The Clock Strikes Thirteen

Penny Parker Mystery Stories #7

by Mildred A. Wirt

Penny Parker is a teen-aged sleuth and amateur reporter who has an uncanny knack for uncovering and solving unusual, sometimes bizarre mysteries. The only daughter of widower Anthony Parker, publisher of the "Riverview Star," Penny has been raised to be self-sufficient, outspoken, innovative, and extraordinarily tenacious. Her cheerful, chatty manner belies a shrewd and keenly observant mind. Penny was the creation of Mildred A. Wirt, who was also the author of the original Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). Wirt became frustrated when she was pushed to "tone down" Nancy Drew and make her less independent and daring. With Penny Parker, Wirt had a freer hand and received full credit. Wirt once said, " 'I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is."

In "The Clock Strikes Thirteen," Penny is confronted by two mysteries that ultimately converge. First there is the odd extra chime from the Hubell Clock Tower at midnight and the inexplicable replacement of the dedicated old clock tower caretaker by a shiftless friend of a real estate developer. Then there is a series of terrorizing attacks of local farmers, including a barn burning. The attacks appear to be the work of a band of thugs known as the "Night Riders." With the help of her friend Louise, Penny works to solve the dual mystery before an another attack and to save an innocent man from jail.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Ebooks, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Classics

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

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

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Penny Parker Mischief.

Penny Parker is a teenager who doesn’t go to school. She doesn’t have a job, either. Yet, her father has given her two cars.

True, one of them is a piece of junk! But the other one is brand new. And it is a beautiful car. Nice!

The junky car is called Leaping Lena. Too bad, it can’t drive, much less, leap. Better not take Leaping Lena on any investigation. You’ve been warned.

Four stars. ✨✨✨✨

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penny Parker, girl detective, does it again. In this novel with the intriguing title, the clock literally strikes thirteen, inspiring some curiosity in our intrepid Penny. When she seeks to discover how it came that Old Seth McGuire, the meticulous man in charge of the Hubbell Tower, could have allowed such a flub, Penny stumbles onto a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud area farmers and an orphans home.

As usual, plucky Penny is able to solve the mysteries due to her persistence, intuition, and uncommon good luck. Mildred A. Wirt’s addition of clever writing and humor makes what would otherwise be a hackneyed girl detective tale into a fun page-turner you'll devour in a day.

Note: The night riders mentioned in this 1942 have a basis in history. In my state of Kentucky, the rapacious American Tobacco Company held a monopoly as the burley wholesaler and was paying farmers a pittance for their crops, causing widespread hardship and hunger. In retaliation, the tobacco farmers formed the Dark Tobacco District Planters’ Protective Association of Kentucky and Tennessee and boycotted selling to American Tobacco to force the company to deliver fair payments — which it was driven to do in 1908. As in The Clock Strikes Thirteen, the Association first cajoled farmers reluctant to join the boycott and then burned their crops. In the novel, rather than a militant workers' association, the novel’s association is a crooked outfit exploiting the farmers.

[Gary Sites · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Louise took delight in remarking that if ever her chum chose to write an autobiography, a suitable title would be: ‘Life with Penelope Parker: Never a Dull Moment.’”


That line, bright with affection and a touch of dry wit, might well serve as a motto for The Clock Strikes Thirteen and the Penny Parker mysteries as a whole. Mildred Wirt’s storytelling moves with the easy stride of a girl who’s never met a locked door she didn’t want to open—or a mystery she couldn’t charm her way into solving. There’s a kind of vintage velocity to these tales: the clatter of typewriters, the whir of bicycle spokes, the rustle of skirts and trouble just around the corner.
The Clock Strikes Thirteen doesn’t waste time on pretense or ponderous build-up. Like Penny herself, it leaps straight into the fray with eyes wide open and heart full-throttle, delivering twists and small-town shivers. It’s the kind of story you read with the porch light on and the crickets chirping, the kind that reminds you how fine it can be to lose yourself in a world where spunk, smarts, and good humor always win the day.
Never a dull moment, indeed.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

This is a free kindle novella from Amazon book 7 of 17

Penny Parker is once again deep in the middle of a mystery adventure. It all ends happily.

