Mildred Wirt Benson, writing as Carolyn Keene, was famous as the creator of Nancy Drew. Mrs. Benson passed away in 2002, so her works don't qualify for inclusion here at MobileRead. But Nancy Drew fans might enjoy the exploits of Nancy's older 'cousin,' Penny Parker. Writing as Mildred Wirt (at the time) she produced seventeen Penny Parker Mystery Stories, which are (in order):
1. Tale of the Witch Doll
2. The Vanishing Houseboat
3. Danger at the Drawbridge
4. Behind the Green Door
5. Clue of the Silken Ladder
6. The Secret Pact
7. The Clock Strikes Thirteen
8. The Wishing Well
9. Saboteurs on the River
10. Ghost Beyond the Gate
11. Hoofbeats on the Turnpike
12. Voice from the Cave
13. Guilt of the Brass Thieves
14. Signal in the Dark
15. Whispering Walls
16. Swamp Island
17. The Cry at Midnight
Penny had all the required elements for an independent teen sleuth: a mother only present in sainted memory, a father distracted by work, a rattle-trap automobile complete with sassy side-kick best friend, and a cub reporter beau to save the day when needed. She's not the type to battle gangsters or chase foreign spies, but any con men who want to take advantage of the poor locals had better think again!
Now, don't ask me to explain the intricacies of US copyright law; I am definitely the wrong person! But these novels have been available for download at Project Gutenberg for some time:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/sear...y=penny+parker
And here's where we encounter a mystery worthy of Penny's attention: the first two volumes in the series have DISAPPEARED!!! Yes, it's The Mystery of the Elusive Epubs! Both Tale of the Witch Doll and The Vanishing Houseboat have, well, VANISHED! They were there before; I know I downloaded them. (In fact they're still available from
http://manybooks.net/, but who knows for how long?) And will the rest disappear as well?
I honestly do not know. What I do know is that these are fun, easy reads with engaging characters, well "Wirt" you time! Grab them while you can.