The Riddles of Hildegarde Withers - Stories

Stuart Palmer

Summary

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 Dubuque”: Miss Withers goes undercover at an affluent dinner party, but murder cuts the evening short. “The Riddle of the Yellow Canary”: Hildegarde races to prove a young songwriter’s death was a homicide and force her killer to face the music. “The Riddle of the Blue Fingerprint”: A mahogany wardrobe for sale at a local auction house contains a peculiar surprise: the body of a man Miss Withers was hired to find. “The Riddle of the Doctor’s Double”: A doctor pays a house call to a sick patient on Riverside Drive, but the housekeeper thinks she just let him in, so . . . who is upstairs with her boss? “The Riddle of the Twelve Amethysts”: Miss Withers investigates a curious case of blackmail involving packages containing the violet gemstone. “The Riddle of the Black Museum”: A baffling locked-room murder sends Miss Withers on a field trip to the NYPD’s famed collection of apprehended weapons. “The Riddle of the Green Ice”: Apartment hunting in New York can be killer, but Miss Withers wasn’t expecting a robbery and a shooting, too. “The Riddle of the Snafu Murder”: After a possible spy uses her name in bars around town, Hildegarde’s search for answers leads her to a Greenwich Village murder. Her style may be eccentric, but Miss Withers is as clever as they come. If you enjoy reading these cases, be sure to check out any of the full-length mysteries in the series like The Penguin Pool Murder, Murder on Wheels, or Murder on the Blackboard. Praise for the Hildegarde Withers Mysteries “One of the world’s shrewdest and most amusing detectives.” —The New York Times “Hildegarde Withers remains incomparable and inimitable.” —Anthony Boucher

Available since: 02/08/2022.

Print length: 128 pages.

Other books that might interest you

Twice Burned

May McGoldrick, Jan Coffey

 
 DAPHNE DU MAURIER AWARD of Excellence WINNER 
 NATIONAL READERS' CHOICE AWARD FINALIST 
 RWA RITA AWARD FINALIST 
 
 A man awaits execution for a murder he did not commit . . . 
 A woman returns to a place of scandal and death to save her brother . . . 
 A small town's simmering secrets are about to ignite in a blaze of suspicion and deadly retribution . . . 
 In a small town haunted by tragedy, Lea Hardy returns to save her brother Ted, wrongfully condemned for his family's murder. As dark secrets resurface, she discovers anonymous letters declaring his innocence—and a dangerous attraction to the enigmatic Mick Conklin.  
 With time running out and the town hungry for vengeance, Lea must unravel a web of deceit and trust her heart before the truth—and her brother—are lost forever. Secrets will ignite, and passion will blaze as justice hangs in the balance, but the bright fires of truth are about to blow Stonybrook wide open. 
 What others say about Twice Burned: 
   
 "Jan Coffey...skillfully balances small town scandal and sexual intrigue with lively plotting and vivid characterizations in this engaging romantic thriller." – Publisher's Weekly 
 "...fabulous!!! I loved every last word....I never let anyone read my copies...I want them to buy their own...but I do let my husband read the ones I know he will like, and this one is a must." – Dede Baker, A Novel Idea Bookshop  ★★★★★

Show book

Trust Me Once

May McGoldrick, Jan Coffey

 From USA Today Bestselling Author Jan Coffey comes a riveting tale of betrayal and murder. 
   
A woman runs through the glittering streets of Newport with killers on her trail.
 She needs help. She needs someone she can trust...
 
 Attorney Sarah Rand thought she had left danger behind—until she returned home to discover she had been declared dead.
The murder victim was wrongly identified as Sarah, but the real target was her best friend. Now, with everyone believing she's dead, Sarah is on the run, hunted by killers who won't stop until they finish the job. Desperate for answers, Sarah uncovers a web of lies that ties her to a high-profile crime. Her boss, a respected judge, has been arrested for the murder. A Senator, a dying professor, and a powerful security expert are hiding secrets that could cost her everything.
With time running out, Sarah must rely on a mysterious Hollywood celebrity with dark secrets of his own. But in a world of deception and betrayal, the biggest question remains… who can Sarah trust to stay alive?

Show book