the case with so little to go on?
This mystery is really good. It kept me reading far too late. I pretty much figured out who the killer was early on but I wasn't positive and I just had to know why. I was mostly right about the killer but the motive went deeper than it would seem at first. Where the author really excels is in the historical details that make up the setting. I question the availability of soda and chocolate bars that late in the war, especially in such a small, rural town. Sometimes the historical details were a little unnecessary. I skimmed a lot at the end. There's also a lot of background on what was happening in Europe during this time- just after D-Day to fill in some plot for the younger women. That felt out of place even though I wanted to know what happened to the young men at war.
What I really really did not like in this book was a heavy petting scene early on. It's semi-graphic and completely threw me off guard because the other books were squeaky clean in regards to romance. I was also bothered by boys ogling girls' breasts. That wasn't necessary.
There are so many new characters in this story. Prentice, the victim, was a young woman on the brink of adulthood. She had hopes and dreams and was mourning the loss of her mentor. It was a real tragedy for a young woman to have her life taken from her just when she was about to experience life outside their small Georgia town. Prentice was raised by her aunt Bertie, a woman with a tragic past. I felt just awful for Bertie. She seems a little sharp-edged but she has experienced loss and betrayal so it's understandable she wouldn't be as warm and loving as Leola. Though Leola is dead already by the start of the novel, she's an extremely likable character. She was warm, caring, smart and a good friend. Clay Jarrett is Prentice's ex-boyfriend. I didn't care for him so much. He was selfish and whiny. We're told a lot that Clay loved Prentice and how hurt he was but we don't really see it in the flashback scenes. He's interested in her body but doesn't really support her dreams.
There are a couple of crazy "smothers" in this story. Clay's mother is a little too involved in her son's life, especially his love life. She would drive me crazy if she were my mother. Then there's Hardin Haynesworth Kirkland is one of those claw her way to the top people. She's not at all likable. She is also way too obsessed with her son. He's a grown man but she thinks of him as her little boy. Her life is intolerable but she won't make changes even though at this time she does have options. I didn't feel sorry for her at all.
The last two brand new characters are my favorites. I loved the eccentric Hattie. I felt bad that she had brain damage and couldn't live in reality but that's what made her so appealing. I love that she thinks she's Scarlett O'Hara and she knows where the Confederate gold is. The townspeople seem to tolerate her but only just. She is a comic/tragic figure. Delby O'Donnell is another tragic figure. Because he's the town drunk, no one cares much about him or believes the things he says. I kind of liked him and hoped for the best for him.
The war has one more year to go and the library has the next book in the series so I will probably read it this week.
This mystery is really good. It kept me reading far too late. I pretty much figured out who the killer was early on but I wasn't positive and I just had to know why. I was mostly right about the killer but the motive went deeper than it would seem at first. Where the author really excels is in the historical details that make up the setting. I question the availability of soda and chocolate bars that late in the war, especially in such a small, rural town. Sometimes the historical details were a little unnecessary. I skimmed a lot at the end. There's also a lot of background on what was happening in Europe during this time- just after D-Day to fill in some plot for the younger women. That felt out of place even though I wanted to know what happened to the young men at war.
What I really really did not like in this book was a heavy petting scene early on. It's semi-graphic and completely threw me off guard because the other books were squeaky clean in regards to romance. I was also bothered by boys ogling girls' breasts. That wasn't necessary.
There are so many new characters in this story. Prentice, the victim, was a young woman on the brink of adulthood. She had hopes and dreams and was mourning the loss of her mentor. It was a real tragedy for a young woman to have her life taken from her just when she was about to experience life outside their small Georgia town. Prentice was raised by her aunt Bertie, a woman with a tragic past. I felt just awful for Bertie. She seems a little sharp-edged but she has experienced loss and betrayal so it's understandable she wouldn't be as warm and loving as Leola. Though Leola is dead already by the start of the novel, she's an extremely likable character. She was warm, caring, smart and a good friend. Clay Jarrett is Prentice's ex-boyfriend. I didn't care for him so much. He was selfish and whiny. We're told a lot that Clay loved Prentice and how hurt he was but we don't really see it in the flashback scenes. He's interested in her body but doesn't really support her dreams.
There are a couple of crazy "smothers" in this story. Clay's mother is a little too involved in her son's life, especially his love life. She would drive me crazy if she were my mother. Then there's Hardin Haynesworth Kirkland is one of those claw her way to the top people. She's not at all likable. She is also way too obsessed with her son. He's a grown man but she thinks of him as her little boy. Her life is intolerable but she won't make changes even though at this time she does have options. I didn't feel sorry for her at all.
The last two brand new characters are my favorites. I loved the eccentric Hattie. I felt bad that she had brain damage and couldn't live in reality but that's what made her so appealing. I love that she thinks she's Scarlett O'Hara and she knows where the Confederate gold is. The townspeople seem to tolerate her but only just. She is a comic/tragic figure. Delby O'Donnell is another tragic figure. Because he's the town drunk, no one cares much about him or believes the things he says. I kind of liked him and hoped for the best for him.