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

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed Nancy Drew as a child, so thought I'd give this Drewesque story a spin. As an adult, I found it mildly entertaining, as expected. This repackaging of the public domain LibriVox edition nicely tidies up the audio, cutting all the pesky intros and outros, but it couldn't do anything about the gawshawful narrator. Her normal voice was fine, but her Penny voice was whiiiiiiiiine, and most of her other characterizations were doofy. You couldn't pay me to listen to another one. With a decent narrator, I'd have given this three stars, but I've gotta deduct one for the torture. Also, this was touted as the first one the series, but it's really the seventh.

[Marilyn Saul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildred A. Wirt (Mildred Wirt Benson), aka Carolyn Keene, wrote most of the Nancy Drew books while working for the Syndicate. She left the Syndicate purportedly because she was sick and tired of the restrictions imposed that dictated what Nancy Drew should be like. MAW then wrote the Penny Parker series. I always preferred Penny Parker because she was the antithesis of the goody-two-shoes Nancy Drew (wealthy, stylish, driving her convertible, and with a side-kick, George, who idolized her and, coincidentally, actually did most of the investigative work that ND appropriated). So, as a break from "these days", I decided to re-visit Penny Parker after, need I say, many years. I can see now why I liked PP so much - she pokes her nose in to places people don't like and is very vocal about it, she drives a beat-up clunker that will or won't start, her side-kick, Louise, not only doesn't idolize her but passive-aggressively criticizes her, her father is an anemic news editor who nay-says all of PP's theories and investigations - and still she prevails!!! Kudos, Mildred!!! Now, to be fair, I'm going to pull a Nancy Drew book from my shelves to re-read. I'll finish this after I've compared the two :-) Update - I couldn't get through the Nancy Drew book. Just couldn't do it.

[Neils Barringer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute easy read, targeted for young readers. Much better quality than some of those books out there for young girls now. Similar to Nancy Drew/ Bopsy Twins type vibe (I think the same author?) Penny is a spunky ameture sleuth that works for her single dad at his newspaper and tries to solve crimes.

It is very "charming" given the time period and it is apparent how our country has fallen apart. This cute tale follows as Penny tries to figure out who is attacking farmers and who killed a little orphan's parents. The two mysteries combine at the end for of course a happy ending.

I enjoyed this quick little read, I may Read some more in the series.

I would highly suggest for an advanced elementary reader / middle schooler

[Laura Bang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite predictable, but still loads of fun (even with some rather stupid criminals and rather gaping plot holes). (Plus it's always a good thing when the period racism doesn't make a show....) Penny continues to be a fun sleuth to tag along with.

Read this one aloud with my mum while home on summer vacation. :)

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much exactly what I was expecting: entirely predictable, in a comforting sort of way. Blessedly free of the period racism that's present in some of the other titles, although Penny and her pops use some highly unethical methods to nab the culprit in the end.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black-hooded riders on horses are raiding truck farms and Penny Parker is on the case. Riverview seems like it has a very seedy underbelly in all of these books so far. Penny is fun though; very eager and enthusiastic.

[Gerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are more engaging stories in the series, the mystery is a tad too obvious here and relies on a heavy amount of coincidences, but I do always enjoy the banter between Penny and her father.

The for today's standards very dated setting adds its own charm to the series.

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery novel for teen girls is by the same woman (Mildred Benson) who was the primary contributor to the multi-author Nancy Drew series for its first 25 titles or so. It's not hard to see; Penny Parker, the heroine of this and 16 other titles in her series, is very like Nancy in her intelligence, spunkiness, and rather unrealistic freedom of action. Penny is the daughter of a reliably supportive newspaper editor, and in the absence of law enforcement connections, the pursuit of a story on behalf of her Dad's paper becomes a somewhat plausible pretext for her investigations. Benson was in the newspaper business as well, and for me one of the most interesting passages in the book was where she described the actual workings necessary overnight in order to put out a special edition first thing in the morning.

This is a mystery without a murder; the clandestine gang who signal their meetings with an extra chime to the clock have mercenary motives. However, they're sufficiently brutish (and one has a nasty backstory with a hit-and-run resulting in the orphaning of a pathetic little girl), and you're glad, although not terribly surprised, when the masked leader of the gang is unmasked and held to account by a heroic little gang of journalists until the police arrive.

One of the things I noticed about Penny's story is the emphasis on the cars in her life (she has two!) This reminds me of another series, the explicitly named "automobile girls" by Laura Dent Crane, where ownership (or at least use) of a car is the key to a young woman's freedom to explore her world.

