Eleanor Boylan

It's been a long time since Clara Gamadge's school days, but forever young at heart she still has close ties to the old gang and her alma mater, Woolcott Academy. Springtime on campus is usually a time of winding down and wrapping up until suddenly murder and suspense are the only subjects on anyone's mind. Usually when Clara receives a note from Louise Littleton, Wolcott's youthful and sprightly headmistress, it's just to keep in touch, but this time it concerns mysterious circumstances. Margo Llewelyn, formerly an Academy charity student, now a movie star of former and fading glory, has arrived at Wolcott's doorsteps in desperate straits. In a panic, she begs Louise to accept her three little girls as boarding students so she can immediately get out of the country. Louise has encountered parents anxious to part with their children before but this seemed especially odd. When a dead body breaks up commencement ceremonies it's time for Clara Gamadge to put the pieces together. What misfortune had caused Margo's shining star to sink so low? Would more blood tarnish Wolcott's ivy-covered walls? Only a super sleuth like Clara could sift through the avarice, the malice and the motives to solve a murder like this and save the good name of her beloved Wolcott Academy too.

Clara Gamadge's latest adventure finds her in the hospital at Christmas - presumably a victim of a bad hors d'oeuvre consumed at the opening of a friend's new mystery book shop. A poisoning attempt at the hospital convinces Clara that the mishap at the party was no accident. But who would want to kill the white-haired sleuth, and why? Soon an old friend appears seeking Clara's help, setting the stage for a web of ancient deceptions and greed which ensnare both women, involving them in a deadly game of extortion and murder.

As a balmy and leisurely summer at their beach house draws to a close, Clara, Sadd, and the rest of the Gamadge family savor the tang of salt air and the squish of sand between their toes. Their blissful tranquillity is shattered, however, when Armand Evers, a man whom Clara and Sadd knew in their youth, suddenly reappears after forty years with a strange tale to tell and a prediction of his own murder. Evers' story is clouded with shadows from the past and is full of family intrigues and hints of illegitimate heirs. When his prophecy is tragically fulfilled and he is found dead in a New York City hotel, Clara and company find themselves reluctantly drawn into a tangled web of stolen inheritances and switched identities. Was the dead man Armand, or was it his nearly identical cousin, the unstable and spendthrift Boyd? When Rachael, another member of the Evers' clan and a dear friend of Clara's, is also threatened, Clara flies to Ireland to catch a rogue. But as she investigates, she begins to suspect the murderer is not working alone and fears that the accomplice is closer to home. Clara must play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the killer until she can force him to reveal his hand - and she must do it before another old friend dies.

Barry Lockwood is a lucky guy, or so it seems. He's found himself in a fresh relationship with Elizabeth Bauer, a lovely and charming journalism student, young enough to be his granddaughter and she's craving commitment. It seems so right but Anna Pittman smells something fishy. Twenty years after divorcing Barry, she still has a knack for ruining his good times. She suspects that this young lass is barking up the wrong tree. Then there is Dollfuss Moltke, Beth's shadowy, omnipresent companion, complete with a beautiful face and a secretive soul. Anna's old school chum Clara Gamadge thinks Anna is simply making a tempest in a teacup. But when Anna shows up dead, Clara's investigative prowess rushes to life. Everyone seems to think Anna's death an accident, but Clara wasn't born yesterday. What started as jealous suspicion unravels a perplexing path of matrimonial mischief, cloaked clues, and a ghastly seductive gold digger. Can Clara follow up the trail before nuptial vows produce another victim?

Clara Gamadge puts down the phone with a tremor of excitement. Only a year ago that call would have come to her husband, gifted sleuth Henry Gamadge. Now Henry is dead, and Clara is summoned to deal with the latest convulsion in an old family tragedy. Haunted by the never-explained disappearance fifty years ago of her lovely daughter, Ellen, Clara's Aunt May ignores a kindly anonymous letter advising her to let Ellen rest, or live, in peace - and suddenly dies. And so begins Clara's first solo case, a tragic, twisting tale that winds far into the past - back to Prohibition, bitter family feuds, secret love affairs, and a cherished, laughing girl.

Briefly describes the creation of a puppet play, props, puppets, and a miniature theater. Includes six puppet plays.