Step into the captivating world of Hildegarde Withers, the sharp-witted schoolteacher-turned-detective, in this definitive collection of Stuart Palmer’s beloved mysteries. Featuring 15 novels and stories, this volume brings together some of the most thrilling cases of the ever-curious and relentlessly clever Miss Withers, whose keen intellect often outshines the police in solving the most perplexing crimes. From The Penguin Pool Murder, where Miss Withers first demonstrates her remarkable ...

His Honor finds a public-spirited corpse; the school-ma’am detective finds a murderer; and Inspector Piper discovers what was wrong with the four Fates, the beautiful marble hussy, and the nice young man with the beard. A Miss Hildegarde Withers Mystery!

The Penguin Pool Murder by Stuart Palmer is the first novel in the popular Hildegarde Withers Mysteries. First published in 1931, the story introduces readers to the unforgettable amateur detective Hildegarde Withers, a sharp-witted and unconventional schoolteacher who unexpectedly becomes involved in solving a mysterious crime. The story begins when Miss Withers takes her class on a school trip to the Central Park Zoo in New York City. What should have been an ordinary excursion turns int...

WHEN IT COMES TO MURDER, THERE'S ALWAYS A CHOICE…The only thing more varied than how people are killed is the many, many ways people try to get away with this terrible crime. Now masterful mystery writer Dorothy Salisbury Davis brings together 23 classic stories of crime and suspense, whodunits and detective stories from some of the finest authors of the 1950s.Ross Macdonald's classic P.I. Lew Archer takes a chilling case in California, where the mob isn't ...

On a trip to the New York Aquarium with her third-grade class, a teacher discovers a dead body: "One of the world's shrewdest and most amusing detectives" ( The New York Times).For the third graders at Jefferson School, a field trip is always a treat. But one day at the New York Aquarium, they get much more excitement than they bargained for. A pickpocket sprints past, stolen purse in hand, and is making his way to the exit when their teacher, th...

The savvy Miss Withers investigates a mysterious hanging-while-driving in this delightful addition to a classic cozy mystery series.As snow falls on the steps of the New York Public Library, a line of cars moves sluggishly down Fifth Avenue. Oblivious to the traffic, a blue Chrysler roadster tears down the street, hops the curb, and slams to a halt. The car is empty, its driver thrown half a block back. He's stone dead, his cigarette still burning, and a noose tied ...

Spinster sleuth Hildegarde Withers and Inspector Oscar Piper are on the case of murder among the dog breeders, in a case reminiscent of S.S. Van Dine's "The Kennel Murder Case" (1933).

This collection brings together the most thrilling and ingenious mysteries featuring Stuart Palmer’s beloved amateur sleuth, Hildegarde Withers. A sharp-witted schoolteacher with a knack for crime-solving, Miss Withers finds herself entangled in baffling cases that leave even the most seasoned detectives puzzled. In The Riddle of the Lady from Dubuque, The Riddle of the Yellow Canary, The Riddle of the Blue Fingerprint, The Riddle of the Doctor’s Double, and many other gripping stories, Mi...

A model is dead in Central Park, and the only witness to the crime is a horse: "A most readable and entertaining story" ( The New York Times).The evening's party is over, and modeling sensation Violet Feverel wants to get in a quick horse ride before the dawn breaks. She saddles up Siwash the stallion, and gallops onto the Central Park bridle path, eager to begin what will be the last ride of her life.On the other side of the park, Miss Hildegarde ...

A sharp-witted Manhattan schoolteacher tackles eight little mysteries in this collection from the author of The Puzzle of the Happy Holligan.When not teaching third graders, middle-aged singleton Hildegard Withers enjoys sipping orange pekoe tea, reading Sherlock Holmes stories, and tending to her tropical fish. And from time to time, she also helps her friend, Insp. Oscar Piper, with some puzzling cases . . ."The Riddle of the Lady from Du...

A newspaperman investigates the strange case of a murdered society clownHowie Rook does not care for the police. After a long career in newspapers, he has seen too many cases loused up by unimaginative detectives to have any faith in by-the-book investigation. Recently retired, he spends his leisure hours writing letters to the editor regarding police stupidity. He's so good at pointing out the department's screw-ups that it has decided to reach out to him. They hav...

"One of the world's shrewdest and most amusing detectives" has nine days to save an innocent man from death row ( The New York Times).On a steamy day on Staten Island, a speeding car tears past a couple of beat cops and smashes into a delivery truck. In the front seat is Andy Rowan, pale and unconscious. In the back is a blonde—beautiful, naked, and dead.She was an aspiring Miss America, minted in the wilds of Brooklyn, and he was the press agent w...