Miss Dimple Disappears

Miss Dimple Kilpatrick #1

by Mignon F. Ballard

It’s 1942, almost a year since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the residents of the small town of Elderberry, Georgia, have been rattled down to their worn, rationed shoes. For young teacher Charlie Carr, life and love aren’t going exactly as planned—her head dictates loyalty to the handsome corpsman, Hugh, but whenever she thinks of her best friend’s beau, Will, her heart does the Jersey Bounce. Charlie is doubly troubled by the disappearance of beloved schoolmistress Miss Dimple Kilpatrick one frosty November morning just before Thanksgiving. Miss Dimple, who has taught the town’s first graders—including Charlie—for almost forty years, would never just skip town in the middle of the school year, and Charlie and her best friend, Annie, are determined to prove it.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical, Cozy

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

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

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, looking forward to reading the others!

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging enough mystery centered on a small town fully involved in World War II and all its privations and preparations. Miss Dimple is a much-loved local school teacher, and her disappearance starts off this story, which has a few other side plots to keep your interest.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the most recent book in this series first Miss Dimple Picks a Peck of Trouble and am now trying to play catch up. I liked this one even better than that one! This series is set during World War 2 in a small North Georgia town where everyone knows everyone else and Miss Dimple has taught first grade for years.

I especially like the interactions among the women in this town. They remind me a lot of the women in the small town my grandparents lived in who were always so supportive and nosy and had a special caring for neighbors. It is like a more serious version of the fictional southern town of Mayberry from the Andy Griffith Show. There is so much that I recognize as authentic to this type of place and this type of people (I grew up in Atlanta which is in North Georgia with the small town my grandparents lived in being 40 miles north of there) and the food is the kind of things they cooked. It rings true.

There is also an authentic sense of life in World War 2 era small town America with rationing, shortages, people sharing from victory gardens, not being about to buy new bikes for the kids or stockings for the ladies, and gas being hard to get. It is a warm book. Families in the story worry about sons, husbands, brothers, and sweethearts off to the war. They cringe when the young man who drives a black bicycle and brings bad-news telegrams shows up on their street. Young women feel confused over love and meet young soldiers on leave or on their way from training to be sent off to a dangerous future who they develop hasty feelings for.

First grade teacher Miss Dimple is kidnapped during all of this and is held by people who want information and help from her brother Henry who is working at the Bell Bomber plant in Marietta (I had relatives work there during World War 2!) on a secret plane capable of carrying nuclear weapons. No one in town knows this and thinks Henry acts strange when he does not seem interested. As ladies in town seek to find out what happened to her, Miss Dimple is frustrated when her efforts to get help fail and the one person who could help- a young boy known for his flights of fancy- is not believed because he likes to make up mystery stories, spy stories, and tall tales.

I guess you could call this a cozy mystery series. It feels more like a slice of history that has a mystery involved more than anything else. I don't really read cozies but this doesn't fit the formula and feels quite different. I really enjoyed it.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big changes have come to the small Georgia town where Miss Dimple has taught first grade for 40 years. Since World War II broke out, the men have been leaving, many former students and some never to return. For third-grade teacher Charlie Carr, that means a decided lack of men. For now her beau Hugh is still around but she knows it's only a matter of time before her overcomes his mother's objections and marches off to war. She isn't sure how she feels about that or making a commitment to him. She tries to focus on her job and not think about Hugh, her brother, her best friend's brother and she tries not to resent her younger sister for marrying and moving away preventing Charlie from leaving their widowed mother and joining the WAACS or WAVES. Early one morning Charlie arrives at school to discover the furnace hasn't been lit and the trash cans have not been emptied. The staff is shocked to discover the janitor, "Christmas" Wilson dead in the storage closet. He had strange wounds on his head and part of the school's wooden eagle mascot has broken off but the police are mysteriously tight lipped about the cause of death. Then Miss Dimple fails to show up for work. Faithful in her duties for 40 years no one expected her to miss a day let alone leave town without telling anyone, but where could she be? Charlie and her best friend Annie are determined to keep pestering the police for answers while Charlie's mom and Aunt Lou take it upon themselves to investigate.

