Gallows For The Groom by D. B. Olsen

Mr. Pennyfeather returns after his first adventure in Bring the Bride a Shroud for this quirky 1947 mystery. There is a lot of story going on here; you certainly get your money's worth.

Mr. Pennyfeather is an English Literature professor, but news of his skilled detection has spread, and he is awakened by the phone call of a distant cousin. Fatty Enheart requests him to visit the bird sanctuary he manages. Someone has been poisoning the birds. Mr. Pennyfeather arrives at the Fortyne estate south of Los Angeles, where the sanctuary resides, to find there is a deeper mystery. Years ago, a Fortyne aunt went insane and buried a collection of silver 'apostle' spoons on the property, twelve Tudor spoons with a miniature figure and emblem of a different apostle on the handle. Made for royalty, this special set included a thirteenth spoon for Judas. They could fetch up to $50,000 from the British Museum if found. Young Miss Jo Fortyne is pursued by three handsome suitors, and she informs Pennyfeather she has invited each potential groom and his mother for a big weekend search, and she will marry the victor. The women take the house while the men bed in the barn. Pennyfeather finds he is both detective and referee as the men fight for position, and the mothers scheme in the background. There is also the mystery of Jo's brother Neal, who disappeared while searching for the spoons. Suddenly, a cottage burns down with someone inside, a silver spoon found outside of the apostle Matthew, martyred by fire. Another body is found stoned to death, accompanied by a spoon of Philip, stoned to death. And what of the rumors that Fatty was a counterfeiter? And who killed the two dogs Charge It and Strictly Cash?

There is a lot going on, and Olsen does pull it together. Mr. Pennyfeather (he never reveals his first name) is an adept sleuth. All six Pennyfeather mysteries in the series, including this quirky curio, are available as a digital download.

D. B. Olsen is well known for her twelve Rachel Murdock mysteries (The Cat Saw Murder, Alarm of the Black Cat, Catspaw for Murder, The Cat Wears A Noose, etc.) but is better known as American novelist Dolores Hitchens (Sleep With Strangers, Sleep With Slander, Stairway To An Empty Room).

1947 / Hardcover / 224 pages

My other reviews for D.B. Olsen:

The Cat Saw Murder (Rachel Murdock #1)