The Case of the Reluctant Model

Perry Mason #66

by Erle Stanley Gardner

Listen in and enjoy the suspense and excitement as Perry Mason uncovers the fakes and phonies in the The Case of the Reluctant Model

Also included: The Case of The Sulky Girl

In an attempt to unravel the true nature of the crime and the dimensions of the conspiracy, the intricacies of detection and courtroom drama see Perry Mason at his most daring and effectiveness as sleuth and lawyer.

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

178 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

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

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading Gardner's Perry Mason books off and on for many years. Those who are used to really fine mystery writers (in the literary sense) may find the writing style here a bit dry. Nonetheless, I still love the general setting: the characters of Perry, Della, Paul, Lt. Tragg, and Hamilton Berger. That, and the ingenious plots, are why I read Perry Mason.

On the whole, the ones written by about 1953 are the best. This is one of the latest ones, written in 1962.

This story definitely does NOT open with a bang. An art dealer sells a painting to a rich art collector, then later another art dealer tells a sexy model that the painting is a fake. Dealer number one wants to sue dealer number two for impugning his reputation. Just because number two told this to one person in private? Really?

Mason says it would make more sense to have the rich owner sue dealer number two. They will neeed collaborating testimony from another art expert, or maybe two, plus the sexy model.

Well that's clear as mud.

Seriously, I found it hard to care much about this book. The writing is pretty good, not overly repititious and mechanical. The question of whether or not some rich person bought a forged painting is not emotionally compelling.

Characters who we meet:

Lattimer Rankin, art dealer who's been insulted by
Collin Durant, who disparaged Rankin's ability to model and art student
Maxine Lindsay, and says a painting Rankin sold to wealthy
Otto Olney is a fake.

Goring Gilbert, talented beatnik artist
George Lathan Howell, an art expert.
Corliss Kenner, female art expert.
Roy Hollister, lawyer for Olney

After initially agreeing to help Olney's suit, Maxine, the model, becomes reluctant. Someone has a hold on her, and then that someone is murdered.

I don't like it when important characters are discussed but we never meet them. Here that includes Maxine's sister and her brother-in-law.

There is a more compelling side story about Maxine's sister and a baby born some years before to ... well, it's not clear.

Good use of Lt. Tragg. Good courtroom scenes with Hamilton Burger. I must admit, the plot is ingenious.

We learn that Della lives at the Crittmore Apartments on West Selig Avenue. In reality there is no such street in LA, though there is a Selig Drive and a Selig Place.

There are a couple loose ends in the plot. I can't go into detail, but the murderer obtains the murder weapon in an unexplained way. Also, there is a canary that disappears, and that too is not really explained.

Unusual for a Perry Mason story, there is a very funny exchange during the cross examination. I burst out laughing.

Similarities to other Perry Mason stories: there is a party on a yacht, but it doesn't really matter that it's on a yacht. A canary appears in the much better, and much earlier, Case of the Lame Canary.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This late Perry Mason mystery has a plot that is a variation of a familiar theme in the series, a damsel in distress who is the victim of a blackmailer due to an indiscretion and involved in a scam, which in this case attempts to victimize Perry Mason. It is better written than many of the books in the series from the 1950s and 1960s, and contains a number of interesting plot twists and turns which keep the reader guessing about the identity of the murderer although some of the characters are stereotypes. And unlike some of the books from this time period, Della Street shows some of the characteristics that made her a "feminist spitfire" in the Perry Mason mysteries that appeared in the 1940s, but were mostly absent from the later books in the series.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This mystery was crazy but easy to follow. It also touches on Perry's celebrity status in LA and how it affects his life and work. Della is goals, btw.

There are a lot of subtle Perry/Della scenes that are 10/10.

Recommended 13/14+ for language, violence, an affair, and mentions of nude models.

