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Miss Dimple Kilpatrick #5

Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel

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October, 1944 has been challenging for Elderberry s favorite first grade teacher, Miss Dimple Kilpatrick. A beloved former student was recently killed in the war, her brother has become distant, and her friend Odessa, the cook at Phoebe s rooming house, has taken a leave of absence to care for a relative."

500 pages, Library Binding

First published August 2, 2016

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168 people want to read

About the author

Mignon F. Ballard

31 books78 followers
Mignon Franklin Ballard grew up in a small town in Georgia, and now lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

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5 stars
46 (16%)
4 stars
105 (37%)
3 stars
102 (36%)
2 stars
22 (7%)
1 star
8 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
Profile Image for Carlos.
672 reviews304 followers
September 11, 2016
This book is so relaxing, I recommend you take this one when you need a mental break or just need a quick read. It is a classic mystery novel with cute and simple characters, nothing too underwhelming , neither overwhelming, this is part 5 of a series (I didn't know that it was part of a series when I got it) , but it can be a stand alone too . There is an angel in there too but no she doesn't reveal she is an angel in the book, I'm intrigued by this series .
Profile Image for QNPoohBear.
3,582 reviews1,562 followers
December 7, 2016
October 1944- Will this dreadful war ever be over? Miss Dimple laments the loss of her best and brightest former pupils. So many of them are now gone, just like the fiance she loved and lost many decades ago. She's feeling a bit blue, especially since Odessa has gone to care for an ill relative and the boarders have to cook for themselves. Her mystery-loving self is awakened when a mysterious woman known as Dora shows up at the library. When Dimple brings the woman home and arranges for lodging, Dora simply disappears! When Dora is discovered dead the next morning, Dimple feels guilty. Jo and Lou are determined to get the bottom of the mystery along with Phoebe and the other boarders. Only Dimple is not as interested as she usually is. Their new cook, a slightly mysterious woman named Augusta Goodnight, urges Dimple to confront her emotions head on and become involved in the mystery. In this battle of wills, will Dimple rally to the cause or has the long war finally worn her down?

This is the best book of the series. The addition of Augusta Goodnight, from the author's other series, shakes up the pattern a bit and makes the story more enjoyable. I mainly liked that she pushed Dimple to open up and share her feelings. Finally, we get Dimple's backstory and find out why she is the way she is. Her unemotional, matter-of-fact nature is what I didn't care for in a heroine so I was happy to get more inside her head and her heart. Her past is very interesting. I liked the romance a lot. It was partly shown and partly described- a nice balance for a secondary plot line. I didn't realize Miss Dimple was so old. She's older than my 2xs great-grandfather who lied about his age to fight in the Spanish-American war. (My grandparents are around Delia's age).

The mystery is very engaging. I never guessed who did it at all. It wasn't as obvious this time. I was left a bit confused as to why the murderer tried to frame Jesse Dean and what the connection was. Also, why was Dora so nervous? That wasn't fully explained either.

The historical details are excellent. Rationing is starting to become wearisome and there's more mention of ration points and foods being unavailable. I liked all the cooking bits and learning what could be made with so little. This book REALLY made me crave waffles! I also liked the inclusion of book titles, none of which I've read but some of which I have heard of.

Most of the characters are the usual cast with a few new additions. Augusta Goodnight is a delight. She's slightly vague but so charming and lovely. How can you not love someone who smells like strawberries and whose food tastes like, well, heaven?! The reader is clued in to the fact Augusta and her friends are guardian angels but the characters never discover this. I thought the plot might require suspension of disbelief but it never reaches that point. If you don't read the title or the summary or know who Augusta is, it's slightly ambiguous. Mysterious things happen but the characters rationalize them. I liked how she cheered everyone up and lightened the mood. Reading about her in the summaries of her books shows she died during World War II, so I'm a little confused about her timeline of events and how being an angel works exactly but it doesn't really matter.

