Wheels within wheels

First published in 1923 'Wheels Within Wheels' is a classic mystery from the Pennington Wise series of novels by American author Carolyn Wells. Pennington and his trusty assistant Zizi are faced with a tricky crime to solve. Who has murdered Mr Howland? And where is Angela Howland? The investigative team find themselves needing the help of the local simpleton to crack the case.Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) was a prolific American novelist and poet, best known for her children's literature, mystery novels and humorous verse. Following school in New Jersey, Wells worked as a librarian where she developed her love of reading. It was while working at the library in 1896 that Wells' first book 'At the Sign of the Sphinx' was published. From 1900 she dedicated herself to her literary career, writing over 170 novels in total across a range of genres. Some of her most loved works include the 'Patty Fairfield' and 'Marjorie Maynard' series for girls, as well as the 'Fleming Stone' mystery series for adults. Wells is also well-known for her humorous nonsense verse, and was a frequent contributor of verse to magazines. She published an autobiography 'The Rest of my Life' in 1937. Wells died in New York City in 1942.