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The Penguin Pool Murder (Hildegarde Withers Mysteries) Paperback – December 1, 2007

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Stuart Palmer (Author)
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Stuart Palmer (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 17 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Series: Hildegarde Withers Mysteries
  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Rue Morgue Press (December 1, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1601870132
  • ISBN-13: 978-1601870131
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.4 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #847,298 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsAn interesting setting with a very interesting sleuth
By Ron on October 20, 2000
Format: Mass Market Paperback
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.
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4.0 out of 5 starsA strong female sleuth
By L O'connor on January 5, 2007
Format: Paperback
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.
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5.0 out of 5 starsSchool teacher sleuth shows the cops how
By Patto TOP 500 REVIEWER on September 1, 2015
Format: Mass Market Paperback Verified Purchase
Miss Withers is at the New York Aquarium with her young pupils, teaching them a bit of natural history. One little boy notices that the penguins are acting oddly. The reason soon becomes apparent. There's a dead body in the tank!

Miss Withers sees that the cops and an ambulance are called. She's a take-charge person in the old battle-axe tradition (though she’s not old). Soon she's put her wits at the service of Detective Piper. Piper is not an easy man to push around, being rather rude and aggressive. Yet he can't help noticing that Miss Withers is a shrewd observer and a natural born sleuth. They become unofficial partners in this very perplexing case.

Every time Miss Withers has a brilliant insight, Piper say, "I also thought of that." Their relationship is a hoot.

He's less dogged than she is, though. Miss Withers is a champion of old-fashioned justice. Even with the Prosecutor working hard for an easy solution, she won't give up because she doubts that the young couple hastily accused of the crime are guilty.

The Aquarium is a great locale for a murder. There's something repulsive about all those fish, their cold-blooded snake-like bodies and their filmy eyes. But the penguins are quite endearing -- personable and prone to eat bits of evidence. Stuart Palmer was inordinately fond of penguins, perhaps because this book was such a hit. His house was full of penguin tchotchkes.

The plot of The Penguin Pool Murder is lively and full of surprises. The story has a vintage flavor, which is a plus for me. The book was first published in 1931, and the great stock market crash of 1929 is still reverberating in the lives of the characters.
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3.0 out of 5 starsFor those who're fond of M.C.Beaton . . .
By B. Judell on December 24, 2011
Format: Paperback
For those who're caught up on your M.C. Beatons . . ., a choice alternative for you is Hildegarde Withers. This deliciously feisty character is a schoolmarm detective, who solves her cases with astuteness and chalkboard determination. Of course, you'll be trading in Scotland for New York CIty, and half-baked crimes for well-planned ones, but is that such a terrible loss. Additionally, since the action takes places in the early 1930s, there are derbys, pay telephones, and hard-talking, bumbling coppers. On top of that, Stuart Palmer supplies a whole lot of humaneness. For example, Withers' monologue on justice and the unstereotyped depiction of her integrated class. In the end, here's a quick, entertaining read.
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5.0 out of 5 starsFriday is Fish-day
By bernie HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on March 29, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
After watching two of the Hildegard Martha Withers films, I decided it was time to read the book. I got out my trusty kindle and purchased the book along with the Whispersync add on which reads and highlights the words as it goes.

I started with the Penguin Pool as it is the first in the series and as I said I had seen the movie. I was surprised to find that the movie pretty much parallel the book. Also, as an added plus, after getting to chapter five I found a diagram of the scene as you would in a film script.

Hildegard a 39 year old spinster school teacher form Jefferson School N.Y. was taking her students on a field trip to the Aquarium. "Teacher, dese ducks act so funny!" "I told you before Isidore, those are not ducks, they are penguins."

This is a great mystery that has all the elements as everyone looks guilty and the inspector must sort it out. Hildegard worms her way in to assist. She and Inspector Piper get are on the same wave length.

How will they solve this case?
Will Hildegard and Piper ever become more than a team?

The audio book:
Written by: Stuart Palmer
Narrated by: Julie McKay
Length: 7 hrs and 27 minutes
Series: Hildegarde Withers, Book 1
Format: Unabridged
Release Date: 05-03-13
Publisher: Audible Studios
Program Type: Audiobook

The Kindle book:
File Size: 593 KB
Print Length: 160 pages
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (May 14, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00CHW6742
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Lending: Enabled
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsAs stated earlier, it is a rather dated mystery ...

As stated earlier, it is a rather dated mystery, but that is part of the charm. Reading a first person account of the period just after the 1929 stock market crash in NYC was... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Jane Austen Fan
2.0 out of 5 starsOnly the Penguins Attract

I could not finish this book. Repetitious, tedious, dumb. Also, ridiculous. Cannot recommend it for anybody.

Published 7 months ago by Kathryn M. Young
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

good

Published 9 months ago by Arlene D Olsen
5.0 out of 5 starsCute

Love th charactors

Published 14 months ago by Dan Weaver
5.0 out of 5 starsCredible, satisfying amateur sleuthing

Hildegarde Withers deserves a thorough reconsideration for the twenty-first century. She is not the somewhat ridiculous figure Hollywood made of her, but a strong, intelligent,... Read more

Published 15 months ago by Khirul
5.0 out of 5 starsWonderful Great Read!!!! 5 stars

I Loved this Book! I was better than the movie I saw on AMC 20 years ago. I must read for mysterybuffs who love the classics. I set on buying the whole set on amazon kindle. Read more

Published on March 19, 2014 by rebecca campbell
5.0 out of 5 starsI love the Classics

Unhappy Hooligan (Howie Rook Series) & The Penguin Pool Murder (Hildegarde Wither Series) are my introduction to Stuart Palmer. Read more

Published on August 15, 2013 by Brenda
5.0 out of 5 starsPenquin Pool Murder

I had seen the movie version of this story and was interested in reading the original book. I really enjoyed it.

Published on June 22, 2013 by Fred Causey
3.0 out of 5 starsThe Penguin Pool Murder: a fun, vacation read

The Penguin Pool Murder (The Hildegarde Withers Mysteries)

This book was written in 1938 and reads like a 30's movie. Read more

Published on June 19, 2013 by Gee-Gee S
3.0 out of 5 starsHistorical cozy

Miss Hildegarde Withers is just in time to see a body slide into the penguin pool while on a field trip to the New York Aquarium with her third grade class. Read more

Published on May 24, 2013 by Laura Jennison

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