The Case of the Mischevious Doll: Perry Mason #69

Perry Mason #71

by Erle Stanley Gardner, Karl Wurf (Introduction)

Perry Mason is hired to identify a woman based on an appendix scar, as she fears being a look-alike to an heiress may be a setup for her arrest. A classic mystery!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Legal, Novels, Classics

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories who also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray, and Robert Parr.

Innovative and restless in his nature, he was bored by the routine of legal practice, the only part of which he enjoyed was trial work and the development of trial strategy. In his spare time, he began to write for pulp magazines, which also fostered the early careers of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. He created many different series characters for the pulps, including the ingenious Lester Leith, a "gentleman thief" in the tradition of Raffles, and Ken Corning, a crusading lawyer who was the archetype of his most successful creation, the fictional lawyer and crime-solver Perry Mason, about whom he wrote more than eighty novels. With the success of Perry Mason, he gradually reduced his contributions to the pulp magazines, eventually withdrawing from the medium entirely, except for non-fiction articles on travel, Western history, and forensic science.

See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erle_Sta...

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the courtroom scenes in a Perry Mason book the best and there is a loooong one here. But the arguements are fairly technical and questions must be drawn so finely that unless you are familiar with the legal process it might leave you glassy-eyed. When the whole story comes out in the end I wondered whether it was a fair-play set-up or not.

[Richa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too confusing to begin with, the case gets neatly explained by the time Mason figures out the real story. One thing that I haven't yet been able to understand, is the relevance of the term 'mischievous doll' in the title.

[Rich Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perry Mason's client fears she is being positioned as a patsy for another woman's hit & run crime. They look alike, they act alike (sort of, like the Donna Reed Show) ... the resemblance is close enough that Mason begins wondering who he's actually representing. Accompanied by private detective Paul Drake, his investigation takes him all across town picking up leads, and coming within arm's reach of a killer.

The first and second third of the book represents the legwork and the interviewing. The "third act" consists primarily of the courtroom scene. District Attorney Hamilton Berger filibusters for three pages, essentially recapping all previous plot points, before Mason begins injecting asides and overlooked clues.

It's not difficult to see why Perry Mason's popularity carried over from prose to film. The novels rely heavily on dialogue, and could easily be adapted into televisions scripts. I believe a number of Mason novels were adapted for the series.

"The Case of the Mischievous Doll" could become hopelessly confusing for attention deficit readers, as the various plot-threads weave together. Mason and Drake do a splendid job of keeping everything straight in this human shell-game. The author leaves enough clues to play fair with the sharp-eyed reader. I predicted a few plot twists, although I wonder if any reader could guess the all the various subplots. Mason explains everything to Della Street and Paul Drake in the final chapter ... keep your score cards handy.

This novel was originally published (abridged) in 1962 in the "Saturday Evening Post." A William Morrow edition appeared in 1963, followed in 1964 by the Pocket Books edition (which I read). Curiously, this novel became a season eight episode of the "Perry Mason" television series. A viewing of that particular episode, and a comparison between tv show and novel, is inevitable.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the crazier cases, so buckle up. A few Perry/Della moments, and some nice Paul/Della friendship moments.

Warning: this book has a 37 page courtroom chapter with no breaks. THIRTY. SEVEN. I love the courtroom scenes and how Gardner makes them flow but that was ridiculous.

Recommended 14+ for language, murder, violence, mentions of affairs, a crazy client, and Paul/Della flirting (that never amounts to anything because he knows Della <3 Perry).

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading Gardner's Perry Mason books off and on for a long time. Those who are used to really fine mystery writers may find Gardner's writing style a bit stiff and mechanical. Nonetheless, I still love the general setting: the characters of Perry, Della, Paul, Lt. Tragg, and Hamilton Burger. That, and the ingenious plots, are why I read Perry Mason.

On the whole, the ones written by around 1953 are the best. This one was written in 1963, in the latter part of the long run of the TV series. It is pretty good and very clever. The writing is not so dry and repetitious as is often the case in the late books.

