The Satan Sleuth #1 - Fallen Angel

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover - but in this instance, I'm asking you to not judge a book by its name.  I honestly cannot say how I came across this series.  I don't recall where I first saw it, or what made me look into it; all I know is that once I decided to try and find this series, I was surprised at just how difficult it was to locate all three books!  One would think this is some best-selling rarity that everyone is after (although, more likely, it was simply a series with a low print run, thus making copies harder to find).  After a lot of searching, I was able to locate books 2 and 3, but finding the first book took a lot longer.  But, as always, patience offers its reward, and I came across a copy in fairly good condition on eBay for a price I was willing to pay.  So, once in hand, I figured I might as well read it and see whether it was worth the purchase.

"The Satan Sleuth" is a three-book series written by Michael Avallone.  Avallone was a prolific author who wrote a number of movie and television tie-in books, one of which is a book I would LOVE to find - the original novelization of Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3-D (not the later, revised edition written by Simon Hawke).  Published in 1974 and 1975, "The Satan Sleuth" tells the adventures of Philip St. George, whose wife is brutally mutilated and dismembered by a cult of Satan worshipers - which leads to St. George adopting an alternate persona to not only go after the group of individuals who killed his wife, but to begin a crusade against any and all like-minded people who choose to use Satan, the supernatural, and the unknown as a shield behind which to commit the most heinous atrocities against mankind.  This first novel, Fallen Angel, provides readers with the gory details of just what led St. George to abandon his carefree, millionaire lifestyle to don a cloak, wear a cross, and take up the weapons needed to send the sick, twisted minds of cultists and Satan worshipers to the very hell they claim to serve.

The prose is very much pulp style, with little dialogue and more focus on the characters inner-motivations and their actions.  It is definitely dark and morbid, and while Avallone does not go into explicit gory detail with the ritualistic murder of St. George's wife, the description he does provide is more than enough to create horrific images in the reader's mind - enough to make him or her immediately sympathize with St. George and encourage him on his newfound crusade.  Definitely not for the weak of heart!  Yet, at the same time, without the horrific nature of the crime, St. George's motivation would be lacking.

The book is divided into three subtitled parts - "Fallen Angel," "Devils From Hell," and "The Redeemer."  Each section is basically an act - "Fallen Angel" describes the descent, of St. George learning about his wife's death - seeing it - and then making the decision to do what the police cannot.  "Devils From Hell" provides readers with a glimpse into the four killers - three men and one woman - and the consequences of their actions (for three of them, anyway).  "The Redeemer," the final act, is the climactic showdown between St. George a/k/a The Satan Sleuth and the Wolfman (not literal), the leader of the cult who took his wife from him.  I gotta give Avallone credit, he definitely knows how to use irony, as St. George picks off the killers one by one, putting them in the ultimate torturous situations, saving the best for last.  But the question is - how far is St. George really willing to go to avenge his wife?  Once he answers that question, it sets the stage for the rest of his life!

In a way, this is a much darker version of Dan Curtis' television series, Kolchak: The Night Stalker.  And what's interesting about that is that the Kolchak TV show ran from 1974 to 1975, the same exact years this series was published. Makes you wonder exactly what was going on in American society at that time, that such dark, supernatural stories such as The Satan Sleuth and Kolchak would be written for consumption by the public at large!  Although neither series lasted long - Kolchak lasted one season, and The Satan Sleuth only lasted three books.  Perhaps the timing was off, because I could easily see The Satan Sleuth as a television series today, and it would likely do pretty good (particularly since today's television seems to allow much more graphic violence to be depicted than back in the mid-70s when the series was published).

"Fighting for reason and right against the Devil and his disciples" is what the tagline reads on the front of this first book.  And it's a pretty accurate description of what's inside, although the four killers turn out to be only playing at devil worship - none of them actually believe (which, in my mind, makes what they did all the more terrible, because it simply goes to show just how depraved and twisted their natural being is that they could do what they did for no other purpose than just for kicks!).  We'll see what the second and third book hold in store and whether The Satan Sleuth actually faces down true supernatural or the Devil himself!

RATING:  7 tarot cards left at the foot of the stairs out of 10 for providing fans of mystery, crime, and supernatural with a different kind of dark knight detective!