Other residents of Elderberry include Lily, who I had forgotten existed before the previous book. She's a demure spinster type but finally comes into her own in this book. There's also Rose McGinnis, an unfortunate young woman who is in need of a guardian angel herself. Her aunt Gertrude also plays a small role in the story but frankly I forgot they both existed for much of the story. The rest of the cast of characters centers around Dora, including her husband and mother-in-law. There's one surprise character who pops up in the story. In the flashback sequences, we met Ned, Dimple's young fiance who tragically died of Yellow Fever during the Spanish American War. He sounds like a wonderful boyfriend. He loved to read, like Dimple, but wasn't as serious or practical as she is. He brought out the best in her and they obviously loved each other very much. Charlie and Annie's fiances are not as cute. They're still away at war and we're left wondering what happens to them.

This is a great book to read this time of year. It has a Halloween element and the angel aspect make it a little Christmasy.

I hope there's at least one more book to take us to the end of the war so we can find out what happens to everyone.
Profile Image for C-shaw.
852 reviews60 followers
November 20, 2016
A library book. I've never read any of Mignon F. Ballard's many books, don't know a thing about this series, but it was a new book at my local library and looked like an entertaining, easy-going mystery, so I grabbed it up.
* * * * *
Just as I suspected, this was a sweet and gentle murder mystery. Ha! But really, it was. There was murder, but it was non-invasive and generally bloodless. :-+
Details of life in the southern U.S. during WWII (1944) were interesting, especially rationing of gas and food, letter writing to sweethearts and family every night, communal dread of a messenger arriving with a telegram (harbinger of someone's death), daily attempts to prepare tasty meals with limited supplies.
Profile Image for Leslie.
298 reviews4 followers
June 10, 2020
While a good book, I did not enjoy this title quite as much as previous Miss Dimple books. It seems to be a cross-over or introduction to Ballard's other series.
Profile Image for Nancy Ellis.
1,458 reviews48 followers
February 7, 2017
I had never heard of this author or series before, but it caught my eye on the shelf at the library, and the story sounded cute, so I checked it out. It was indeed a "cute" story. I enjoyed the setting of a small town in Georgia in 1944, with the inclusion in the story of what life was like "at home" during WW2. It was interesting to read about the lives of these women, some young, some older, such as Miss Dimple, who is a teacher at the local elementary school, and to read about the customs of the time, such as what music was being listened to, what books were new, how they coped with rationing and the majority of young men being off to war, some already killed in action. I'll most likely read another one of these books if I happen to see one in the library.
Profile Image for Antoinette.
561 reviews5 followers
June 30, 2022
Last of the Miss Dimple mystery series. This is a mash-up of the Miss Dimple series set during WWII and the Augusta Goodnight supernatural series. Too complex for a cozy, it's a wonderful read. I love Miss Dimple, so sad there will never to another.
Profile Image for Kristina Anderson.
4,050 reviews83 followers
September 2, 2016
Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel by Mignon F. Ballard is a Miss Dimple Mystery. It is October 1944 in Elderberry, Georgia. Miss Dimple Kilpatrick and her fellow teachers live at the rooming house owned by Phoebe Chadwick. Their cook, Odessa Kirby, has to take some time off to help her aunt and the girls are having to fend for themselves (and not doing a good job). Phoebe puts up a notice and the response is Augusta Goodnight. She shows up on their doorstep in a cape of deep emerald and quickly integrates into their lives. The food improves at once much to the relief of the residents of the rooming house. Dimple heads over the library one day to visit her friend, Virginia Balliew, the librarian, and she notices a woman sitting out front. She offers to help her, but the lady refuses. According to Virginia, the woman has been sitting out front all afternoon. They get her to come inside and then take her to the boarding house to assist her. Her name is Dora and she is jittery/afraid. They get Dora a place to stay for the night, but then she disappears. She is found dead in the steeple of the church by the bell ringer. Who would want to kill her and why? They believed that Dora was a stranger to this town. Dimple and the gang want to find out what happened to Dora and set out to investigate. Then other incidents start happening. Someone breaks into the library and tosses the books everywhere. Someone was definitely looking for something. Then the rooming house is broken into. Does this have anything to do with Dora? She was in both places. Dimple and her friends are determined to get answers and clear up this mystery. Join them on the investigation in Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel.

Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel was okay, but not great. The book is lacking something (some oomph, pizzazz). Some books have that special quality (the writing) that grabs you and some do not. The book also needs a little faster pace. The pace is too slow to be enjoyable. I liked the basic idea and characters, but I found the writing lacking. I appreciated the setting of a small town during World War II along with the women still at home. Rationing, victory gardens, saving grease for the butcher, and other war time functions were mentioned that added to the character of the book. I give Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). Augusta is the angel in the book, but no one comes right out and says anything (it is alluded to). They observe things that they explain away (like how fast things get done by Augusta, the wonderful meals she can cook with so few ingredients, how she showed up just when they needed her). I very much liked the idea and with a little magical writing, this could be a delightful novel (and series). There was a reference in the novel to one of my favorite books (an oldie but a goodie) Mama’s Bank Account.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review. The comments and opinions expressed are my own.
455 reviews24 followers
June 6, 2016
Dimple Kilpatrick returns in this charming cozy that takes place during World War two. Those in the know understand the daily deprivations and hardships that are endured by our heroic characters. In this latest installment, the usually reliable cook, Odessa Kirby, leaves on family business. Just in the nick of time a new cook arrives at the boarding house, Augusta Goodnight. Odessa performs admirably, winning the praise and loyalty of Ms. Dimple and her colleagues. When Dora, a new girl who arrives at the boardinghouse is found dead, Ms. Dimple and her friends are determined to get to the bottom of this horrible murder. The resolution might be found elsewhere and Ms. Dimple’s friends convince her to travel to Tennessee in order to find the killer. While there, our hero learns more than she bargains for.
While not a hard-core mystery, MISS DIMPLE AND THE SLIGHTLY BEWILDERED ANGEL is a pleasant read and perfect for the hot summer just on the horizon.
Profile Image for Liz Clappin.
362 reviews6 followers
January 29, 2017
I normally really enjoy the Miss Dimple books but this one hardly even qualifies as a mystery. It seemed mostly to be a desperate attempt at a crossover other other series of books about a sleuthing angel (needless to say I never read those because I thought the concept was stupid, guess what? I was right). The mystery is vague and formless with an unsatisfying conclusion. The small town hi-jinx and War era culture are lacking in this one and the loss of Charlie and Annie as protagonists really is a detriment.
3 reviews
July 10, 2017
I was disappointed in this book. I enjoy reading the Miss Dimple series as a quick light hearted read. I typically love how practical and sensible Miss Dimple is but in this story she seemed addle-brained. I disliked Augusta being in the book as it seemed to stop the book from being a Miss Dimple book and became an Augusta Goodnight mystery. The "guardian angel" business takes away from the practical&sensible element. Also, where was Charlie in this book? So strange, it almost felt like a book from a completely different series.
Profile Image for Val.
2,142 reviews12 followers
September 23, 2016
Miss Dimple does just fine by herself. She doesn't need the help of strange "guardian angels". IMHO. For whatever reason, the author felt the need to merge her two series characters in this book. It doesn't really work. I did enjoy Miss Dimple going back to Tennessee and confronting her romantic past. But other than that, this was my least favorite book in the series so far.
433 reviews
December 2, 2016
The story was good, but I didn't like the addition of Augusta or her friends. I like these books because of what they explain about this time period. Not for Augusta.
Profile Image for Shalini Ayre.
139 reviews2 followers
March 9, 2018
In the latest Miss Dimple Kilpatrick series, we find a more subdued teacher. One that is second-guessing her motives, her desires, her role in life. When Augusta Goodnight arrives, seemingly just like that, to temporarily replace Odessa, the boardinghouse cook, it seems that she's a God-send.

