Surely you remember Miss Hildegarde Withers? She's the New York City schoolteacher who all too often gets entangled in cases of murder - especially those being investigated by her (generally) friend, New York City Police Inspector Oscar Piper. She was the creation of Stuart Palmer, who introduced her to readers in 1932 with The Penguin Pool. Hildy proved to be a hit, both with readers and with moviegoers and found herself starring in a great many more mysteries over the next several decades. Miss Withers Regrets first appeared in 1948 and it deals with an occasion where Miss Withers made a really serious mistake. Here's a transcript of the audio review which appeared on the Classic Mysteries podcast almost a decade ago - as usual, some edits have been made to update outdated information:
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As far as Miss Hildegarde Withers is concerned, Inspector Piper’s position can be summed up quite clearly this way: mind your own business. And, in fairness, that’s what Miss Withers set out to do. But when she badly misjudges a young man’s character, she feels that the least she can do is try to set things right. And that’s the reason for Miss Withers Regrets, by Stuart Palmer.
You may remember Miss Withers from other Stuart Palmer books which we have discussed before on these podcasts. She’s a schoolteacher with a flair for getting involved in murder investigations – usually to the ultimate betterment of the police and the chagrin of the murderer involved. Of course, another way to look at it is that she is, as the author has said repeatedly, a “meddlesome old battleaxe.” But the books about her – and the movies – made Miss Withers a very popular character indeed in the 1930s and beyond, and it’s good to see some of these golden age classics back in print.
In Miss Withers Regrets, we have a most reluctant Miss Withers finding herself involved, once again, in a murder case. Having been told by Inspector Piper to butt out of these murder investigations, Miss Withers really is trying to stay on the sidelines.
But this time, her own actions cause her to get involved. What happens is this: a young man named Pat Montague, just out of the service at the end of World War II, and having been jilted by the girl he loved, arrives home to find that she is married to a loutish and unpleasant man. When Montague goes to the couple’s Long Island estate, he discovers the husband dead – murdered – in the pool. The police, of course, are convinced that Montague is guilty, particularly since he runs away.
He runs to a friend, who takes him to Miss Withers, asking her to help clear Montague’s name. Instead, Miss Withers turns him over to police.
But she finds – very quickly – that she has misjudged Montague. And now her conscience won’t let her rest until she finds out what really did happen and who was responsible for the crime. She is also annoyed to find that a fair number of people seem to be trying to talk her out of investigating – and, with Hildegarde Withers, that is a mistake. All the same, there will be another murder before this case twists its way to a fascinating conclusion – and before Inspector Piper realizes that Miss Withers’ involvement in a case is not always such a bad thing.
There are a lot more surprises in store in the book. Miss Withers enjoys studying her tank of tropical fish – not realizing that a mystery developing in that tank will lead her to the correct solution of the murder she is investigating.
All this is accomplished with Stuart Palmer’s usual good humor and wit, for Miss Withers has a very sharp tongue indeed – as Inspector Piper will discover when he crosses her. And the attentive reader will find that there are a fair number of clues scattered through the book which can lead to the real killer.
I must say, in honesty, that this is not my favorite Hildegarde Withers story. For example, I think Stuart Palmer’s writing is sharper and the mystery more clearly defined in his first book, The Penguin Pool Murder. There were times in Miss Withers Regrets when I felt some of the clues were a bit clumsy, and that there was too much pointing towards what did, in fact, turn out to be the ultimate solution to the case. But that could just be my own personal preferences showing. Certainly Miss Withers is in fine form throughout Miss Withers Regrets, and I have no hesitation recommending it for a quick, enjoyable read.
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You can listen to the complete recording of the original podcast by clicking here.
Next week, Murder Must Advertise, by Dorothy L. Sayers
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