DCeased: War of the Undead Gods - a DC Comics mini-series

When DC Comics published its first DCeased mini-series a few years ago, it felt like nothing more than an opportunity to cash in on the popularity of The Walking Dead and the whole zombie craze.  That's not to say the first mini-series was bad.  I rather enjoyed the chance to see what would happen if some of the most powerful heroes in the world were affected by a zombie virus and turned on those they swore to protect.  How would the world react?  Well, apparently the series did well enough that DC published some spin-offs and sequels, including DCeased: A Good Day to Die, DCeased: Unkillables, DCeased: Hope at World's End, and DCeased: Dead Planet.  Some were good, some were just okay, and some were clearly nothing more than an attempt to cash in on the original series' success.  This year, DC published what appears to be the final story in the DCeased series - and if a series such as this has to end, this is definitely the conclusion it deserves!

DCeased: War of the Undead Gods is the final battle of the surviving heroes, not just of Earth, but of the entire universe, against an anti-life agent intent on destroying everything.  The story opens with a flashback to the end of Krypton.  Zor-El and his wife are sending their teen daughter to a planet where she will have amazing powers and where she will not be alone.  She will be among gods.  New gods.  But when she arrives on New Genesis, she is quickly overcome by a horde of gods who have succumbed to the anti-life equation.

Flash-foward to the present. The survivors of a devastated Earth have migrated to what they now call "Earth 2."  Lois Lane is the President.  Jon Kent and some of the most powerful heroes are prepared to go rescue Superman, where he lies dormant in the heart of the Sun.  With the antidote (developed in previous stories), they hope to return Kal-El to his former self ... to inspire hope to those who remain.  And as they bring home Earth's Greatest Superhero, they also face the unexpected arrival of Brainiac.  But this is not the Brainiac they once know.  He is defeated.  He is near death.  And he comes bearing a warning.  The gods are on their way.  Gods who have been turned.  Gods whose only goal is to spread the anti-life equation and destroy all who get in their way.  

And so begins the biggest climactic battle since the original Crisis on Infinite Earths back in 1985.  The New Gods and the villainous gods of Apokolips have all been turned.  And that includes Darkseid.  And when he destroys a yellow lantern, the ring chooses the one who might spread the greatest fear - and who else but Darkseid could spread fear on that level, especially now?!  And when he gets a hold of Warworld, his power to devastate only grows exponentially.  Even with the combined might of Superman, Superboy, Wonder Woman, and the entire Green Lantern Corps, there is not enough power to stop what is to come.  

Writer Tom Taylor provides readers with a story of impossible odds, yet one filled with hope and inspiration, as he gives readers a brand new DC trinity - Superman (Jon Kent), Batman (Damian Wayne), and Wonder Woman (Cassie Sandsmark).  And every time the tide seems to turn - Mr. Mxyzpltk shows up!  Spectre shows up!  Even the main man, Lobo, shows up! - somehow the evil wave of anti-life manages to overcome and turn even the most powerful of them all.  Retreat seems impossible.  Winning looks bleak.  But Taylor shows the true strength of some of the least powerful characters in the DC Universe and provides some jaw-dropping twists near that end that result in some unexpected surprises, a very sad sacrifice, and a final battle that even Ares and the Black Racer cannot avoid!  Worlds live!  Worlds Die!  And the universe will never be the same!  (Sure, that tagline was used back in '85 for Crisis, but it certainly applies to this final battle with the DCeased as well!)

Artists Trevor Hairsine and Andy Lanning knock it out of the part with this one.  Yes, the story is dark and bloody, so there are plenty of shadows and plenty of reds and grays ... but there is also the bright blues and greens, the colorful costumes of the heroes, and the light shades of humanity to remind the reader that all is not hopeless.  The battle scenes are epic, and unlike many of today's comics, we don't get a fancy splash page every few pages or so.  Each issue packs plenty of story, and I'm definitely glad I waited until I had all eight issues to read it, as I don't imagine I would have liked waiting 30 days between each issue to find out what happens next!  Some major characters die in rather gruesome ways (this is a zombie story, after all, so no one is truly safe), and Hairsine and Lanning fill those moments with emotion that can felt off the page.  

While I definitely one to complain about how dark and gritty comics of today have become, I will be the first to admit that this DCeased saga has really caught me off-guard.  I never anticipated liking it as much as I have, and for such a dark story, it has often reminded readers that even in the darkest of times, we should always look for hope!  I'd say Taylor, Hairsince, and Lanning have a huge success with this eight-issue tale, and I give them props for ending this saga in what feels like the perfect conclusion.