Together, they unravel the death of a stranger whose links to the town are not known. Who was Dora and why did she get off the bus at Elderberry instead of taking it all the way to her sisters place?

Augusta understands her assignment to the town whilst Miss Dimple comes to terms with a painful past that this murder has bought to the surface.

A good story but certainly a set-up for the 'Augusta Goodnight Mysteries' series. Whilst I enjoyed reading the latest plot and meeting well liked characters - Charlie, Annie, Jo, Phoebe - there was a certain finality about this story, that made me feel a little sad.

This is a really good historical-fiction series (set in the 40s) with a set of lively, interesting, hard working women who have to carry on when their loved ones are on foreign soil fighting a worrying war and no idea whether they will return. The mysteries are excellent, the descriptions detailed, there is humor and certainly moments of poignancy.

A great set of stories to read. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Chapter.
1,152 reviews4 followers
January 21, 2020
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From Goodreads site:
October, 1944. It has been a challenging season for Elderberry's favorite first grade teacher, Miss Dimple Kilpatrick. A beloved former student was recently killed in the war, her brother has become distant, and her friend Odessa, the cook at Pheobe's rooming house, has taken a leave of absence to care for a relative. Still, when Dimple's librarian friend, Virginia, finds a young woman, Dora, on the library porch looking for a place to spend the night, soft-hearted Dimple brings her back to Phoebe's and offers her food and a warm coat. But when Dimple is trying to find her a place to sleep, the young girl disappears.

The next morning, Miss Dimple answers a knock on the door expecting it to be the girl. Instead, she is greeted by greeted by a somewhat disheveled young woman with lustrous hair and a sunrise of a smile who claims she has been assigned to fill in at the house. Augusta Goodnight, a guardian angel who has been summoned from a well-deserved rest after a series of troublesome earthly duties, has taken up at Phoebe's.

When Dora is discovered dead - murdered - the real reason for Augusta's "assignment" becomes clear, at least to Augusta. Reluctantly, Miss Dimple teams up with Augusta to find out who the killer is.
1,632 reviews2 followers
April 1, 2021
Oh my, I had a difficult time getting through Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel.

It has an old fashioned, small town charm that reminds me so much of old black and white movies we see on AMC, those with slightly dotty female characters. In that way, Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel is charming.

However, the writing (or perhaps, the editing) leaves something to be desired. The problem is continuity. The conversations and thought processes swing from one emotion to another altogether in mere moments. While that is fun to see and grasp in a lighthearted film of this genre, it is jolting to read. The story and the dithering seemed to drag on forever for me.

This is the first 'Miss Dimple' book I've read. It appears that I've read two other 'Augusta Goodnight" books, however have no memory of them at all and, apparently, I read them well before I started leaving reviews and ratings. I knew I recognized the name, but frankly, I thought 'Augusta Goodnight' was a Debbie Macomber character.

