Signal in the Dark: A Penny Parker Mystery Story

Penny Parker Mystery Stories #14

by Mildred A. Wirt

The Riverview Star is short-handed, and Penny convinces Mr. Parker to hire her during her school vacation. Penny finds the work difficult, especially because a jealous reporter makes trouble for her. Penny is asked to cover an explosion at the Conway Steel Plant and bungles the job when she loses the camera that was used to take pictures for the story. Penny later redeems herself by recovering the camera and thwarting a gang's plot to sell a fake explosive device.

Genres: Mystery, Ebooks

170 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson (aka: Mildred Benson)

Writing under Stratemeyer Syndicate pen name Carolyn Keene from 1929 to 1947, she contributed to 23 of the first 25 originally published Nancy Drew mysteries. She was one of 28 individuals who helped produce the Syndicate's Nancy Drew mystery books from 1929 to 1984.

Edward Stratemeyer hired Benson in 1926. She was paid a flat fee of $125 for the first Nancy Drew book written using an outline provided by the syndicate.

Other pseudonyms: Frank Bell, Joan Clark, Julia K. Duncan, Alice B. Emerson, Frances K. Judd, Don Palmer, Helen Louise Thorndyke, Dorothy West, Ann Wirt

Reviews

[Nira Ramachandran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penny Parker is back on the trail. Persuading her newspaper publisher father to employ her as a junior reporter during the summer vacations, Penny gets swept into a new series of mysterious happenings. Her adventures in this book are a bit far –fetched, even for ‘Penny Parker’. It is difficult to swallow a teenage schoolgirl reporter being sent to investigate a series of explosions at a factory, or her independent forays into the dockyard area late at night, that too in the 1940’s. If you accept these anomalies, however, it’s a good read. Unmasking a bogus inventor, and tracking down the brains behind the sabotage at the factory, the indomitable Penny also saves a life, and provides support to an old friend, who is facing difficult times. A role model, indeed.

[Gerd · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the weaker entries in the series.

Penny's fun as always, but story's about two seperate crimes with the, felt, more pressing one being pushed completely in the background and then only solved on the last pages by mere chance.

[Rhys Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Penny Parker mystery story for young adults, the adventure story has the backdrop of WW2. Penny has a nose for getting into trouble and while she is working, she also comes across as a bit spoiled which makes her more realistic as a character. Like most of the series, I found the setup thin but appropriate for the audience.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening

This kindle e-book novella is free from Amazon.

Penny Parker befriends Ben a reporter who has been fired. They rescue a man who is thrown in the river and the fun begins.

I would recommend this series and author to readers of family and friends relationships mystery novels. 2024

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Penny convinces her dad to hire her as a cub reporter at his understaffed newspaper, and she is sent out to cover an explosion at a steel plant. Unfortunately, that explosion doesn't factor back into the story until much later, and the plot twist in between with a scam artist drags down the story. This story had enticing elements, like a disgraced reporter, an unwritten story, and a ship filled with ne'er do wells, but they don't develop as much as I wished.