Penny Parker starred in a series of 17 books written by Mildred A. Wirt Benson and published from 1939 through 1947. Penny was a high school sleuth who also occasionally moonlighted as a reporter for her father’s newspaper. Benson favored Penny Parker over all the other books she wrote, including Nancy Drew. Her obituary quoted her as saying, I always thought Penny Parker was a better Nancy Drew than Nancy is. in 1993.

In Saboteurs on the River, when saboteurs dynamite a bridge, Burt Ottman is accused of the crime based on evidence supplied by Penny. But Penny remains convinced that Burt is innocent, so she searches for the real culprits. In her quest, she seeks the help of a man named Old Noah who lives in an ark filled with animals while he awaits a second great flood. Old Noah will plays a vital role in bringing justice to the case.