This story resembles a classic mystery novel with a bit of romance thrown in. The major focus of the story is Miss Dimple's disappearance. The writing style is a little odd. Each chapter begins with the thoughts of one specific character before switching over to omniscient point-of-view. Even so, we don't know the identity of the villain/s or where Miss Dimple is until the final clues fall into place. I didn't find the plot all that engaging but I had a hard time putting the book down until I found out who the villain was. Some of the period references are really forced into the story, especially the pop culture references. Other period details are seamlessly woven into the story which I really liked. There may have been mistakes in the rationing timeline but no one except for those who studied rationing intensely will probably notice or care. Charlie's romantic dilemma didn't really interest me much. The romance is clean with a kiss or two. Charlie does wonder what it would be like to make love with Hugh but they don't make it past the friendship mark.

There were too many characters to keep track of in this novel. The main characters are Miss Dimple, Charlie and her best friend Annie. Charlie is a bit hard to know. She's rather reserved for the most part. She loves her family, seems to like her job well enough and had big dreams about life beyond small town Georgia. Her best friend Annie is lively, fun and quotes Shakespeare. I loved her instantly. She's the kind of person I'd like to be friends with even if she's a bit nosy. Miss Dimple is the type of woman she likes to read about in mystery novels. She's intelligent, brave, and non-nonsense. She never panics and is always resourceful. I liked her well enough but found her a bit prim. Charlie's mom, Jo and Aunt Lou provide some comic relief. Aunt Lou is so funny. She's spunky, sassy and full of get up and go. She's an older version of Annie. I liked her very much.

I didn't care enough about the characters or the town to want to read more of this series right away but next time I need something to read I may look for the next book in the series in the library.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly I wouldn't have been unhappy if Miss Dimple hadn't reappeared. She is a prototypical spunky-old-maid-schoolteacher-with-endearing-eccentricties. Only I didn't find her endearing, but downright annoying.

What drew me into this book were the rest of the townsfolk struggling on the home front during WWII. They are reminiscent of characters in Fannie Flagg's books, and that is what kept me reading this and reading the sequel. I'm just putting up with Miss Dimple the way the townsfolk put up with her "Victory Muffins".

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It was a bit slow in parts but I powered through and really liked how the author tied up all the strings at the end. It was interesting to get a peek into WW II Georgia, USA. I've read several other books that take place around this time but take place in England or elsewhere. The author seemed very faithful to the historical background. The variety of town characters were really what kept me reading the book. They were very well drawn and I was kept guessing as to who the bad guy(s) could be.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Very simple and classic but entertaining. Loved the characters and you find yourself getting wrapped up in their lives. There is a mystery but at times it seems to be put on the back burner, so to speak but the author puts it back in just at the right time. When I finished I felt like I had read a Nancy Drew book. Loved the simplicity of this book. Kept my interest the whole time.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Autumn 1942 in the small town of Elderberry, Georgia. The world is at war and the residents are shaken to their shoes. Many of the men have enlisted while others wait to be called up. Women are working in the munitions plant and even children collect metal.
The school's custodian is found dead in a broom closet, and then Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, the town's first grade teacher for over 40 years, goes missing. Townspeople investigate as best they can given their responsibilities and the upcoming holidays. Will these mysteries ever be solved?
Entertaining, interesting characters, a look at small town USA during the war.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Augusta Goodnight series, this is new.

Miss Dimple Disappears
Mignon Ballard
c. Dec 2010
Minotaur
ISBN 9780312614744
Hardcover $23.95

Mignon Ballard, author the delightful Augusta Goodnight series, sets off on a different tack with her new mystery series set in Georgia during WWII.

Told in 1940 charm, spies are everywhere and Elderberry’s grade school boys are on the case – or at least one in particular. Willie Elrod is convinced he saw his former first grade teacher, Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, kidnapped. Why won’t anyone believe him? Not even his pretty fourth grade teacher Miss Charlie Carr?