[Serdar Poirot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lattimer Rankin adında bir sanat uzmanı, Mason'a gelir ve Collin Durant adında başka bir sanat uzmanına dava açacağını söyler. Sebebi ise Maxine Lindsay adlı bir modele, Rankin'in zamanında Otto Olney'e sattığı bir resmin sahte olduğunu iddia etmesidir. Mason bu işin böyle olmayacağını, Maxine'den yeminli ifade alıp, dava işini Otto'ya bırakmanın daha doğru olacağını söyler. Maxine ifade verir. Otto basın mensuplarının önünde buna dair bir açıklama yaparken Mason ve Della da oradadır. Sonrasında aynı akşam Durant Mason'a gelir ve olayı kendi ağzından dinlemesini ister. Mason bunu yapmaz ve Maxine arar. Şehri terk edeceğini söyler. Paul Drake ve adamlarını peşine takar Perry. Ertesi gün Maxine'in evine gittiğinde ise Durant'ı ölü bulur. Tragg'e haber verir. Şehir değiştirir ve Maxine ile konuşurken Tragg onları yakalar. Rankin'in avukatı iken Maxine'i savunmaya karar verir. Durant hem bir ressama sahte resimler yaptırmakta, hem de Maxine ile ilgili olarak ablası ve kocasının hayatına dair surları bildiği için baskı uygulamaktadır. Ön duruşma zamanı gelir ve çatar. Bu ressam da Otto'da bulunan resmi getirmiştir. Hakim tek tek şahitleri dinlemeye başlar. Bir kadın, otogarda dolapların oradaki telefon kulübesinde Maxine'i görmüştür. O dolapta da Maxine'i silahı çıkar. Durant bu silahla öldürülmüştür. Evdeki Kanarya kayıptır. Ayrıca bir komşu da cinayet saatine yakın görmüştür Maxine'i apartmanda. Peki gerçekten katil o mudur? Mason bir çılgınlık yapıp Maxine'i ifadeye çıkaracak mıdır? Kim silahı dolaba koymuştur? Ressam söz konusu sahte resim için 2000 doları kimden almıştır? Perry müvekkilini Hamilton Burger'ın elinden kurtarabilecek midir?

[Mahasweta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a Perry Mason fan since school days. So, I can be quite biased while rating these books. I like the pace and the twists & turns in these books. You cannot figure out who the real killer is till the end, and most times it is someone who'd have never crossed your mind as a killer. This book maintains the same pace and twists. As always, Gardner entertains with great courtroom drama and Mason's shrewd tactics that leaves the DA Hamilton Burger worked up. This book might not be the best of the Perry Masons (i'd have rated it 5 otherwise), but it is entertaining, fast-paced, and a breezy read.

[Nira Ramachandran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mason is at it once again! A seemingly open and shut case, all clues leading to his client, who is not really a client, having not paid a retainer, just a young woman, whom he champions, her innocence evident to him alone. Will he be able to pull out the rabbit out of the hat, once again?
Mason arrives at his office one morning to find an old acquaintance, Latimer Rankin, an Art Dealer of repute, impatiently pacing the waiting room. He has been accused by an upstart Art Dealer, Collin Durrant of passing on a forged painting to a wealthy collector and is furious― all set to sue for defamation. Mason convinces him that a case of defamation would do more harm than good in a business of this kind, as the public is likely to remember only the slur on his reputation, not the outcome, and his professional standing could be seriously harmed. Inquiring further into the matter he finds that the defamatory comment was made to an ex-model, Maxine, who quit her career of posing for artists, once her curves got out of hand, and has now turned to portrait painting. If she is willing to sign an affidavit to the effect, the tables could be turned on the culprit, quite simply, leaving him without a leg to stand on. Maxine soon arrives at the office, signs a statement, and agrees to appear in Court when needed, and the issue appears to be resolved.
As a follow up, Mason and his secretary Della Street are invited to a press conference on a yacht belonging to Otto Olney, the art connoisseur, who purchased the painting in question. Olney plans to invite a couple of Art Experts, who can verify its authenticity in front of the press and then respond to Durrant’s malicious allegations by suing him for defamation. The conference takes place, the exquisite painting is clicked with the elite gathering of connoisseurs, and Mason and Della head out for a relaxed evening, only to find Durrant trying to barge in on their dinner, which Mason adroitly avoids. Then Della contacts the office to find that Maxine has been trying to get in touch. When contacted she says that she is at the bus station and must leave town at once but will come back when called to testify. She agrees to meet them in front of Della’s apartment and also give Della the key to her own home with a request to look after her canary, while she is away. They meet, Della collects the key, and Maxine drives off. Now Mason is in a quandary. If Maxine reneges on her promise, Durrant can sue Rankin for defamation, as there will be no witness to prove otherwise. Not one to give up easily, Mason sets longtime friend and private detective Paul Drake on the job of following Maxine, no expenses spared.
Morning dawns and Mason and Della head to Maxine’s apartment to pick up the canary and search for any clue as to where she may be heading, only to find the door unlocked, no signs of a bird or cage, and a body in the bathtub, shot through the back. Maxine is on the run, the body is in her apartment, and all the clues point to her. Mason, however, is still unconvinced. All he has to go on is Maxine’s apparent genuineness, and as he puts it,
“I’m darned if I know” Mason said, “except that the kid was telling the truth and if she is, she has made quite a sacrifice for someone she loves. And if she’s that kind of girl I thought she was entitled to the breaks”.
Then begins a cross-country chase with Mason trying to reach his client before the police get to her. He succeeds, and in fact, hitches a ride for his client and himself on the official police aircraft and is ready for the preliminary examination. All the evidence is stacked against Maxine, including an eyewitness, who swears that she saw her leaving the apartment at the time of the murder. But Mason is not one to give up! Against the advice of the Judge, he puts his client on the stand, open to cross examination. There is now just one night left before the Judge will bind Maxine over for trial. Will Mason beat the odds?
Not one of the best Perry Masons that I’ve read but nonetheless, an intriguing and last minute solution to a cut and dried case. Additionally, a long cast of characters leaves the reader slightly confused. I, for one, had to go back more than once to check out who’s who. For diehard Mason fans, the hostile DA Hamilton Burger, and his more friendly assistant Lieutenent Tragg of the Los Angeles Police, need no introduction, but a few others like Phoebe Stiegler, the defendant’s married sister, whom we never meet, but who is an integral part of the story, as are Goring Gilbert an exceptionally talented artist and a free spirit, and the young and attractive Corliss Kenner, an art expert, need to be noted.
 