The story begins with a young woman named Dorrie Ambler coming to Mason's office with a very unusual request. She thinks that someone is about to make a "patsy" out of her because she resembles someone else. She wants Perry and Della to make sure they can identify her again, if necessary. Perry says, OK, let's take your fingerprints. She has a better idea. She has an appendectomy scar and wants to show it to Perry and Della so that in the future there can be no question about her identity. Perry decides to get Paul Drake as a witness also, and slips him a message so that he can get some operatives to tail the woman as she leaves the office.

The detective does follow her to the airport where a bizarre scene unfolds. Dorrie Ambler whips out a gun, fires blanks into the air, and shouts "this is not a stick-up." Then she ducks into the women's restroom. Police are called, and five minutes later a very similar looking woman in different clothes emerges and is arrested. Turns out, she is not Dorrie Ambler but a young woman, Minerva Minden, known as "the madcap heiress of Montrose."

A complex story unfolds of impersonation, a hit-and-run accident, car theft, and several small-time criminals looking to hit it big. For a late book in the canon, it is well-written, perhaps because it appeared first in the Saturday Evening Post.

Good Lt. Tragg, very good Hamilton Burger. Average use of Della and Drake. Mason doesn't play any clever tricks to confuse guns or switch fingerprints, but fingerprints play a key role. At the conclusion, Burger is gracious in admitting defeat.

Recurring theme: confusion of identities. There are no exotic locations or intriguing little situations, as in the best Mason novels. No romance between Perry and Della. The plot is ingenious.

A character is introduced very late -- 59% of the way into the book! That's a big NO-NO to me. In fact, even later than that TWO new characters are mentioned. Sheesh!

There aren't many suspects. A witness gives a long complex story on the witness stand, perhaps the longest in any Perry Mason story. The cross-examinations are very good, as is the surprising reveal.

This is one of the Mason stories that couldn't happen today. Unfortunately, I found it to be just too unlikely. Would actual human beings go through these complex plots?

Not recommended.

The cast:

Dorrie Ambler, young woman who walks into Perry's office with a story and a scar.
Minerva Minden, wealthy "mischievous doll" who bears a striking resemblance to Dorrie Ambler.
Jerry Nelson, operative for Paul Drake.
Henrietta Hull, secretary to Minerva Minden.
Marvin Billings, detective who is not above blackmail.
Dunleavey Jasper, small time criminal with a big story.
Barlowe Dalton, partner of Jasper.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a woman comes to visit Perry Mason believing she has been hired to act as a double for an infamous socialite, Mason soon finds himself involved in defending the socialite on a charge of murdering her double.

Gardner spins an intriguing and colourful tale which, as always pulls readers along as he develops the mystery with his reliable skill.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#69 in the Perry Mason series. Dorrie hires Perry Mason to protect her from becoming the victim of a frame-up. She is concerned that look-alike Minerva is going to have her identified as the driver in a hit-and-run. She has Perry view her appendectomy scar as a means of identification. After a private detective is murdered and a woman's body, identified by fingerprints as Dorrie, is discovered, Miranda is arrested for the murder of the detective with the murder of Dorrie pending. Perry agree to defend her on the first charge but defers a commitment on the second coting the possibility of a conflict of interest.

Perry Mason series - Mason is hired to identify a woman based on an appendix scar, as she fears being a look-alike to an heiress may be a setup for her arrest. Mason later defends the heiress on murder charges.

[Erskine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not spectacular, but reasonably entertaining.

[Abby Chantelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like the style of these books.but sometimes you can't guess why this happen?how this happen?and how did she/he knows exactly you get this result ................

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Madcap" starts with an "m' and so does "money."

By the time this book was published in 1963, Perry Mason and the gang had been solving mysteries for three decades, but you'd never know it. Perry and Della Street and Paul Drake are still young and vigorous. District Attorney Hamilton Burger (who should have been pushing up daisies years ago) is still determined to outwit Mason and ruined his perfect record as a criminal lawyer. Lt Tragg is still coolly and intelligently doing his job, steering around feuds and show-boating.