Charlie’s got enough trouble on her hands trying to explain the school janitor’s untimely death the day Miss Dimple, who taught school for forty years and never missed a day, disappears. Are the two events related? And why aren’t the police doing more to find the missing teacher? Charlie and her third grade teacher friend, Annie, decide to do all they can to help find Dimple. Underneath the intrigue of the missing teacher, Charlie and her widowed mother, Jo, are actively involved in the war effort, with Jo Carr helping on the homefront at the munitions plant. The women put on social events, send packages and visit bereaved families to try to make life a little easier for soldiers away and home on leave. At the town’s Thanksgiving dinner, Annie meets the soldier of her dreams. But what about Annie’s special friend, Will? When Charlie later meets Will, a pilot in training, Charlie feels guilty for having romantic feelings for him, especially since Charlie’s long-time friend has just left for the army and asked her to write to him. Charlie and Annie never dismiss Miss Dimple’s plight, however, and eventually become convinced that Dimple’s engineer brother is the key to her situation.

Miss Dimple is not a helpless captive. Her attempts to plant clues for her would-be rescuers are quaint, brilliant and tender. Her love of community is well-defined by her attempts to draw the attention of the people she knows so well.

Mignon Ballard has created a wonderful little slice of Americana during a terrible era. Never mincing sentiment, she showcases all the sorrows and joys of the time with true-to-era lifestyle and lingo. A sweet read.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to believe that Mignon Ballard is an established author. This book struck me more as someone's attempt at a first novel.

The outline is good: The book is set in a small town in the United States during World War II. When first grade teacher Dimple Kilpatrick goes missing and the police department doesn't seem to be doing enough, two of the other teachers take on the search.

Unfortunately, the book jumps around without a clear viewpoint character. A lot of characters were named, but I found it hard to remember who was who. Some of the chapters followed Dimple's experiences. Others followed two of her fellow teachers: Charlie and Annie. Other characters were given a chapter and then dropped into the background.

Each chapter starts with an italicized section. In some of these the main character is anonymous, only referred to with a pronoun. Presumeably these are to hold the suspense of not knowing who the villain is. But others are simply another character's actions or thoughts, with no reason why they should be a separate section.

There is also a side story about whether Charlie will stick with her boyfriend who has enlisted, or whether she will fall in love with someone else. Romance can often add to the tension of a mystery, but in this case it was just a distraction and a way to fill up a few more pages.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because of the title. I loved the name Miss Dimple! It was a little slow at first, but then I really got into it and enjoyed it tremendously. The characters were engaging and the plot had some twists and turns. It takes place in a small town in Georgia during WWII in the year 1942. One of the main characters, Charlie Carr, is a teacher like Miss Dimple, and has a brother in the war, possibly in North Africa. She has a beau that leaves for Navy medic training. She’s not sure if she loves him or not. And then Miss Dimple disappears and no one can figure out what happened to her! Miss Dimple turns out to be one formidable woman! I like reading fiction set in WWII. It has always interested me, probably because my Dad and 3 Uncles and numerous cousins were in the war. I wasn’t even born yet. I enjoyed all the expressions relevant to that era and learning about the rationing. It was a fun read.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant story about small town Georgia during WWII. Sixty some year old Miss Dimple, Elderberry Elementary's long time first grade teacher disappears. What follows is no one person looking for her. The main character of the series, if it is to be a series, is another first year teacher at the school who had Miss Dimple herself in first grade. She wonders about Miss Dimple's disappearance but doesn't do anything about it until the end of the book. Mostly she thinks about her boyfriend and her brother off to war and a possible new romance. More a story of small town America than a mystery. The why of the mystery, which has to do with espionage is never fully explained, not to the characters and not even to the reader.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Carr is teaching school in her hometown of Elderberry, GA. She'd like to be contributing more to teh war effort, but with her sister away and her brother overseas, it's left to Charlie to keep her mother going. Still , there's plenty of fun to be had on the home front until beloved first grade teacher Miss Dimple Kilpatrick disappears. No one in the boarding house where she's lived for so long knows where she's gone, but readers are aware she's been kidnapped. Charlie and her friend Annie also come to this conclusion, but why would someone kidnap a teacher? Charlie's love life is confused, but takes a second place to family matters. I hope Ballard plans more Elderberry mysteries--the characters are likable and the period details well-done.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Dimple Disappearser.
An exciting mystery set in a small Georgia town during WWII. Miss Dimple is kidnapped by enemy spies to be used as ransom for plans her brother is working on. The entire town begins trying to figure out where Miss Dimple is and who is behind this. Meanwhile Miss Dimple, held captive in the basement of an old house, thinks of many clever ways to let people know where she is.