RATING:  9 bottled cities of Brainiac out of 10 for giving a superhero take on the zombie craze a conclusion that is definitely one to be remembered!

A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery, Book 6 - A Spoonful of Murder

Okay, some of you may notice that this posting is listed as book SIX of a series titled "A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery" - but you're saying to yourself, "Hey, wait a minute - I don't remember seeing any series like that in this blog before!"  Well, technically you have, but it didn't go by this name.  So, I suppose a bit of explanation is in store.  Back in 2016, I discovered a series called the "Wells & Wong Mystery" series, starring Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells, the two members of Detective Society whose careers take off when they stumble across the dead body of one of their teachers.  They solve the crime, and before you know it, they become involved in another murder mystery ... and another ... and another!  One more book in 2016, a third book in 2017, a fourth one in 2018, and a fifth one in 2019.  And then they stopped - at least, here in the United States they stopped.  And while the series was titled "A Wells & Wong Mystery" here in the States, across the pond, it was from the very beginning called "A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery."  So, after a four year break, the series continues to be published here in the States, picking up with book 6 - only, now, the publisher has decided to go with the original name for the series, rather than the U.S. name.  And, now that you are all caught up, let's check in and see just what Daisy and Hazel are up to now...

A Spoonful of Murder opens on a rather sad note.  Hazel's beloved grandfather has died, and her father is requiring she come home for a period of mourning.  Only, as much as Hazel wants to go home for her grandfather's sake, she's worried about what will happen when she faces her mother - the same mother who did not want her to go to boarding school in England, and the same mother who Hazel has never been able to please, no matter what she does.  So, she makes one demand of her father - she will come home to China so long as she can bring Daisy with her!  And so begins the Detective Society's latest adventure - and before you ask, NO, it is not the death of Hazel's grandfather that is the subject of this mystery.

Author Robin Stevens has spent enough books establishing the two main characters that the mysteries now start to delve a little more into the families of Daisy and Hazel.  The last book focused on Daisy's side of the fence, and now in this book, we get a glimpse into Hazel's background.  Upon arriving in China, readers discover just how NOT perfect Hazel's family is - and, poor Daisy discovers just how wealthy and influential Hazel's family is!  Of course, we are talking about China, which boasts a completely different way of life, particularly in the early twentieth century.  Daisy (and readers!) discover that not only does Hazel's father have two wives, but that Hazel has two sisters by her father's second wife - AND, to Hazel's surprise, her father has a newborn son (and if you know anything about Eastern culture, then you will realize just how important that first born son is to a father!).  And to top it all off, Hazel's maid, Su Li, has been taken away to be given the prestigious honor of caring for little Teddy Wong!

There is most certainly plenty of family drama in the opening chapters of this book, and while Hazel has to deal with all of the changes in her family, she also has to keep Daisy from thinking there is any foul play associated with her grandfather's death.  No, the foul play doesn't come into play (no pun intended) until they take poor Teddy to the doctor - and Su Li ends up dead in an elevator, baby Teddy is kidnapped, and the elevator attendant has somehow disappeared from the building with the baby!  Everyone is in an uproar, and Mr. Wong is forced to accept the help of a rather gruff but determined detective.  But Hazel and Daisy realize they must solve this mystery first, because a jade pin left to Hazel by her grandfather is the only clue found at the scene of the murder!  Someone is determined to implicate Hazel for the crime, and the Detective Society must narrow down the suspect list pretty quickly before the detective becomes wise to what they are doing!

The culprits behind this crime are not exactly difficult to figure out, but the motive and the planting of the evidence against Hazel turn out to be a bit more complicated.  And with Hazel's guilt over her resentment toward Teddy and her anger at Su Li prove more than a distraction, leaving it up to Daisy and some unexpected help from Hazel's new maid, Ping, and a yard boy, who manage to provide assistance in the most unique ways, to keep Hazel on the case.  And with Hazel's father locking down the house and the family, they must come up with a creative solution to escape the house and investigate the suspects so that they can find Teddy and bring Su Li's killer to justice.

I am SO glad this series was brought back to the States, so that fans like me can continue reading the adventures of Wells and Wong.  These books are so well written, and two main characters so much fun, you can't help but enjoy every page of the story.  If you have not read any of this series yet, what are you waiting for?  I strongly urge you to find the first book in the series and get started!  Trust me, you won't regret it!

RATING:  10 plates of orange chicken feet out of 10 for proving that even on the other side of the world, Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong can still solve a murder mystery like no other!

Donna Noble: Kidnapped (From the Worlds of Doctor Who)

As those who know me already know, Donna Noble, as played by the superbly talented Catherine Tate, is my absolute favorite companion that has ever graced the world of Doctor Who.  From her introduction in "The Runaway Bride" Christmas special some years ago, to her full season of episodes, to her return in the last two David Tenant specials, to the numerous books and audio books, and now in the upcoming mini-series of episodes once again starring David Tenant, I have loved this character without end!  A few years ago, Big Finish Productions, who has been producing Doctor Who audio books for many years now, as well as Dark Shadows audio stories continuing and building upon the original series, put out a five-disc special audio series starring none other than Donna Noble herself!  I immediately bought the box set, but unfortunately, as my car CD player had quit working by then, I did not have the opportunity to listen to it.  Well, a recent vacation with a rental car gave me plenty of driving time within which to listen to the CDs, and I can say the story (and hearing Catherine Tate's voice once again!) was well worth the wait!

Donna Noble: Kidnapped is a four-part story that is made up of four short stories with an over-arching tale of alien invasion.  While each of the four tales is written by a different author, the characterization remains consistent throughout all of them.  Catherine Tate, of course, reprises her role as Donna Noble, while Jacqueline King once again plays Donna's mother.  Dan Starkey, who is a long time Doctor Who actor who has played numerous roles over the years, takes on a couple of characters in the stories.  Wrapping up the main cast is Niky Wardley as Donna's best mate, Natalie, and Isla Blair as a speed dating organizer named Marge.  Most of the other characters are specific to each of the four tales, and at the very end, there is a special appearance by David Tennant as the 10th Doctor!

 

The story takes place shortly after the two-part "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead" episodes in series four, in which Donna finds herself in an alternate reality where she is married and has two children.  Coming back to this reality has left Donna a bit rattled, as she still remembers her husband and children and must deal with the loss of them as mere memories for a reality that no longer exists.  These four short audio tales touch upon that loss and further Donna's relationship with her overly-controlling mother (although, admittedly, we see a side of Sylvia Noble that we haven't seen before, which may alter the view of those who find the character not likable at all!).  They work seamlessly into the "between episodes" of the fourth series, and it's loads of fun to see Donna take all that she has learned while traveling with the Doctor and basically ask herself, "What Would the Doctor Do?"

The first story, "Out of this World," sets the stage for the whole adventure.  Donna reluctantly joins her friend Natalie for a night of speed dating - in which the two meet a mysterious young man who takes a rather healthy interest in Donna.  She wonders if perhaps he was sent by the Doctor, but it quickly becomes clear that aliens are involved, and when she, Natalie, and a couple of others are beamed aboard a spaceship, Donna is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the TARDIS!

"Spinvasion" continues the adventures of the Doctor ... er, I mean Donna (who is now passing herself off as "The Doctor") her companion (a/k/a best friend) Nat.  Donna manages to get her and Nat away from the alien spaceship, but they crash onto a planet that is being invaded - willingly!  A marketing team has convinced the citizens of the planet that they actually want to to be invaded, and Donna knows that she must free these people - after all, it's what the Doctor would do!

The next tale, "The Sorcerer of Albion," find Donna and Nat trying desperately to get back home - and they manage to get to Earth, only a few centuries too early.  It's the Middle Ages, and an aging sorcerer mistakes Donna for an incarnation of Merlin - and he captures her, doing everything in his power to steal her "magic" so he can defeat the monsters that are attacking his realm.  But Donna and Nat quickly come to question who is the real monster here?

The adventures of Donna and Nat conclude with "The Chiswick Cuckoos," as the troublemaking twosome manage to get home - only to discover that an alien plot has already hatched, and Donna is smack dab at the center of it!  There's only one person who can save Earth, and Donna and Nat are the only two who can free the Doctor so he can put an end to the machinations of ... well, no, that would be telling!  Let's just say in this four-part story, you can't really be sure that anyone is who they say they are...

So much adventures, so much danger, so much alien action, and so much fun - we definitely need more adventures of Donna Noble!  Are you paying attention, Big Finish?  MORE DONNA NOBLE!  After all, she's so much more than just a temp from Chiswick!

RATING:  10 mail flyers advertising speed dating out of 10 for giving fans a much needed fix of Donna Noble - but definitely leaving us all wanting for more!

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!