[Gloria Gna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cada vez que he leído un caso de Perry Mason he sentido algo de animadversión hacia el protagonista. Es un buen abogado, se conoce todos los trucos legales y no hay duda de que defiende a sus clientes con uñas y dientes, pero que el autor insista en presentarlo como un famoso personaje al estilo de un actor o cantante de éxito, me resulta innecesario y contraproducente. Es algo personal, pero no puedo evitarlo.

En esta ocasión en caso al que se enfrenta el "famoso abogado criminalista" empieza con la declaración de un tratante de arte que se permite poner en duda la autenticidad de un cuadro, lo que da lugar a que el propietario de dicho cuadro presente una demanda por daños y perjuicios. En seguida la cosa se complica porque la única persona que puede testificar que el demandado puso en duda la autenticidad del cuadro se tiene que marchar lejos, pero aunque tiene la amabilidad de llamar a Perry para informarle de su viaje se niega a dar explicaciones sobre su destino y sobre el motivo de su espantada. Y al día siguiente el demandado aparece muerto en la casa de la testigo fugada.

Lo cierto es que toda la historia iba muy bien, muy fluida y entretenida hasta que en las últimas páginas en autor se saca de la manga una solución imprevista al caso, solución tan poco estructurada que obliga a que el asesino acuda a la cada de la testigo no se sabe a qué, que se encuentre la puerta sin cerrar, que se encuentre también por casualidad una pistola y que más por casualidad se acerque con ella en la mano al asesinado, que está muy distraído y no se entera de que alguien ha entrado y se ha paseado por la casa hasta dar con él. Es más, el desenlace también requiere que, por pura casualidad, el asesino decida deshacerse de la pistola justo cerca del lugar donde la testigo estuvo la noche antes, para que todas las pruebas la apunten a ella.

En fin, el desenlace no estuvo a la altura, fue como si de repente el autor se diera cuenta de que se le estaba alargando la historia y la concluyese a la carrera, con demasiadas casualidades de por medio.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klunky plot with a far to mechanical approach. At this point, later in the series, Gardner was pumping out 1 or 2 Mason books nearly every year for 30 years, not including his other A.A. Fair books. This is another where, it appears, the book writing started with the ending and worked back to the beginning. Sadly, this chalks another convoluted plot that needed better structure at the the start to have the great twists and turns end with a great novel.

Still, the book is a bunch of fun. I do wish Gardner had been descriptive of reoccurring characters, instead of assuming the characters so established...via book or film.. to just drop in a name and continue the story. Settings, as usually, are also severely lacking.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 5 out of 10 points.