I enjoyed this book both for the mystery itself and the lives of the characters during the war, when rationing, shortage of goods, and fear for loved ones in the war dominated lives yet brought people together

[Bev Monson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a charming book that I was a little sad to see end. The mystery was low-impact, but the development of the characters and the book's nostalgic look into its time in history (WWII) was what I found appealling. The pace is relaxed, and it took me a few chapters to get into the story, but by the end I was looking forward to what was going to happen next. In fact, as it ends, there are a few strings left undone, which made me check to see if there is another installment to the story coming. There is (phew). What will become of Charlie and her budding romance with a certain enlisted fellow?! I'll have to wait until next year to find out.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Dimple Disappears, the first book in a series by Mignon F. Ballard, is a gentle and enjoyable read set in Georgia during World War II. The author does a good job of capturing the times and introducing us to a wide cast of quirky, plucky, and secretive characters. The mystery is not the point here; the relationships are.

My one complaint about this book is the jacket. There is a spoiler about something that doesn't happen until page 193 of a 262 page book! So if you like a quiet cozy mystery and want to become acquainted with Miss Dimple, I recommend you read Miss Dimple Disappears - but not the jacket.

[Meg Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Dimple is a straight laced elementary school teacher who is suddenly kidnapped. The story takes place during the second world war which was why it looked interesting to me. The story dragged a bit sometimes but it kept my interest.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is set in 1942 and the small town is upset when the custodian is found dead and the most reliable teacher is missing. Charlie is busy trying to avoid hurting her best friend by avoiding her best friends boyfriend and trying to figure out where the teacher is and who killed the custodian.

[Pauli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and fun read. I liked the characters and want to remember to read more of this series. It's not as intense as some of the WWII mysteries I've read.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I love the whole series. Great descriptions, real depiction of country life and interesting, believable characters.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cozy little murder/kidnapping/spy mystery set in the early days of the United States' involvement in world war 2. Has authentic atmosphere of the era.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished Miss Dimple Disappears nine days ago. I'm not starting 2022 off very well with writing my reviews. I've read another book and almost half way through another.

Miss Dimple Disappears is set in 1942 in the town of Elderberry, Georgia during WW2. I've read a number of books over the years with WW2 settings, but it always seems to take place in Britain. So trying to wrap my head around it taking place in US and not in Britain was odd. I felt the author did a great job with the time period and descriptions of the time. It felt genuine.

Unfortunately, I found the story choppy and it took me a while to get into it. The Dimple books are a series and instead of slowly introducing new characters into this series, the author must have introduced every character she plans to use. It wasn't easy keeping track of, or remembering who was who. It was too many characters. I was kinda of also confused wondering who the main character was. Was it supposed to be Miss Dimple or Charlie Carr? Both are teachers. While Miss Dimple is kidnapped, we go through the every day life with Charlie.

Miss Dimple is a spinster and lives in a boarding house with the other women teachers from the same school. She is dependable and set in her daily routines. She has taught 1st Grade for nearly 40 years at the same elementary school. First the school custodian, Wilson "Christmas" Malone is found dead in the broom closet, apparently of a heart attack. Then Miss Dimple goes missing the next day. Charlie and good friend Annie start asking questions and are determined to find out what exactly happen.