Some critics believe that writers lose their magic as they age, but I don't think that's always true. What is true is that writers seldom abandon the formulas that have worked for them, even if times change. As long as they have fans who'll buy their books, why should they "up-date"?

In this case, Perry Mason has not one, but TWO shapely redheads fighting to have him represent them. One is the well-known socialite Minerva Minden. When she was slinging hash in a cheap dive and getting into trouble regularly, Minerva was called a lot of things - none of them flattering. But after she inherited millions of dollars from a rich relative she didn't know she had, she became "the madcap heiress of Montrose" and her escapades were the talk of fashionable Los Angeles. Money covers a multitude of sins, doesn't it?

The other is working girl Dorrie Ambler. The two women look enough alike to be mistaken for each other, but only one of them has a driver's license. Dorrie claims Minerva is setting her up as the fall guy (or gal) to be arrested for a crime. Minerva says Dorrie is trying to blackmail her with a view to getting a cut of the Minden fortune. Are either of them telling the truth?

While Perry is trying to sort things out, a sleezy detective is killed. One of the "twins" is kidnapped and the other is arrested for murder. Lt Tragg is not certain that Mason isn't trying to pull a fast one on him. And Hamilton Burger is waiting in court with a witness eager to spill his guts. Surely, THIS time the ax is going to fall on Perry Mason's neck.

This one isn't my favorite Perry Mason book. For one thing, I'm not crazy about courtroom scenes and this one starts halfway through the book. On the other hand, there is a certain fascination about seeing Perry Mason and Hamilton Burger face off, with strong-minded Judge Flint fighting to maintain control of his court.

The action centers around small-time crook Dunleavey Jasper. There's little (OK, nothing) to be said for Jasper's character, but he makes a pretty good witness, telling his complicated story calmly and cogently. Of course, he's acting in his own best interests, but who can blame him? And a cold-blooded murder (maybe two) trumps robbery any day of the week.

Since his client is no Mother Theresa, Perry must produce a bombshell that will make the judge call a mistrial. Otherwise, the jury is likely to act on emotion and not facts. As Perry points out, there are cases where a jury convicts the accused of murder when all that has been proved is that he's committed adultery. Jurors don't leave their prejudices behind when they enter the jury box.

Noteable in this book is the author's excellent opinion of police officers, whom he compliments for their skillful driving and their "sixth sense" about danger and crimes. And DA Hamilton Burger may have a competent staff of ADAs, but there must not be a female in the bunch or she would be arguing the case against this attractive woman defendant. Times have changed, even if Perry and Della are still the dashing young couple they were in 1933. If only we readers could drink from the Fountain of Youth.

I bought a 99 cent Kindle edition of this one and was delighted to get it. I hope Wildside Press is able to publish more of this series at that price. Some people avoid Wildside publications because of their reputation for typos, but I didn't catch one typo in this one. Maybe Wildside hired a proof-reader.

