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""I should think not." The corners of Mr. Parker's mouth twitched slightly as he poured coffee from the silver pot. "That lift was built to carry breakfast trays, but not in combination with athletic young ladies.""What a bore, this business of growing up," sighed Penny. "You can't be natural at all.""You seem to manage rather well with all the restrictions," her father remarked dryly.Penny twisted her neck to gaze at her reflection in the dresser mirror beyond the footboard of the big show more mahogany bed."I won't mind growing up if only I'm able to develop plenty of glamour," she said speculatively. "Am I getting any better looking, Dad?" [...]". show lessTags
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Take a millionaire who has disappeared, his publicity-shy dragon of a wife and a runaway groom, and you’ve got the makings of an exceptional mystery.
Young Penny Parker, growing into her rôle as a sometime cub reporter for her dad’s newspaper the Riverview Star, heads to the nuptials of Sylvia Kippenberg, the wedding of the year. Her father, the ostentatious drugstore magnate Clayton Kippenberg (yes, alliteration is big in a Mildred A. Wirt novel) built a literal castle for his family, complete with moat and drawbridge. Talk about conspicuous consumption! Thorstein Veblen would be proud!
Rumors hold that Mr. Kippenberg has disappeared due to pending federal tax-evasion charges. Penny’s dad, editor Anthony Parker, thinks that Mr. show more Kippenberg will feel compelled to attend his daughter’s big day, and he sends Penny to cover the wedding.
Both Parkers get a bigger scoop than they expected: Groom Grant Atherwald, immediately after arriving at the castle, gets a written message and then takes off. The wedding has to be called off.
What spooked Grant? Where has Clayton Kippenberg gone? Are the two matters related? What other secrets are the Kippenbergs hiding? Wirt is better known for the early Nancy Drew novels she penned under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene; however, fans of girl-detective fiction will find that plucky, sassy Penny Parker provides a better read than the cool, icy Nancy Drew any day.
One quibble though: Mr. Kippenberg’s first name is variously identified as Clayton and James in the bundle I bought. You’d think someone would have proofed the novella before including it in the multi-pack, The Penny Parker Megapack: 15 Complete Novels. Ironically, the stand-alone free Kindle editions of each of the Penny Parker novels have fewer errors than the multi-pack that you have to pay for. Go figure! show less
Young Penny Parker, growing into her rôle as a sometime cub reporter for her dad’s newspaper the Riverview Star, heads to the nuptials of Sylvia Kippenberg, the wedding of the year. Her father, the ostentatious drugstore magnate Clayton Kippenberg (yes, alliteration is big in a Mildred A. Wirt novel) built a literal castle for his family, complete with moat and drawbridge. Talk about conspicuous consumption! Thorstein Veblen would be proud!
Rumors hold that Mr. Kippenberg has disappeared due to pending federal tax-evasion charges. Penny’s dad, editor Anthony Parker, thinks that Mr. show more Kippenberg will feel compelled to attend his daughter’s big day, and he sends Penny to cover the wedding.
Both Parkers get a bigger scoop than they expected: Groom Grant Atherwald, immediately after arriving at the castle, gets a written message and then takes off. The wedding has to be called off.
What spooked Grant? Where has Clayton Kippenberg gone? Are the two matters related? What other secrets are the Kippenbergs hiding? Wirt is better known for the early Nancy Drew novels she penned under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene; however, fans of girl-detective fiction will find that plucky, sassy Penny Parker provides a better read than the cool, icy Nancy Drew any day.
One quibble though: Mr. Kippenberg’s first name is variously identified as Clayton and James in the bundle I bought. You’d think someone would have proofed the novella before including it in the multi-pack, The Penny Parker Megapack: 15 Complete Novels. Ironically, the stand-alone free Kindle editions of each of the Penny Parker novels have fewer errors than the multi-pack that you have to pay for. Go figure! show less
Danger at the Drawbridge tells me I would never make it as a reporter because I have too much sympathy for Mrs. and Miss Kippenberg in their desire to not have Miss Kippenberg's wedding turned into a media circus. (I have no sympathy for Mr. Kippenberg for his attempted income tax evasion, or for the other illegal stunt he pulled in hopes of making a profit.)
Penny gets drawn into the mystery of the missing groom because the society editor at her father's paper is ill. She and Salt, a 'Riverview Star' photographer with a miniature camera, manage to get to the Kippenberg estate (reached only by boat or drawbridge) and learn a few things before they're caught and forced to leave. I can't say that Salt taking a photo of Mrs. Kippenberg show more throwing a plate at him was tactful.
Salt Sommers is going to become a regular supporting character in this series. Here's his description from chapter 2: 'He was a tall, spare young man with a deep scar down his left cheek.' I wondered how Salt was going to pass himself off as a wedding guest with a feature that would probably make him look like a gangster, but that wasn't what gave him away. I guess Ms. Wirt decided the scar was a bad idea because I didn't notice it being mentioned again when I reread books four through fourteen.
Penny does manage to talk to Sylvia at a charity function later, but only because Penny found the wedding ring the groom dropped before he disappeared. Sylvia is horrified to learn that Penny found the ring near the lily pond where her father's alligator lives.
Penny's curiosity allows her to learn information that comes in handy later, especially the climax. Handsome reporter Jerry Livingstone gets injured again. Penny saves a life that perhaps she would have been better off if she hadn't. There are G men involved in the case!
For those who like nuggets of info about how American English has changed over the decades, Penny and Salt have 'hot dog sandwiches and pop' in chapter 2. I know that British English and American English handle the plural form differently when it comes to companies. If it's not an error in chapter 8, we used to use the British form, because Louise says 'Rini's have a special on today' instead of 'Rini's has'.
If you like to marvel over the cheapness of old prices, in chapter 17 Penny is able to fill up the almost empty gas tank of her coupe, the Leaping Lena -- and get two quarts of oil -- for $2.58.
It's a good mystery, but marred for me because I feel sympathy for the distaff side of the Kippenberg family.
Zetterstrom (if I'm reading the letters correctly) is the artist for the frontispiece on glossy paper. The scan at Project Gutenberg is from a later printing and their frontispiece appears to be someone's attempt to draw a copy of the Zetterstrom illustration with Penny's hair made longer and a almost leafless, curving branch over to the right. There is no artist's name on it. show less
Penny gets drawn into the mystery of the missing groom because the society editor at her father's paper is ill. She and Salt, a 'Riverview Star' photographer with a miniature camera, manage to get to the Kippenberg estate (reached only by boat or drawbridge) and learn a few things before they're caught and forced to leave. I can't say that Salt taking a photo of Mrs. Kippenberg show more throwing a plate at him was tactful.
Salt Sommers is going to become a regular supporting character in this series. Here's his description from chapter 2: 'He was a tall, spare young man with a deep scar down his left cheek.' I wondered how Salt was going to pass himself off as a wedding guest with a feature that would probably make him look like a gangster, but that wasn't what gave him away. I guess Ms. Wirt decided the scar was a bad idea because I didn't notice it being mentioned again when I reread books four through fourteen.
Penny does manage to talk to Sylvia at a charity function later, but only because Penny found the wedding ring the groom dropped before he disappeared. Sylvia is horrified to learn that Penny found the ring near the lily pond where her father's alligator lives.
Penny's curiosity allows her to learn information that comes in handy later, especially the climax. Handsome reporter Jerry Livingstone gets injured again. Penny saves a life that perhaps she would have been better off if she hadn't. There are G men involved in the case!
For those who like nuggets of info about how American English has changed over the decades, Penny and Salt have 'hot dog sandwiches and pop' in chapter 2. I know that British English and American English handle the plural form differently when it comes to companies. If it's not an error in chapter 8, we used to use the British form, because Louise says 'Rini's have a special on today' instead of 'Rini's has'.
If you like to marvel over the cheapness of old prices, in chapter 17 Penny is able to fill up the almost empty gas tank of her coupe, the Leaping Lena -- and get two quarts of oil -- for $2.58.
It's a good mystery, but marred for me because I feel sympathy for the distaff side of the Kippenberg family.
Zetterstrom (if I'm reading the letters correctly) is the artist for the frontispiece on glossy paper. The scan at Project Gutenberg is from a later printing and their frontispiece appears to be someone's attempt to draw a copy of the Zetterstrom illustration with Penny's hair made longer and a almost leafless, curving branch over to the right. There is no artist's name on it. show less
Not being anywhere near the target audience, I was surprised at how very good this was. Not the most complicated mystery but told well enough to be compelling to all age groups and genders.
Another enjoyable outing. Penny Parker is such a likable character and Mildred Wirt is an underrated author. Her style looks simple but it takes a lot of talent to write this way, delivering lots of info in a short yet snappy manner. Oh, and they mystery itself is pretty good as well.
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83+ Works 11,779 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Danger at the Drawbridge
- Original publication date
- 1940
- People/Characters
- Penelope 'Penny' Parker; Anthony B. Parker (Penny's dad, editor, the 'Riverview Star'); Mrs. Maud Weems (the Parkers' housekeeper); Dr. Horn (treating the ungrateful Mr. Parker for the flu); Miss Hilderman ('Riverview Star' society editor); Mr. DeWitt ('Riverview Star' city editor) (show all 29); Mr. Clayton Kippenberg (rich tax dodger); Mrs. Clayton Kippenberg; Miss Sylvia Kippenberg (bride-to-be); Grant Atherwald (groom-to-be); Salt Sommers ('Riverview Star' photographer); Miss Arnold ('Riverview Star' asst. society editor); Les (works for a rival paper, 'the Ledger'); Thorndyke Davis (Keeper of the Castle drawbridge); Peter Henderson (Kippenberg head gardener); Gregg (Kippenberg servant at the front door); Mrs. Latch (Kippenberg cook); James Atherwald (Grant's father); Louise Sidell (Penny's best friend); Jerry Livingston ('Riverview Star' ace reporter); Miss Louisa Frome (Louise's aunt); Joe, the heavy-set boatman's companion; Aaron Dietz (former business associate of Kippenberg); Harry Griffith (boathouse owner); Julius (Kippinberg butler); Mr. Hammil (Room 381, Colonial Hotel); Flora (Gus' sister); Jake (boatman); Gus (works on the same boat)
- Important places
- Riverview, USA (fictional); the Castle, USA (Kippenberg estate, fictitional); Corbin, USA (small town 6 miles from the Castle, fictional); Big Bear River, USA (fictional); Kobalt River, USA (fictional); Andover, USA, 20 miles from Corbin (fictional)
- First words
- PENNY PARKER, leaning indolently against the edge of the kitchen table, watched Mrs. Weems stem strawberries into a bright green bowl.
- Quotations
- 'YOU SEE, Penny,' said Mr. Parker sympatheticallly, 'wealthy people have a way of being inaccessible to the press. They surround themselves with servants who have been trained to allow no invasion of their privacy. They erect... (show all) barriers which aren't easily broken down.' (chapter 9)
It was all over in an instant. A scream of brakes, a loud splintering of the wooden barrier. The speeding automobile struck the side of the steel bridge, spun sideways and careened down the bank to bury itself in the water.... (show all) (chapter 18) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I just hope I won't have to wait too long for the next mystery to come along.
- Disambiguation notice
- A slightly revised edition of this book was issued in 1958. Later rewritten by Alice Simpson as The Missing
Groom in the Jane Carter Historical Cozy Mysteries.
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