by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel, and a link to purchase it from Amazon, and from Mysterious Galaxy where a portion goes to help support KRL.

Even in the far reaches of Elderberry, Georgia, the effects of World War II resonate throughout their daily lives. In the fall of 1944 the teachers of Elderberry Grammar School must ration butter, conserve oil, and live with the constant threat of an ominous telegram. Miss Dimple Kilpatrick experiences it in her memories of past students lost in the War, as well as forcing her to relive the most painful and regretful event of her life. A visit to her librarian friend Virginia Balliew fails to cheer her, although it results in meeting Dora, a strange young woman content to simply sit outside the library and stay the night. Miss Dimple instead takes Dora back to the boarding house she shares with her fellow teachers, and although Dora spends the night she disappears the next day. Unfortunately, she is rediscovered all too quickly at the Presbyterian Church, dead from a fall and leaving no clue behind as to her identity or why she may have been on the run.

Feeling responsible for the woman they so briefly knew, Miss Dimple and her friends are determined to solve the mystery of Dora. They receive the unexpected assistance of Augusta Goodnight, who fortuitously arrived just as their cook departed to help her own ailing relative. Gifted with miraculous sewing skills, a magical ability to cook delicacies from a limited larder, and able to pinpoint and heal one’s emotional wounds, Augusta provides just the support the Elderberry teachers need.

Having read all of the Augusta Goodnight mysteries, but none of the three earlier Miss Dimple novels, I had some insight into Augusta’s angelic cooking skills and wise advice. New readers to both series will have no trouble fully immersing themselves into this charming world that is sprinkled with an abundance of descriptions of life in the 1940s. The ladies conduct their investigations through gossiping postal workers, home visits, and congenial conversations with local law officers. It’s an era where schoolteachers didn’t hesitate to offer a hitchhiking soldier a ride, everyday resources are diverted to munitions factories, and a cigarette company sponsors the Jack Benny radio show. Nothing resonates throughout this novel more than the promise of hope, with the support and love of friends helping to overcome the most devastating of losses. This moving and very comforting novel will resonate with cozy mystery readers and leave them deeply satisfied and longing for more.

To enter to win a book copy of Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “dimple,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen September 10, 2016. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel: A Mystery

You can use this link to purchase this book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link.

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).