3 Stars for Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel
Profile Image for Chris.
593 reviews2 followers
June 24, 2017
This book is set in 1944. The author sets out the time period nicely, bringing in everyday life for folks back in the homeland waiting for the war to be over, with references to radio programs, books, sayings, and ads such as those for Burma Shave along the highway and LSMFT- Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco. The book is set in the South. Miss Dimple is a single teachers of the first grade. A young woman, Dora shows up, very scared and seems to be running away from someone or something. Dora has nowhere to stay, so Dimple invites her to the boarding house where she lives for some rest, and to help her find a place to stay in town. Dora disappears and is later found murdered in the church. A knock on the door at the boarding house and Augusta Goodnight a guardian angel shows up to help while the cook Odessa is away caring for a relative who is ill. The ladies at the boarding house, with the help of Augusta, and the understaffed police department solve the mystery of two deaths.
Profile Image for Jeanette C. Montgomery.
459 reviews2 followers
February 1, 2022
I didn't realize this was the 5th or 6th in a series with consistent characters so that probably affected my rating of this book. The writing and plot were good. I never did understand the title reference to a bewildered angel. The character representing the angel wasn't in the least bewildered. At least I assumed it was that character. The author never did reveal her as an angel.
Also, the investigation wrapped up very quickly with the revelation of the murderer who I actually thought was a friend and part of the main group. This confusion probably wouldn't have happened if I'd read the series in order.
39 reviews
November 1, 2020
I don't usually comment on books I did not finish but I need to make an exception with this one. I absolutely loved the first four books in this series. I enjoyed spending time with these characters, they made me laugh and sometimes brought tears to my eyes. So it was a huge disappointment to learn that the final Miss Dimple book is a crossover with the author's Augusta series, a series I did not care for. Having Augusta in a Miss Dimple book completely changes the feel and focus of what should be a book about Dimple and her friends. Feel a bit cheated.
Profile Image for Phyllis Barlow.
773 reviews10 followers
November 21, 2020
I was browsing at the library and came across this book. The title intrigued me and I love stories with angels in them, so decided to give it a try. First I was surprised to find it set in Georgia; the title sounded like it would be British.
After doing some checking, I discovered there is a whole series of Miss Dimple books (this is number 6.) And a series based on Augusta, the guardian angel, so I have a lot of fun reading to look forward to. BTW, it's never stated in the book that Augusta is an angel, but it's very evident in the things she says and does. A very fun read.
Profile Image for Judy Aulik.
330 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2017
Again, I started a cozy series in the wrong place, but unlike the last series I began in the middle, the Miss Dimple mysteries are excellent. I would favorably compare Ballard's writing to that of Fannie Flagg. The WWII era is a fertile ground for historical fiction, and the research was spot on, but its use didn't seem contrived. If you like a gentler mystery, Miss Dimple is your teacher of choice.
Profile Image for Michell Karnes.
657 reviews4 followers
July 16, 2017
This was another wonderful book by Ballard but slightly different. The book still had another great mystery but in this story a mysterious woman arrives to fill in for Odessa and do the cooking at Phoebe's. She seems to be able to do some extra helpful things for others, angelic maybe. In this story we find out about Dimple's fiance she lost in the first war. I am hoping this is not the last in the series.
505 reviews2 followers
June 28, 2017
The mystery in this novel seemed to take a back seat to Miss Dimple revisiting her past. Also, this was a crossover with another series by Ballard that I haven't read. I spotted the culprit fairly early on though the reveal happened on the last page. So an ok novel but not a super interesting mystery.
Profile Image for Karen.
Author 10 books30 followers
January 20, 2017
I knew Augusta Scattergood would show up in this Miss Dimple book -- the title did rather give that fact away -- so I was apprehensive about this book. Augusta, however, turned out to be a delightful addition to an already wonderful cast.
Profile Image for Kelly.
180 reviews11 followers
February 25, 2020
Not my favorite kind of writing... too many characters, too many unnecessary adjectives, plodding action, sparse character development... I prefer meatier tales a'la Anita Shreve, so back to her books I go!
Profile Image for Anne.
654 reviews7 followers
May 20, 2020
The sort of mindless brain candy cozy that can be a distraction now & then. Unfortunately it might have been better to read the previous books to get a better idea of that environment. I didn't know it was book 5 when I checked it out.
1,124 reviews6 followers
December 4, 2020
A period piece with expression, sayings, food and treatment of people in 1944 era circumstances. A little slow start but soon picks up. Magic realism is used in the writing technique in this book and fits the story well.
Profile Image for Pamela.
358 reviews54 followers
July 6, 2017
interesting characters but cannot say this wad an enjoyable read. if I ever do this author again would try as audio.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews

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