[Anna Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not as taken as I hoped to be with Penny, considering how much I love Nancy Drew, and she's really kind of Nancy Drew in a different guise. I listened to an audiobook, and the voice the reader used for the main character distracted me from the story. So--I'm probably going to read another Penny Parker book, to see if it was the voice or the story. (My one problem with audiobooks. The voices really matter to me, and I think I'm overly picky. If anyone ever reads this, don't take my word for it!)

[Rhys Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this adventure\mystery which features Penny Parker. Far from her first mystery, the fact that the other people, who have witnessed and commented on her nose for news, all all disbelieving of her tale is the most incredulous of the story. The mystery is thin but with enough action to amuse young adult readers.

[Keller Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read and mystery. The Penny Parker Mystery series is the best of the young adult series of its day in my opinion. This one does not disappoints, Likable characters and easy flow of the story keeps you invested to the end.

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 star

Quick light read. Old fashioned style. YA but unsure of age of MC. She drives and seems somewhat mature but relies on allowance.

[Regina Pride · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read by Mildred A Wirt. It's a YA mystery book for Girls. It had a sort 1940s or 1950s vibe to it, and I found it enjoyable.

[Joyce Himmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love girl detective books. They are fun. Penny Parker is hoot.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Interesting story.

[MarilynLovesNature · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining. Especially like the spunky teen detective, Penny Parker. Nothing stops her from going to extremes to solve a mystery.

[Emmi Owens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty fun, although I didn’t love the narrator on the version I listened to. This would be great for a younger reader than me 😬

[Lizze Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tin tin but Americana, girl and younger.

[S.G. Dewey]

Very similar to the old Nancy Drew.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very formulaic, but entertaining enough.

[Martha Waialae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but I don't want to have to write 20 words to get to my next book

Don't want to have to write any words to be able to read my next book and and and and, 20 yet?

[Blob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Clock Strikes Thirteen
The clock strikes thirteen was written by Mildred A Wirt. It’s a well written book about Penny Parker, ten aged sleuth who solves mysteries in her small hometown. Her father is a publisher for their town’s newspaper and he is a little bit over protective when it comes to his daughter wanting to solve crimes. This book actually reminds me a lot of the Nancy Drew series. Some examples are in The clock strikes thirteen the main character is a sleuth and in the series Nancy drew the main character is also a sleuth. Another similarity is that Nancy’s town is called River heights and Penny’s is called Riverview. Anyways the story started off in quite of a dilemma.
Penny and her farther, Anthony Parker were heading home after a long work day but decided to go to a new hamburger joint before going back to their house. They waited at a red stop like in front of the town’s clock tower. “Why that’s strange” Penny said, “What is?” her farther asked. “The clock struck thirteen times, i counted each stroke” Penny exclaimed, her farther denied. “And one twice” he urged. “No, I know what I heard” Penny continued. After the light changed Penny kept driving and mentioning to her farther that she wasn’t wrong about the humble clock tower. As she kept driving they eventually got to the diner and ate their food. After that they continued on their normal route home. As Penny turned the corner she saw crops blazing and a barn covered in flames. She slammed her brakes which woke her farther from his slumber. They quickly jumped out of the car ready to help the older lady waiting outside the barn. Once they helped her get her tractor out of the burning barn they waited for the firefighters to come and put out the fire. Once the fire was basically gone the sheriff showed up locking threw the burned down barn. Penny believed that it was the Organization known as the black hood that had burned down the Preston family barn, but the sheriff thought it was none other than Clem Davis.
This book is predictable but it’s got a satisfying ending and a great story line to it. I enjoyed reading it and i would probably recommend this to someone who likes the Nancy Drew series. If i could rate this book out of teen i would give it a seven. I choose to give it a seven because it was pretty predictable but it had a good plot and everything clicked in the end to make sense.

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penny Parker is a spunky and intelligent young lady. Why, after all the crimes she has already solved, do her family and friends refuse to believe the strange things she sees and hears? (In fact, there is a scene in the book that raises this question.) If you can overlook this flaw, the story is well written, with more-than-expected twists and turns.

[Sheffielder · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable mystery tale, very easy to read, though rather straightforward as whodunits go. [Read as part of the Smooth Reading stage of Distributed Proofreaders.]

[Eric Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly, dumb mystery with too many subplots and a not fully explained solution, which was also unsatisfactory.