[Serdar Poirot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorrie Ambler adında bir kadın Mason'a gelir ve bir olay olursa tanınmak için şahitlik ister. Paul Drake de gelir ve kadın göbeğini açarak apandisit ameliyatı izi gösterir. Sonrasında ise onu takip eden dedektiften haberi olmadan havaalanına gider. Burada 3 el ateş ettikten sonra kadınlar tuvaletine gider. Çıkan kadını polis alır. Kadın en başta inkar edecek gibi olur ama sonra kabul eder. Yalnız mahkemede bu kadının meşhur milyoner Minerva Minden olduğu anlaşılır. Bir gün sonra Dorrie heyecanlı bir şekilde Mason'ı arar ve evine gelmesini ister. Evine gidince ise yerde bir ölü görürler. Bir oda kilitlidir. Polis gelene kader odanın arkasındaki merdivenden kaybolmuştur şahıslar. Dorrie ortada yoktur. Minerva Minden ölen dedektif Billings'i öldürmekle suçlanır. Soruşturmanın ilk aşamalarında Mason ve Tragg birbirlerine yardım eder. Sonra Hamilton Burger ve yardımcıları davayı ele alır. İddiaya göre Dorrie, Minerva'nın kayıp kardeşidir ve para için bir işe girip Minerva'yı taklit eder. Billings de bunu öğrenince şantaj yapmaya kalkar ve öldürülür. Parmak izi vermeden tanınmak isteyen Dorrie de ölü bulunur. Şahitlerden Jasper onu teşhis etmiştir. İritafı karşılığında işlediği hırsızlık suçlarından dokunulmaz olacaktır. Bu olaylardan önce bir çarpıp kaçma olayı olmuştur ve o araba Jasper ile ortağına aittir. Arabanın torpidosundaki para kayıptır. Jasper arabayı alanın Minerva olduğunu söyler. Cinayet binasındaki bir köpek de Dorrie'yi tanımıştır. Minerva sürekli bir şey itiraf etmek istediğini söyler ama Mason onu dinlemez. 3 kişilik hırsız ekibindeki 3. Kişi kimdir? Mason parmak izleri ile neyi kanıtlar? Dorrie nerededir ve ölmüş müdür? Yoksa beklenmeyen bir yerden mi çıkacaktır? Mason müvekkilini kurtarabilecek midir? Burger ne yapacaktır? Ameliyat izi gerçek midir? Keyifle soluksuz okunan bir roman.

[Hải Ruan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nhắc đến Erle Stanley Gardner, hẳn nhiều người vẫn còn tranh cãi nên xếp “chó” hay “mèo” là quyển hay hơn. Nhưng sau khi đọc Người đàn bà đáng ngờ, mình thấy tác phẩm này mới thực sự vượt trội. Đọc xong chỉ mong truyện của ông được xuất bản nhiều hơn, bởi càng đọc lại càng gây nghiện.

Người đàn bà đáng ngờ vẫn mở đầu bằng một tình tiết kỳ quái, đủ sức khơi gợi tò mò: một cô gái chạy vào văn phòng luật sư Perry Mason, khăng khăng đòi cởi áo để cho Mason xem vết sẹo, đồng thời yêu cầu có thêm một nhân chứng, tuyệt đối tránh gọi ông giám đốc một nhà sách nào đó. “Kèo thơm” thế này, Mason liền kéo thêm thám tử Paul Drake, khiến anh chàng còn dặn dò: lần sau có mối nào thoát y như này nhớ gọi anh ngay. Từ khởi đầu đó, chuỗi sự kiện kỳ lạ cuốn Mason vào vòng xoáy không lối thoát.

Điểm mới lạ ở truyện này, Mason không hề đối đầu cảnh sát như thường lệ, mà trái lại còn hợp tác với họ để lần ra sự thật. Càng đọc càng thấy những cú plot twist bất ngờ, buộc Mason thôi không còn “lầy lội” nữa mà phải căng não, đánh cược với chính cộng sự của mình để tiến hành pha liều lĩnh. À máu liều thì truyện nào Mason cũng liều nhưng ra toà vẫn còn nhờ thám tử bên ngoài đặt máy bay đi điều tra gấp thì lần này quả là liều tột độ.

Với mình, Erle Stanley Gardner đã giúp dòng trinh thám cổ điển giữ nguyên phong độ. Truyện của ông mỏng, dễ đọc, nhưng vẫn cuốn hút và đầy sức sống, xứng đáng để nhiều nhà xuất bản chú ý hơn.

