Saturday, November 21, 2020

The Case of the Haunted Husband

by Erle Stanley Gardner

This Perry Mason mystery begins with a young woman, Stephane Claire, hitchhiking from San Francisco to Los Angeles. (This was 1941--people did that back then.) She accepts a ride with a driver who is a little too drunk and a little too amorous. They get into a terrible accident and when Stephane wakes up, she discovers that the gent has vanished without a trace and that she is being accused of causing the accident and the death of one of the other motorists. The story grows more complex as she is also accused of stealing the car, which belongs to a second man, a powerful Hollywood producer. Perry takes on the case, intending to see justice done. There follows a murder or two, a woman looking for her missing husband, and even some cooperation with Lt. Tragg. All in all it makes for some twisted, entertaining waiting room material.

LibraryThing link

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// posted by John @ 3:07 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, October 07, 2020

The Case of the Drowning Duck

by Erle Stanley Gardner

This 1942 Perry Mason mystery is pleasantly dated. One of the main characters is a young man who has studied chemistry and hopes to marry his sweetheart before heading off to war. He demonstrates a new chemical compound--detergent--which happens to point the finger of suspicion towards him when the inevitable murder happens. The plot is nicely convoluted and entertaining, and easily finished in an evening.

Check it out.
LibraryThing link

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// posted by John @ 6:26 PM 0 Comments

Friday, August 21, 2020

The Case of the Lame Canary

by Erle Stanley Gardner

An interesting little Perry Mason mystery. A businessman is murdered and the police suspect his wife, her sister, and her lover. Two of them are Perry's clients, so it can't be them. Is it the third suspect? Or is the case even more convoluted? It's an entertaining and quick read.

Check it out.
LibraryThing link

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// posted by John @ 9:09 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

The Case of the Rolling Bones

by Erle Stanley Gardner

Around 30 years ago, Alden Leeds made a fortune prospecting for gold in the Yukon. Now Alden is in his seventies, and some of his family members (and heirs) feel that he's getting senile and needs to be committed. Alden's assistant disagrees and asks Perry mason to protect him. Mason takes the case and, since this is an Erle Stanley Gardner novel, there is a murder and the plot goes in anything but a straight line.

The Case of the Rolling Bones was an interesting story. Like many of my generation, I picture Perry mason according to the television series of the late 50s, with the big cars, thin ties, and a straight-laced, sanitized, and orderly society. This novel, however, was written in 1939. The old men spoke about life on the frontier and lament the softness of the younger generation. Mason and the other characters aren't restrained by the Hayes Code, nor do they have to worry about offending their sponsors. It's not great literature, but it is certainly entertaining waiting room material.

LibraryThing link

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// posted by John @ 11:32 PM 0 Comments

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The Case of the Worried Waitress

by Erle Stanley Gardner Not much to say about this one. It's a Perry Mason mystery, in which Mason encounters a waitress who's in need of help. She's a young woman who was recently orphaned and has moved in with her aunt. She has cause to suspect that her aunt is involved with some shady dealings and is looking for some legal advice. Since she's seeking it from Perry Mason, more crime happens and she finds herself in legal trouble. The book is fun, readable waiting room material. I enjoy Perry Mason books as they take place in the mid-twentieth century, a time just before I was born. It's like taking a trip to another era, but one that is vaguely familiar. LibraryThing link

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// posted by John @ 7:18 AM 0 Comments

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