The war has one more year to go and the library has the next book in the series so I will probably read it this week.
March 23, 2014
This is the fourth in the Miss Dimple series, set in Georgia during World War II. The history seems accurate to me; at least nothing seemed jarringly out of place. This is a mostly gentle read of quirky characters. The point is not so much the mystery as spending time with the many people who Miss Dimple knows from her 40 years of teaching first grade. The solution wasn't terribly original but I didn't really expect it to be.
My major criticism is that there are so very many characters to keep straight, and there are too many female characters with boy names (Charlie, Jo, Lou). I'd like to spend a little more time getting to know Miss Dimple.
Still, it was an easy and enjoyable read for someone who is more interested in characters than plot.
My major criticism is that there are so very many characters to keep straight, and there are too many female characters with boy names (Charlie, Jo, Lou). I'd like to spend a little more time getting to know Miss Dimple.
Still, it was an easy and enjoyable read for someone who is more interested in characters than plot.
September 20, 2014
I have never read this author before. It is a cute cozy mystery set during WWII. A young woman named Prentise goes missing. Everyone is very upset because another woman, Leola, from their town had died recently. Prentice was very close to Leola. People thought that maybe she wandered off in grief. But after a few days they realized someone had taken her. Miss Dimple and some of Prentice's friends start poking their noses around and start to connect things. Prentice's body is found and then another woman's body is found. Who is doing the killing and why?
I really liked this mystery. It kept me guessing until the end! I will definitely read this author again!
I really liked this mystery. It kept me guessing until the end! I will definitely read this author again!
February 15, 2014
I love these books...all set in a small town in Georgia, not far from Atlanta. Dimple Kilpatrick is a long time first grade teacher having taught many of the residents of the small town...well respected. She has a knack for getting involved in all incidences and people that evolve within the town. The setting is WWII and the main characters are the women who are coping with the realities of existence and livelihood while anxious for spouses, brothers and friends involved in the war. Very entertaining read.
February 13, 2014
As World War II drags on, the people in Elderberry have something additional to worry about--the sudden disappearance of beautiful young Prentice. When her body is found, police suspect her ex-boyfriend Clay; Clay suspects the shadowy figure that caused their breakup. Beloved first grade teacher Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, however, wonders whether the recent death of Prentice's beloved babysitter has anything to do with the murder.
March 2, 2014
Story is based on the events in a small town about 1944. a young lady disappears and is found later dead. Characters come together to find out who and why and as a result one other person dies. It is a good narration of the time. I like the people and small town life set in Georgia an hour outside of Atlanta in the heat of summer. food and gas rations. People do want they can and also wait for news of their loved ones fighting the War.
March 7, 2014
Nice, diverting cozy mystery set in 1944 small-town Georgia. I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight--mostly women, since the men are at war, most of them are teachers, some are related--but I think that would have been solved by reading the first three in the series first. A bit predictable, but more like watching a favorite movie--you know how it's going to end, you are just enjoying the show.
March 25, 2014
This story, set in 1940s rural Georgia, often seems to be more about a colorful, sometimes eccentric, cast of characters in another place and time than about a murder to be investigated, an enjoyable mystery that has an unmistakable English village feel to it albeit one infused with a Southern gentility. Read our full review, here: http://www.mysteriousreviews.com/myst...
March 1, 2014
Miss Dimple and her trusty band of minions work together to solve not just one, but three mysterious deaths during the summer of 1944 in Elderberry, Georgia. I really enjoy this series because of it's gentle but honest spirit. These characters ring true and are enjoyable to read about. More mysteries like these please!
April 17, 2014
This was an interesting mystery set at the time of World War II, so it gave interesting historical facts. It was entertaining, but I just could not "get into" the character of Miss Dimple. I couldn't quite understand her and it was confusing having so many women characters, some of whom were related, some who were not.. I would give it another chance, however with a different episode.
November 19, 2014
I figured out "who dunnit" well before the characters in the book did. However, this was a good cozy and it really made me feel like I was living in small town Georgia during WWII. The characters were very well developed except the title character. However, that may be because this is not the first "Miss Dimple" mystery, just the first one I've read.
January 11, 2015
It is true that the author allows the murderer to be revealed much too early in the book. Though that does reduce my rating, it doesn’t take away from her ability to create the fascinating world of Miss Dimple’s village in the South during World War II. It is the struggles of the characters there, and their multiple levels of friendships and relationships, that is the strength of this series.
April 29, 2015
I love the Miss Dimple series, set in 1940s Georgia. This one though had a bit more language and other stuff I don't remember being in earlier books, otherwise I would have given it 5 stars. Miss Dimple once again finds herself in the middle of a mystery and helps to find the culprit during a hot Georgia summer.
February 24, 2014
Miss dimple and her friends Charlie and Annie set out to determine who is committing murders in their town of Elderberry. Also Annie is fretting over not hearing from Frazier who is fighting the war in Europe. It is a good story and I love that it is in the past not current day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews