A Rather Lovely Inheritance - first in a series of "Rather" mysteries

I came across this series because I was actually looking for a completely different series - but it just so happens that the title character in both series share the same name - Penny Nichols!  For those who don't know, Penny Nichols was a four-book series published by Goldsmith back in the 1930s, written by Mildred Wirt (Benson) under the pseudonym of Joan Clark. It featured a spunky teen detective and her private investigator father who solved mysteries, much in the vein of Nancy Drew (who first appeared at the beginning of that decade).  It apparently did not have the sales to warrant an ongoing series, and after only four books, the series ceased publication.  I have had those four books for quite a while, have read and enjoyed them all, and have never really given much thought to the actual name of the title character (i.e., the fact that her name is actually two coins - "penny" and "nickel").  Now, flash forward to this year, and while strolling through Amazon, I happened across a series of mysteries by author C.A. Belmond whose title character is named ... you guessed it ... Penny Nichols!  Not too long ago, I read a graphic novel with the same-named character (Penny Nichols), and now I found this relatively new series of novels with Penny Nichols.  So, I have to ask - why is this name suddenly becoming popular again?

A Rather Lovely Inheritance is written by an author who has experience with making documentaries, and thus, her protagonist's position as a historical researcher on documentaries of women of the past could possibly  have been drawn upon Belmond's own experiences in the film industry.  Even if that is not the case, Penny Nichols' work plays a large part of the story, and it also adds some humorous elements to an otherwise very dramatic tale.  Penny's father is the son of a war hero who married a French woman.  Penny's mother, Nancy, is from England, but she has lived in the States since she was eighteen and married Georges Nichols after she moved to New York to pursue a career in art.  Penny is named after her Great-Aunt Penelope, and it is a name she hates - after all, who names their child Penny Nichols (say it out loud and you'll understand)?  But, she's stuck with it, so she makes the best of it.

This first entry into the series of "Rather" mysteries centers around the death of Great-Aunt Penelope and her will.  It seems Penelope was very specific about her bequests and who they should go to.  Her spend-thrift nephew Rollo inherited the bank assets, while Penny's parents received Penelope's London apartment and all of its furnishings.  This seemed to cause no problems (even after learning that Penny's parents did not want the apartment and had already informed the lawyers to transfer everything into Penny's name).  However, when it came to the will governing Penelope's assets in France - well, that's another story.  Penny's cousin Jeremy inherited Penelope's villa, while Rollo inherited the contents of the villa.  Penny, on the other hand, inherited the garage attached to the villa and all the contents.  Which really did not make much sense, as Penny could not imagine anything in a garage that would be of any importance to her.  Rollo and his mother grew outraged and threatened to contest the French will, and Jeremy (who Penny had been friends with since their childhood) assured Penny they would not present any real problem.

Boy, was Jeremy wrong!

Surprisingly, the mystery here was not a murder mystery that I expected.  Instead the mystery centers around the French inheritance, a stolen photograph from the London apartment, a rare 1936 Dragonetta (which does not appear to be a real car, but one simply made up for the story - at least, from what I could find online), a missing painting, and a dark family secret that could change everything.  There's also a break-in at the London apartment, during which Penny gets nabbed and thrust into the bathroom while the thief makes his escape - a break-in that leaves Penny questioning who she can trust and whether anyone really is who they say they are!  But, just like her 1930s namesake, Penny is determined and unwilling to back down, so she sets about to uncover the truth about her great-aunt's past, her childhood friend's real family heritage, and the importance of the contents of the garage she was willed.  And by the end of the book, Penny is in for a number of surprises, all of which will definitely change her life!

The story is a very enjoyable read, and the characters extremely likable.  The cast and crew of the documentary on which Penny is working in England when she receives the call about her great-aunt's passing are all just a bit over-the-top - but not so much as to make any of them unbelievable.  Rather, they are just zany enough to give the story some humorous elements and remind the reader that not everything the world is all doom and gloom.  Erik, the set designer, and Timothy, the prop-master, are probably my two favorites of the group.  Their reaction to Penny's inheritance (and Erik's reaction to Jeremy!) are hilarious.  

 

Now, one last thing I have to wonder about the use of the name Penny Nichols...  I purchased the book because of the name being the same as that of Mildred Wirt's sleuth in the 1930s.  What I did not expect to find was the following passage in this book:

Actually, the name may strike you as familiar, if you were the kind of kid who liked to read children's detective stories.  Because not only did my parents give me this ridiculous name, they also took it into their heads to invent Penny Nichols, Girl Detective - a picture-book character supposedly based on me.

 

She was a spunky little sleuth who went around snooping for her friends and neighbors, solving scientific puzzles and natural phenomena as if they were murder mysteries and crimes and kidnappings, by using deduction and logic, certainly, but also memory and intuition and instinct.  She carried around a magnifying glass, and she had cooper-colored hair like mine, which she wore in pigtails.  (p. 10)

Reading this, one might wonder if perhaps Belmond actually did utilize the name "Penny Nichols" as a way to pay homage to that original 1930s crime-solving teen.  That, and the fact that in this series, Penny's mother is named "Nancy" - and it's pretty common knowledge at this point that Mildred Wirt (Benson) was the original ghostwriter who breathed life into Nancy Drew, the ultimate girl sleuth.  Sure, it could all be a coincidence, but is it really...?

I would say this book is a must-read for mystery fans, as it is a wonderful break from all the murder mysteries on the market, it introduces a wonderful new female sleuth, it is well-written, and it is truly engaging.

RATING:  10 long-forgotten unmailed letters out of 10 for giving an old-fashioned mystery name a new lease on life!

Penny Nichols - a Top Shelf Productions graphic novel

If you are a fan of vintage children's mystery series, and you know anything about Mildred Wirt, then you'll know right away why I picked up this graphic novel.  Way back in 1936, Mildred Wirt wrote a three book series of mysteries under the pseudonym of Joan Clark, with a fourth and final book being published in 1939.  The title character to this series?  Why, none other than Penny Nichols.  The daughter of a private investigator, Penny stumbles across one mystery after another that she must solve, helping people along the way.  So, when I happened to come across this graphic novel bearing the same exact name, well, there was no way I could pass this up!

Penny Nichols is the creation of MK Reed (writer), Greg Means (writer), and Matt Wiegle (artist).  Instead of a teenage amateur sleuth, this particular Penny Nichols is a 26-year old, single woman who is cynical, sarcastic, and sassy (oh, how I love her already!).  She has been meandering through life, working one temp job after another and babysitting her sister's two young daughters.  She is not looking for romance, she is not particularly searching for a career, and she is ... well, to put it bluntly, she is simply settled into a mundane life.  Until the fateful day she is stuck handing out free samples of her sister's new health juice (don't ask what it is made of - or better yet, listen to Penny's description of it:  "[a] vitamin rich, ProBio-Antijuice and professional strength floor cleaner" [p. 13]).  That should give you an idea of just how wonderfully snippy Penny is.  

 

And it happens to be just what Bobert and Sam are looking for!  After all, they are making a low-budget (VERY low budget, as in non-existent) horror flick, and they need someone who can help manage the books ... and help edit the script ... well, actually, write the dialogue ... and the scenes ... and organize it all ... and find some extras ... and find the costumes ... and assist in editing ... and, well, you get the drift.  Penny is suddenly thrust into a world of make-believe blood, exploding heads, excitable actresses, over-eager actors, gung-ho special effects artists, super-smooth and suave producers, and lazy, self-centered directors and writers.  And she finds that she loves every minute of it!  In fact, Blood Wedding (the name of the horror flick) is exactly the kick-in-the-pants Penny needs to find meaning in her life - as well as friends and a future!  Oh, there's plenty of mishaps, frustrations, and problems along the way, but Penny's attitude fits absolutely perfectly into all of it, and if it weren't for her, the movie would never have gotten made!

Reed and Means provide a fun story, but quite frankly, it's Penny's dialogue and quick wit that really steals the show for this book.  I can't begin to tell you how many times I smiled, snickered, and outright laughed at her comments to people.  Take the Vancome Lady from MadTV, add a little Karen from Will & Grace, and throw in a bit of Dorothy from The Golden Girls, and you've got Penny Nichols!  But what truly endears her to the reader (well, to me, at least), is that underneath all of those smart remarks likes a person who simply wants to find a place where she fits in - and find it she does amidst the group of misfits making this film.  By the end of the book, you're not only cheering for Penny, but for the entire crew.

The art by Matt Wiegle is somewhat cartoony and a bit rough around the edges, but it grows on you.  The more you read, the more you get a feel for the characters, the more you realize Wiegle has managed to capture the essence of each character in the way they look.  Penny's plain, frumpy appearance ... Bobert's slick, smooth look ... Spazzy's over-exuberant, teen image ... Sam's lazy, unkept manner ... Lix's almost-goth, grunge style ... each character truly LOOKS like their personality!  It's perfect.  And the panels that depict the movie being filmed - they are so gloriously bloody and gruesome, yet hilarious at the same time.  Which fits beautifully with the whole idea of the story.  Reed and Means definitely picked the perfect artist for this book.

I would love to see more stories of Penny and her cohorts.  This creative team needs to get back together and give us some more stories - after all, I have no doubt there are more low-budget films that Penny can help cobble together, while temping part time to pay her bills.  And who knows?  Maybe one day she can follow in her namesake's shoes and solve a mystery or two!

RATING:  9 melting and exploding heads out of 10 for utterly surprising me with a well-written, witty, wonderful tale of a woman simply trying to find her place in this world!

The Penny Nichols Series - #4 - Penny Nichols and the Knob Hill Mystery

And now we come to the fourth and final book in the Penny Nichols series.  The third book made no reference to this one at the end, perhaps because the publisher (Goldsmith) was not sure whether the series would sell well enough to warrant a fourth book.  Regardless, it took three years before this fourth book was published in 1939, and sadly, it was the last book to feature Mildred Wirt (Benson)'s fearless sleuth.  As Goldsmith was not one of the bigger publishers of children's mysteries (unlike Grosset & Dunlap or Cupples & Leon, who published a myriad of different series for boys and girls), perhaps they simply did not have the marketing tools or distribution that the bigger companies did, and so their books did not make it on as many shelves.  Plus, the fact that all four books feature the same cover could have confused young readers (as well as their parents) into believing they already had the book, since there was no different in the cover other than the title (which was not prominently featured, but rather in small letters just below Penny Nichols' name).  Whatever the reason, this final book ended the mystery-solving career of Penny Nichols.

Penny Nichols and the Knob Hill Mystery has Penny joining her father on yet another vacation.  This time, Mr. Nichols has rented a small place on Knob Hill, where he intends to enjoy some peace and quiet with no work, no mysteries, and no one to bother him!  Penny is not overly excited about the trip, but she knows her father needs the time away, so she willingly joins him.  Little do they know another mystery with plenty of adventure waits for them on the supposedly peaceful Knob Hill!

SIDE-NOTE - I find the title to this book amusing, as I once lived in an apartment complex called "Knob Hill" in Winter Park, Florida some years ago (not long after I first moved out on my own).  So, when I saw the title to this book, I automatically make that connection, even though I realize this book is not set anywhere near Florida, and it's doubtful Wirt would have known about the apartment complex, as it likely did not exit back in the late '30s!  There are, however, a couple of Knob Hill mountains in the United States - one near Kern County, California and one in Sweet Grass County, Montana.  Whether Wirt visited or knew about either one of those remains a mystery!

Meanwhile, back to the book.  The mystery begins when Penny and her father offer to give a ride to a man whose car had driven into a ditch.  Walter Crocker is not a happy man, and while he accepts the offer of a ride, it is clear he is upset with his uncle, Herman Crocker, who he believes has been stealing his inheritance from him.  When they arrive at the sleepy little village of Kendon, located at the foot of Knob Hill (p. 25), Mr. Crocker takes off without a word!  Well, as it turns out, the cottage Mr. Nichols rented for the stay happens to be owned by none other than Herman Crocker.  Mr. Nichols warns Penny to stay out of it, because they are there for a vacation, but Penny can't help herself.  She knows something is amiss, particularly when Walter Crocker disappears without a trace, and she finds his car hidden away in Herman Crocker's garage.  Then there is Mrs. Masterbrook, who the Nichols hire to cook and clean for them while they are staying at the cottage - Penny catches her snooping in her father's room and is left to wonder what the woman's true intentions are.  And there is also the stranger who shows up at the cottage looking for Herman Crocker - he says his name is Michael Haymond, but Penny believes there is more to his story.  Mr. Nichols hires him as a handyman to fix up the cottage, and he tells Penny not to create mysteries where there are none.  One would think that after solving three mysteries that even the police couldn't solve, Penny's father would have more faith in his daughter's intuition.

This mystery is a tad bit darker than the previous three, as it also concerns a young boy who is the grandson of Herman Crocker.  Penny tries to befriend the boy, but Mr. Crocker makes it clear she is to stay away from him and never talk to him.  Penny discovers the boy is being held captive in the house, not allowed to go to school, and quite possibly malnourished.  When Mr. Nichols is convinced to look into some local robberies, a toy lantern discovered at the scene of one of the crimes provides a vital clue that links the robberies Mr. Nichols is investigating to the multiple mysteries Penny is trying to solve.  Once again, as with the Mystery of the Lost Key, Wirt weaves into the story a long-lost relative, a stolen inheritance, and a family revelation.  

The one disappointing thing about this story is that there is no true resolution to what happened to Herman Crocker's grandson, Perry - one would think that he would have been placed with the relative that is revealed in the story, but Wirt makes no discussion whatsoever of that.  Instead, the reader is left without any clue as to what happened to poor Perry after his grandfather is arrested for stealing the money intended for his deceased sister's son.  It's not like Wirt to leave a plot thread hanging, but perhaps with everything else going on in the story, this part fell by the wayside.

Nevertheless, the final Penny Nichols story ends on a rather amusing note, as Mr. Nichols informs his daughter that after everything that took place in Kendon, they are leaving.  When Penny asks where they are going, Mr. Nichols replies, "I don't know ... but it will be to some nice quite place where I can have a vacation." (p. 250)  What neither Mr. Nichols nor Penny (nor, for that matter, readers!) knew was that the vacation was to be a permanent one!

 

One last thing to mention - while all four books in this series were published by Goldsmith, the books that I have are not all the same - books 1 and 3 are the standard size, in the same dimensions (height and width) as a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books; however, books 2 and 4 are slightly larger in height, about a half-inch taller.  Not sure if the taller editions are later printings, earlier printings, or if the series was simply published that way - were all four published in the standard size AND the taller size, or were only certain books published in the taller size?  As someone who prefers a uniform series, it is a bit disconcerting to have two of the four books taller than the other two!

RATING:  9 broken down wood-burning stoves out of 10 for ending this series with a well-written mystery, even if a bit darker than the previous ones

The Penny Nichols Series - #3 - Penny Nichols and the Black Imp

And now we come to Mildred Wirt (Benson)"s third Penny Nichols story, published in 1936 alongside the first two books.  It seems back in the day, "three" was the magic number for what was commonly referred to as "breeder" sets - any time a publisher wanted to try out a new series, it would publish the first three books simultaneously.  So many series, including Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, started in this manner, and while some managed to go on for quite a while, others seemed to barely make it past those first three books.  Sadly, Penny Nichols is one of those unsuccessful series.  There were only four books in this series (although some may argue there are five, if you include the single story Connie Carl book, which some have said was originally intended to be a fifth Penny Nichols books - whether that is true or not, I have no idea), and the fourth book was not published until three years after these first three.  It's a shame really, as these first three books, at least, offered some truly great mysteries, and, Wirt's writing prowess was definitely apparent in these stories.

Penny Nichols and the Black Imp was previewed in the previous book as "Penny Nicholas and the Secret of the Black Imp."  Interesting that the title was changed for publication, yet the text was not corrected in the previous book prior to it being published.  Perhaps Goldsmith simply did not want to spend the money required to change the text of that page.  In any event, the Black Imp of the story turns out to be a small, clay statue created by Amy Coulter, an aspiring artist.  Penny and her best friend Susan meet Amy at an art show at the Gage Galleries, where artists have an opportunity to win a five thousand dollar award should their piece be selected by the judge's as the winning work of art.  Penny and Susan are positive that Amy's statue will win, so they are shocked when the judge instead chooses a piece that is far inferior to that of Amy's - a decision that does not set well with anyone in attendance!  And that's when the gallery is locked down, because it seems a nearly priceless work of art has been stolen - a Rembrandt painting!

Once again, Wirt creates a complex mystery with plenty of moving parts.  Penny gets into a fender-bender with a none-too-pleasant man on the way to the gallery, who turns out to be the judge of the art competition.  Once there, Penny and Susan pass a rather rude gallery employee on their way into the viewing, unaware he is carting off a stolen painting.  Later, at the party of a social climber in town, Penny discovers the woman has purchased the stolen painting!  That same woman later has a very valuable (and only recently insured) pearl necklace stolen from her.  While trying to figure out what is going on, Penny discovers the art critic, Hanley Cron, who judged the art competition, has crafted his own copy of the Black Imp - but for what purpose?  An empty office space on the fourth floor of a building ... a carefully forged Rembrandt ... a lying social climber ... a wrongfully accused artist ... and a deadly team of counterfeiters all lead Penny on a dangerous adventure that ultimately leads to her being tied up and left in an empty building that is set on fire!

Interestingly enough, Wirt used this same situation in other books - in Penny Parker No. 2, The Vanishing Houseboat, Penny and Louise are trapped in a burning house (1939); then, just for books later in Penny Parker No. 6 - The Secret Pact, Penny is trapped in her father's newspaper office after a villain sets the building on fire (1941).  I suppose Wirt found this type of dangerous situation one that would be exciting for readers and create suspense (much as she did with bad storms, that seem to come up in so many of her books).

A small editing error that I caught can be found in the first chapter.  On the second page of the story, Penny and Susan are rushing to get to the gallery so they are not late.  Page 12 reads:

    "The winning statue is to be unveiled at three o'clock," Penny declared.  "What time is it now, Susan?"

    "Then we'll never make it," Penny groaned, stepping harder on the gasoline pedal.

Somehow, Susan's response to Penny was inadvertently omitted, so we'll never know what time it actually was that Susan told Penny to make her rush to get to the gallery!

Overall, this was another great tale.  The fact that Penny worked hard to assist Amy Coulter hide from the police placed Penny in a very precarious position, since she was aiding and abetting a wanted suspect in the theft of the Rembrandt painting.  (And it's funny that Penny Parker No. 3, Danger at the Drawbridge, also features a painting by a famous artist, only it's Van Gogh in that book, instead of Rembrandt, as in this one - leads one to wonder if perhaps Wirt enjoyed art of that nature...)  Penny rightfully could have been charged with aiding and abetting, harboring a fugitive, and obstructing justice - but I supposed that proving Amy's innocence and catching the real crooks counted in her favor.

As a final note, I did enjoy the ending to this story.  Penny and her father are bantering, and Mr. Nichols acknowledges that he could increase profits by taking his daughter into his firm.  "Nichols and Nichols" he says.  "How does that strike you?"   Penny playfully responds, "I think it would look grand in print ... Let's paint it on the door right now!" (p. 249)  Penny's relationship with her father reads much more natural than that of Nancy Drew and Carson Drew.  I think Wirt managed to make Penny and her father come across as believable and real, and it makes the stories much more enjoyable to read!

RATING:  10 large thermos bottles of coffee out of 10 for another intriguing and engaging mystery that centers around the art world.

The Penny Nichols Series - #2 - Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key

The second Penny Nichols mystery offers up a somewhat standard mystery trope, but I have to give Mildred Wirt (Benson) credit - she provides a totally unique story to go with it.  While I read these Penny Nichols books some years ago when I first bought them, I honestly don't remember them being this good.  Also, having never read a Penny Parker book at the time, I did not realize just how much of a precursor Penny Nichols is to Penny Parker.  The similarities are many - hair color, relationship with father, car problems, desire to follow in her father's footsteps, attitude, daring willingness, and so much more - heck, even the first name is the same (Penny is short for "Penelope" in both cases!).  Perhaps the Penny Parker series is more or less what Penny Nichols may have been if her series had been allowed to continue beyond just the four books.

Penny Nichols and the Mystery of the Lost Key is a story about a haunted house.  But it's also a story about a young girl's lost inheritance.  And a story about a lost key that could be the "key" to proving an heir's identity (pun intended).  And a story about a cranky caretaker who seems to be keeping a lot of secrets.  Once again, Wirt (writing this series under the Joan Clark pen name) creates an intricate web of lies, secrets, and mysteries that only the sharpest sleuth could possibly solve - and this time, the sleuth is Penny Nichols!  After stopping a ring of car thieves in her first book, Penny sets out to help a young girl stake a claim for her rightful inheritance after she receives a mysterious letter, which has enclosed therewith a key to the property, Raven Ridge, she is alleged to have inherited.  Penny has her suspicions, however, because she has never heard of the attorney on the letterhead, and a visit to the office address proves no such attorney exists!  So, who sent young Rosanna Winters the letter and key, and more importantly, why?

Well, Penny gets her chance when her father decides they need a vacation - and he elects to go to Mt. Ashland, which is a short drive from Snow Mountain, the very place where Raven Ridge is located (p. 40).  Just what would a children's mystery book be without its ever-present convenient coincidences.  Needless to say, Penny invites Rosanna on the trip so they can check out Raven Ridge and figure out exactly what that letter is about.  The only problem is, Rosanna has lost the letter and the key she received to prove her claim as an heir!  They arrive at Raven Ridge in the middle of a dreadful storm (Wirt definitely loved her storms!), and before long, two more "heirs" show up - a rather rude woman and her entitled daughter, as well as a man who looks awfully similar to the thief that Penny saw steal jewelry at the department store where she first met Rosanna!  Both have letters and keys, just like Rosanna had, and both feel they are the sole heir and owner of Raven Ridge.  The rather curmudgeonly caretaker does not take kindly to any of the unwanted visitors, and he does not believe any of them have a true claim to the property - in fact, he is rather insistent that the owner is not dead, but merely away on a trip.

The mystery is a tangled web, no doubt - the mysterious music coming from the attic ... the disappearing ghost ... the secret panels and hidden passages behind the walls (not to mention the hidden staircase, but we wouldn't want to compare that to a certain mystery of Nancy Drew, now would we?) ... the missing photograph ... the gun found in a suitcase ... the safe hidden behind a painting ... so many strange things, and it's up to Penny to piece together the puzzle and figure out exactly what is going on.  Quite frankly, this is a mystery that is worthy of the queen of crime herself, Agatha Christie!  But, as usual, Penny manages to figure out exactly what happened to Jacob Winters, exact who the real heirs are, and who is the true culprit trying to swindle the others out of their rightful inheritance - and along the way, Penny reunites two family members and provides Rosanna with a new home! All's well that ends well, right?

"If it hadn't been for that kid of yours I'd have gotten away with it," the crook growled [at Mr. Nichols] (p. 241).  A simple statement, but one that brought a smile to my face, as it immediately made me think of all those criminals who were unmasked by the Scooby gang in the cartoons for all those years.

One final observation - on the very last page, just after the last word of the last paragraph, there are two initials:  "M.W."  Obviously, they represent "Mildred Wirt."  I don't recall every seeing any books that had initials like this at the end of the story (or, if I have, I don't recall them now).  Was this Wirt signing off on her final draft of the story, and the printers accidentally included it when they typeset the book?  Since the series is authored under the pseudonym of Joan Clark, was this Wirt's way of attributing her own name to the authorship of the story?  

This was a great follow-up to Wirt's first Penny Nichols' mystery, and I am anxious to see what the next two books hold in store!

RATING:  10 postcards from Africa out of 10 for taunting readers with a haunted house on a dark and stormy night - creating the perfect mood for a superbly written mystery!

The Penny Nichols Series - #1 Penny Nichols Finds a Clue

Having read Mildred Wirt's "Trailer Stories for Girls" in succession, and finding that I rather enjoyed following the adventures of the Gibson children so closely, one after the other, I decided to give my hand (or my eyes, as the case may be) to another of Wirt's four-book series, the "Penny Nichols Series."  This series actually premiered one year prior to the Trailer Stories, with the first three books being published in 1936; however, the fourth book in this series actually post-dates the Trailer Stories, as book four was not published until 1939 (some three years after the initial three).  The series was published under the pseudonym of Joan Clark, and all four books featured the same cover art - Penny driving her roadster, pointing out to her friend Susan a truck traveling far ahead of them in the distance.  The series was published by Goldsmith, who published other books written by Wirt in the '30s.  I had read this series many years ago when I first bought the books off eBay, but it's been so long, I honestly don't remember any of the stories - so re-reading them now is like I'm reading them for the first time!

 

Penny Nichols Finds a Clue is the first in the series, and it introduces readers to Penny, her father, her best friend, and the world in which she lives.  In this world, Penelope Nichols (there's that "Penelope" name again!), better known as Penny to her father and friends, is the fifteen-year old daughter of a private detective, Christopher Nichols, who lives in Belton City.  Like so many sleuths of the day, Penny's mother died when she was young, and as a result, her father dotes on her and gives her pretty much unlimited freedom.  The Nichols have a live-in housekeeper, Mrs. Gallup, who worries about Penny as if she were her own daughter.  Like the "Penny" who came after her, Penny Nichols has a car that gives her problems, she is always running out of her allowance before the next one (thus causing her to be borrowing ahead on future allowances), and she wants to follow in her father's footsteps - except, instead of working in the newspaper business like Penny Parker, Penny Nichols dives into the private detective business!

The mystery centers around a ring of car thieves who manage to steal tires and other assorted items directly from cars parked on the street.  The police are stumped, and an insurance company has hired Mr. Nichols to try and find out who is behind the thefts.  Nichols is pretty certain the Molberg gang is behind it, but he's been unable to catch a break in figuring out how they are doing it and where they are hiding.  He's also quite certain that Molberg himself is not the big boss - someone else is pulling the strings.  Penny is not overly interested until a tire is stolen from her own car, and she and Susan were only away for a short time!  The mystery deepens further when Penny returns home to find a young man hiding away in the room over Nichols' garage!  He tells her his name is Jerry Bellows and convinces her not to turn him over to the police - and Penny wonders if it was a mistake to let him go.

Wirt weaves quite the intricate tale here - there's the mystery surrounding the Bellows boy and who he really is - there's the mystery surrounding the car thieves and how they manage to steal tires from cars without anyone noticing - there's the mystery surrounding the police officer who may very well be on the take from the Molberg gang - and there's the biggest mystery of all: just who is behind all of these nefarious thefts in Belton City?  Honestly, that last question is one of the easiest to figure out (and maybe that's just because I've read so many mysteries at this point, these type of things are pretty easy to spot), and the question of Bellows' identity is not really that difficult either.  The manner in which the thieves are pulling their operation is actually quite creative, and I give Wirt props for not giving in to an easy out for the thieves.  

There is certainly plenty of danger in this book, but that is an aspect I enjoyed.  Penny's life is put in danger because of her father's investigation (as well as her own!), and it was nice to see Mr. Nichols be proactive in placing a man to follow Penny around to ensure her safety (which comes in quite handy when Penny is tricked and kidnapped!).  Penny also proves her bravery when she discovers the place where the criminals are moving their merchandise, and she sneaks in - and rather than trying to stop them on her own, she secrets herself in an office and calls her father for help!  FINALLY!  A mystery that has some intelligent characters that act in rational ways rather than trying to be the hero.  I do have to say, however, that as I was reading this book, particularly as it got closer to the end, I began to see some similarities between this story and the Nancy Drew episode from the '70s television show, "The Mystery of the Diamond Triangle" - in both instances, there are car thieves, the thieves are holed up in an out-of-the-way location, and Penny/Nancy sneak into the hideout in order to put a stop to the thieves' activities!  Only, unlike the TV show, this book ends with a shoot out, as Wirt has no problem with characters using guns in her books (unlike Stratemeyer's series, where guns were a big "no-no").

This first book was a great start to this series, and I can definitely see some resemblances between Penelope Nichols and Penelope Parker, so I am guessing when this series didn't quite make it, Wirt may have simply made some alterations to the character and her name when she began her Penny Parker series for Cupples & Leon.

RATING:  9 discarded scraps of metal out of 10 for an adventurous beginning of yet another young sleuth from the mind of Mildred Wirt Benson!