Miss Dimple and the Slightly Bewildered Angel
Set in the American South in 1944, this mystery conveys strongly the pressures of war on those left behind. Not only do the characters suffer the constraints of rationing and food and gasoline shortages, they worry constantly about loved ones away fighting in the armed services. When a young woman appears in the small town, then disappears and is found dead, the ladies of the town take action to find the killer. They are assisted in this by Augusta, an angel who can conjure up wonderful meals with almost no ingredients as well as producing helpful friends and shelter and tree removal as required.
The strength of this novel lies in its accurate portrayal of a small town in the Southern states during World War ll. However, not only was the angel in the title bewildered, but the reader is bewildered by the large number of characters who are very similar in age and outlook. This book is a cozy and a pleasant, easy read, but this reader would have preferred to have fewer characters and more character development.