The Penguin Pool Murder

Hildegarde Withers is a schoolteacher shepherding her lively class of children round the New York Aquarium, where a gruesome murder is found to have been committed. Miss Withers finds herself getting involved with the investigation and clashing with the officer in charge, Inspector Piper. Ths is the first in a series of mysteries starring the strong-minded Miss Withers as amatuer sleuth. Hildegarde Withers is an impressive lady who is always in command of the situation, dealing with a bunch of tough little children stands her in good stead when it comes to dealing with criminals or for that matter with the police. At the end of this first adventure, Miss Withers is apparently about to marry Inspector Piper, but in subsequent volumes she is still a spinster. I suspect that Mr Palmer decided that marriage would cramp her style, and he may be right. Miss Withers is an impressive character, at a time when female detectives in fiction were I think much rarer than they are now, her adventures are very enjoyable to read, good characters and plenty of humorous touches help to make them very entertaining.

While the book is a fun read in itself, it is much more enjoyable if you have seen the 1932 film based on it and starring Edna May Oliver as Hildegarde Withers. Having the actress in your mind's eye as you read really brings the story to life. It's definitely one of those "they don't write 'em like that anymore" books.