[Rupesh Goenka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorrie Ambler, a stunning young woman, pays Perry Mason a visit at his workplace. She believes there is an effort to misidentify her, so she asks Mason to verify her identity by looking at the scar from her appendectomy. Dorrie resembles Montrose's wealthy heiress Minerva Minden in a very striking way. Dorrie’s identity is seemingly being used to deceive the legal system in Minerva's hit-and-run accident. In her apartment, a man is discovered with deadly injuries. En route to the hospital, he passes away. When Dorrie goes missing, it is assumed that she has died. Minerva is accused for the crimes. Mason is persuaded by Minerva that she is innocent, and she asks him to support her. Mason makes the decision to defend the heiress against the murder allegations. Due to the way the different plot strands intertwine in ‘The Case of the Mischievous Doll’, it may be difficult for readers with concentration issues to follow. The confusing story-line of mistaken identity is not particularly exciting but is passably interesting despite its shortcomings. LIKABLE.

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mysterious young woman, Dorrie Ambler, wishes to prove her identity to Perry Mason. She wants him to witness her appendectomy scar, claiming she has a double. The double turns out to be Minerva Minden, madcap heiress of Montrose. Mason has his work cut out for him when his investigation leads him to a dead man in an apartment building.

I kept thinking I had read this book, but later I realized it had many components of other Gardner books: the innocent female potential victim, Paul Drake PI eating antacid chewing greasy hamburgers, a doppleganger double switched back and forth like a red-headed herring to deflect you away from the true plot.

I read today that at the height of his popularity, author Gardner was selling 26,000 copies of his novels PER DAY. His style certainly didn't improve, over time.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always interesting to read the Perry Mason books to see how Gardner makes Mason very human, and intrigued by quirky cases. With little hints in the background, you get the idea that he is like many lawyers who have a slate of cases, especially in the criminal world, which are not that complicated or interesting but very straightforward and predictable. And of course it would always be the cases that are unusual that anyone who has a bone of imagination in their body who will get a charge from dealing with those unique cases. This is one of those stories and I enjoyed it. I have to say that the ending wasn’t a total surprise. I thought it could go one of two ways, leaning towards the actual conclusion. That’s the curse of being a mystery reader, you know too much!

[James Vest · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few things you come to expect when you’re reading every Perry Mason novel. Rule number one is that whoever Perry Mason represents will undoubtedly be accused of murder. So imagine my surprise when the person Mason is representing ends up the victim of a murder. Mason does the only thing he knows how —represent the accused murderess (and the story’s first half antagonist) in hopes of finding out the truth.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. A mystery full of twists and turns. Very clever. I just didn't connect with the characters. It is also very reflective of its time, though it doesn't have blatant prejudices that make you cringe. You are aware of them, particularly the attitude towards women. I don't think it would be popular today.

[Sandy Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

And, wow. How many times have I felt that Mr. Mason was in soup but he gets out brilliantly all the time.

[PoligirlReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just alright. It was plenty (too?) convoluted, but the reader at least had an opportunity to solve the case (unlike a previous book in the series).

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

love Perry Mason

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting to see Gardner go off formula, but he didn't quite pull it off in this convoluted tail.

[John Bunyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty standard for the latter part of the series. Convoluted to the point of improbability but it’s what you expect from Gardner. Fun one

[Jennifer Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of convoluted. A witness's testimony told too much of a story that seemed unlikely. Not his best.

[Thao Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same với comment cuốn trước =))

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A particularly clever example of this classic series. Inventiveness and freshness at #69 in a series is pretty impressive.

[Anh Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

cuốn đầu tiên của Perry Mason mình được đọc. Cái gì mà hay dữ vậy trời. ngắn gọn, mọi thứ đâu vào đấy. 4.5/5 sao uy tín luôn

[Doug Dams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intersting story with the twist being mistaken identity. Perry's client is accused of murder, but the body is missing. Perry uncovers the victim, the murderer and the true crime in the courtroom and is accused of tampering with evidence. This is a neat twist. The story is fun to read and moves at a quick pace.

[Les Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Probably one of the most mixed up cases in the Mason series. Again, Perry Mason is the only one who notices the important clue but this time the clue comes before the murder even happens. There's also a good lesson here about police officers and criminals. I'm still not sure how Hamilton Burger continues on as District Attorney. This is possibly one of his most embarrassing defeats.

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather convoluted tale, but interesting.

[Rijo John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok