Joan Clark (1)

Written in the 1939, this is a girls' mystery adventure. Reading it reminded me of reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Looking up the author, I find that Joan Clark is the pen name for Mildred Wirt Benson, who is the original author of the Nancy Drew series along with a number of other kids series under a variety of pen names!

I sat and read this in one evening and enjoyed it. There are a number of characters that all contribute to the story line. Penny Nichols is the daughter of a successful private detective, Christopher Nichols. She has solved a few mysteries on her own, much to her father's surprise and delight.

When Mr. Nichols decides he needs a vacation and wants to get away to the country, Penny is not excited, but she can see he really needs the time off. Along the way to the country cottage, they meet a man who has driven his car into a ditch and needs a lift into town. He tells a strange story of going to see a man about an inheritance and having been cheated out of it. When they stop in town, the fellow disappears. Next they meet their landlord, Mr. Crocker, who is a disagreeable and miserly man. They hire a local lady, Mrs. Masterbrook to be their housekeeper during their stay and find her to be a gossipy and nosy biddy. A young man and a little boy, and a couple of home robberies all come into play. How they all tie together is what the mystery is and Penny is the one to figure it out.

A fun read and a quick read. Gives you a touch of nostalgia if you've been a fan of girl detectives in your youth.… (plus d'informations)

Penny Nichols and her friend Susan Altman attend a art show where the winning artist will receive a money prize. The majority of attendees feel the Black Imp piece is a sure winner, but are shocked when another piece is awarded the prize.

Later, Penny finds out that an original Rembrandt piece was stolen from the gallery on the same day as the show. Are the two incidents connected? Is there a connection to the the art critic Hanley Cron, who judged the art show and later accused the Black Imp's artist of being the thief of the missing painting? And what about Mrs. Dillon's missing pearls?

Being the daughter of a well known private eye and having solved a few cases on her own, Penny can't resist sleuthing to solve the mystery of the Black Imp and possible connections of the other mysteries.
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The Penny Nichols series was written during the 1930s. Comprised of 4 books, this is the first in the series.

Penny is the daughter of Christopher Nichols, a successful private investigator. Penny considers herself a bit of a sleuth and tries to prove it to her Dad. Her best friend, Susan Altman, is her cohort in solving the mystery.

In this book, Mr. Nichols has been hired by an insurance company to find the gang behind the auto thefts that have plagued their town. Penny gets pulled in when the tire is stolen off her roadster and she talks to the insurance adjuster. He tells her of the huge number of tires that were stolen about the same time. This starts Penny to ask questions and take some risky chances following suspicious cars and people.

A quick read for an adult and an enjoyable read for someone younger. Written in a bit of a simpler time than today.

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Let's face it -- Penny Nichols is pretty much Nancy Drew. With her roadster, her dead mother, her motherly housekeeper, and her supportive lawyer (I mean, detective) father, you could be forgiven for thinking this is really Nancy in the witness protection program. Not surprising, given that Joan Clark is really Mildred Wirt Benson, main author of the early Drew stories. As a Nancy Drew story, however, it's not bad.

Penny and her "plump" friend Susan attend an award ceremony at an art gallery, where they make the acquaintance of a young artist whose black imp sculpture is the popular favorite. When the award goes to someone else, she slips out early, before the discovery that a Rembrandt painting has been stolen from the gallery. Naturally she's the top suspect, and Penny works hard to keep the police from tracking her down (though they don't seem to think it's a problem to go shopping...)

Before the story is done, we encounter a copy of the black imp and a copy of the Rembrandt painting, every character we meet is implicated in the crime somehow, and Penny is tied up in a closet in a burning building. It's the classic Mildred Wirt Benson formula, and you get everything you expect.… (plus d'informations)