The Come Back

Pennington Wise #4

by Carolyn Wells

After his son, Peter, is lost and presumed dead in the wilds of the Labrador coast, Benjamin Crane turns to spiritualism for solace and comfort. So profound is his belief in the medium, that he writes a successful book about his experiences. But when one of his son’s companions on the ill fated expedition is poisoned, at least some of those surrounding him begin to question the honesty of the medium, Madame Parlato. To find the murderer, the famous detective Pennington Wise is called in and it falls to him and his unusual assistant, Zizi to solve the crime and reveal the true fate of Peter Crane.

Genres: Mystery

ebook

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Carolyn Wells was a prolific writer for over 40 years and was especially noted for her humor, and she was a frequent contributor of nonsense verse and whimsical pieces to such little magazines as Gelett Burgess' The Lark, the Chap Book, the Yellow Book, and the Philistine.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another winning if a bit drawn out mystery by Carolyn Wells. Three friends leave home for an adventure in Labrador but only two return. the missing one is assumed dead and his family thinks of a gypsy prophecy given the child when he was little. Believers in the spirit world, his parents are soon comforted when a medium 'brings' back their son to speak to them. But things do not go well for the survivors and soon there is another death.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gypsy's prediction that he will return causes upset in the family of a missing young man. Ouija boards and mediums are consulted.

[Rick Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major characters:

Peter Crane, a.k.a. Peter Boots
Julie Crane, his sister
Benjamin Crane, his father
Helen Crane, his mother
Carlotta "Carly" Harper, his girlfriend
Christopher "Kit" Shelby, his trip companion
Gilbert Blair, his trip companion, architectural student
Joshua, their guide
McClellan "Mac" Thorpe, architectural student, roommate of Gilbert Blair
Madame Parlato, a medium



Locale: Labrador, Canada; and New York State

Synopsis: 27 year old Peter Crane, a.k.a. Peter Boots, decides on an adventure trip to Labrador, Canada; along with his friends Kit Shelby and Gilbert Blair. They hire a guide, Joshua, and set out. The trip out is uneventful, but on the return, Peter becomes separated from the group and is lost in a snowstorm, and believed dead. The parents reveal that long ago had a prediction from a gypsy that he would die on a trip, but would nevertheless return.

Kit and Gilbert return to New York state to break the news to his parents. His parents begin consulting a medium, Madame Parlato, who allows them to converse with Peter. During one séance, she produces Peter's tobacco pouch, last seen in Labrador.

Gilbert Blair and his roommate, McClellan "Mac" Thorpe, are architectural students, both in a competition which strains their relationship. One morning Thorpe finds Blair dead in his bed, having been poisoned; and he becomes immediately suspect.

The séances and materializations continue. Is Peter Boots really dead? Can Mac Thorpe be cleared of the murder, and free to marry Julie Crane?

Review:

The book is full of spiritism: Séances, mediums, Ouija boards; but unlike the Mary Roberts Rinehart books, they are presented in a matter-of-fact way and debunked one by one. The explanation of the workings of the Ouija board is quite revealing.

This Crane parents seem a bit too gullible, but this was the 1920's when this was all the rage. The reappearance of Peter Boots clears things up but the explanation was lacking. Overall, a nice tight little account of the hazards of the occult and everybody winds up happy at the end .. well, except the victim and the murderer.

[Jennifer Booth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book

I though I was getting an exciting book. I was wrong. Everything surrounded by an Ouija board and a fake medium which was boring.