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.
"Mignon Ballard creates an entrancing world suffused with cozy Southern charm, female friendships, and intrigue…."
Sarah Strohmeyer, author of SWEET LOVE
"For all readers who wonder what life on the home front was like during World War II, Ballard's series launch offers plenty of wonderful nostalgia and the heartbreak that only war can bring. Fans of Southern small-town cozies and World War II historicals will enjoy this."
Library Journal
"The details of small-town life are completely engaging. Genre veteran Ballard fills her story with wonderful characters and warm humor."