I have a number of the books in my book case. I plan on reading them soon. They have been sitting on my shelves since 2018.

On a side note: I lived in Anniston, Alabama for 4 years. Fort McClellan was mentioned in the story and the bells went off in my head: I know that place, I know that place.

[Rebecca Mulligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

World War II Small Town Life

A lovely book, a lovely heroine and a very enjoyable read! Mid-century small town America is lovingly recounted by Mignon F. Ballard in this sweet series, set place during World War II. The main plot centers around the mysterious disappearance of a grade school teacher at the local elementary school, Miss Dimple. The book features Miss Dimple's friend and co-teacher, Charlie. The majority of the book is not about the mystery, though, but examines Charlie's day to day life as she struggles to adapt to a changed world due to the War. It is a delightful read and one I highly recommend. I'll certainly be reading more of the Miss Dimple series!

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This takes place in the early part of WWII in a small town in Georgia, so I could have also put this in southern literature. This era is always interesting to me, partially because it is my parents' time period. Dad was in the Navy, and mom was working; although this was before they married. The commonalities would probably be many. I should ask mom about this era. We heard some about my dad's experiences on a ship in the south Pacific but not much about mom's.
This also involved a mystery about events in the characters' small town near military bases and factories that were making things for the war effort. It's also about the greater sense of patriotism that existed then; the shortage of which today is deeply concerning.

[Judy Aulik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising series beginning. I had inadvertently spoiled this for myself by having read a later installment in the series first. Don't do this!
Beloved school teacher Miss Dimple is kidnapped in a most peculiar captivity: the mystery stems more from learning why she was taken than whether she'd survive. A lot of the book is a bit choppy, as Ballard's strength does not lie in subtle, natural character development. Instead, her strength is in microscopic descriptions of settings and in a way of life long gone. This might be a good, safe read for a younger reader, as YA mysteries are a bit sparse on the shelves.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good portrayal of a small American town at the beginning of WWII: the rationing leading to substitute foods & wondering if you have enough gas to get somewhere, the anxiety of not knowing where your servicemembers are & whether they’re ok, the townspeople knowing everything that goes on—thanks in large part to the local phone operator, the town coming together to have a Thanksgiving dinner & dance for troops passing thru on the train, etc. Where it fell a little flat for me was the mystery part—it lacked tension. In the humor dept, I most enjoyed the author pulling together various bits & pieces of the recent events into a humorously bizarre dream that a character had!

[Chelsea Moeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a lovely, simple series with characters you affectionately consider friends, this is the one for you!

The opening book of the Miss Simple series is absolutely delightful. Set in a charming little Georgian town during the start of World War Two, Miss Dimple and her fellow Elderberrians find themselves unraveling wartime worries and matters of national importance.

You get invested in the outcome of several characters, but you're left with a well ended tale that leaves you anxious for your next visit to Elderberry, GA... Can't wait for the next book

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt a bit like a homecoming to me. Set in rural Georgia in 1942, the people, the foods, folks pulling together through hard times--all reminded me of family and family stories. The mystery unfolds slowly, but all is eventually made clear. I look forward to revisiting the folks in this time and town. Need to pass along a copy to mom too. She enjoyed the other Ballard series (as did I) and I suspect she might enjoy this one just as much, if not more.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although Mignon Ballard does an excellent job creating the setting of America in 1942, the problem with this "mystery" is that the book is 90% setting and 10% mystery. I liked the characters, but not the kidnapping story line. Perhaps because this is the first book in the series, the author needed to introduce all the characters that will be involved in future "mysteries". I may give the series another try. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Laura Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barely three stars.

The book started out okay with an interesting plot. But after a few chapters, repetition made the middle of the book very tedious. I skipped ahead to find out what happens to Miss Dimple and the action picked up again at the end of the book.

The one character I really liked was Miss Dimple and the scenes with her are the best. The other characters became boring quickly and I doubt I'll make another visit to the town of Elderberry.