[Robert A Keene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read all but 7 late Perry Mason books, and in my humble opinion the years after 1958 for Mr. Gardner were not his best, this 1962 whodunit was entertaining. I did not guess the actual murderer, but we all know that his defendant would be not guilty and Paul Drake would be telling Perry his client was guilty, but he does actually put the defendant on the witness stand well sort of. A good read.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

An art dealer wants to sue because a dubious expert says he sold a forgery. No, the buyer will sue. The person (only one person?) who heard the allegation of forgery is told to flee by the "expert" and is then accused of his murder. It is all very convoluted and the case never makes it to a jury. We don't even get a cofession from the killer. Women are treated like girls and everybody is white. But it is a charming period piece for all its faults.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason this story, compared to many others, did not hold my interest from beginning to end, and the middle got a bit confusing. There is some "playing" in court that is not usual but the story didn't hold as much chemistry with me as many of the other books. We do get a repeat of the humor of Perry's pacing and Drake's office being insufficient for this thinking style, which has continued to be a running joke of the series.

[John Bunyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good one.
No duplicate women, duplicate guns, mountain cabins or mining stock involved.
The woman client was not as sexualized as most of them are.
Hamilton Burger was not over-the-top incompetent.
The courtroom action was good.
There is a beatnik painter with a scene right out of 1960s Dragnet TV.
Perry and Della’s romance returns!
After a date, Perry walks her to her door for “just a kiss” and tells her to get a cab to work in the morning because she will be exhausted.

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

My brother gifted me this once stating it was an old fashioned good time. It was kind of fun, but the writing was pretty pedestrian and the crime story uninteresting. I also found most of the dialogue to be utterly unrealistic. Still, it's good to stretch my reading horizons occasionally so thanks lil brother.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An allegation that a painting is fake leads to Perry Mason being hired to file suit for slander. When someone winds up dead, he soon finds himself defending his client for murder.

Written with his usual style and attention to detail, this is another fine example of Gardner's eminent attorney at work.

[James Vest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mason gets the job done on this solid outing. The setup this time is art forgery gone wrong, but the plot could have been interchangeable with Mason’s other mysteries. Among the usual lying client goes on the lam arches, there are some interesting legal concepts sprinkled in, but I wouldn’t count “overly technical legal wrangling” as the top reason to read a mystery novel.

[Robert C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Perry Mason books for relaxation, without much hope for surprises. This tale actually had a couple of twists that surprised me. No spoilers. Ends the same as most, though, with the characters getting forgotten in the melee of the courtroom squabbling.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perry, Paul and Della work together to solve a mystery of a forged painting and the murder of a con man art dealer. I didn't guess the real killer, only Perry could figure it out.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took considerable time to become interesting, then better than some, less good than others.

[Clown Funeral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mason does it again!

[Jennifer Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was still great but in this case the TV episode was better

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#66 in the Perry Mason series. Quite a bit of this entry is concerned with art fraud and it's a while before the obvious bad guy is murdered. Perry pulls an unusual legal tactic by putting his client on the stand in a preliminary hearing - leading to fun byplay between Mason and the judge. There has been some romancing between Perry and Della in the past but now he announces he will escort her to her apartment and "I believe there is an almost universal custom of collecting a good-night kiss from a date, isn't there?"

Perry Mason series - Mason's client was angry. A rival art dealer had proclaimed a work he had sold was a forgery. He wanted to sue for slander. Mason told him he didn't want to do that. If he did that, the papers would carry the story about the art dealer was accused of fraud. Instead, Mason suggested that the dealer's client sue for devaluing the painting in question. Everything appears to be going well, with the witness giving her deposition, and art experts authenticating the painting. But then the witness takes a powder, the art critic ends up dead, and Mason is faced with defending a second client against a mountain of evidence.

[Rusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these oldies but goodies. Rarely can I determine out who committed the murder. Perhaps it's because the author was a criminal lawyer himself who wrote 146 books, 85 of which had Perry Mason as the protagonist. This one is no different. However, the story begins with an original painting that is proclaimed to be a copy. The case becomes more convoluted when the person making that statement is shot three times in the back in the apartment of a beautiful young woman named Maxine Lindsay. Miss Lindsay is arrested by the police and it becomes Perry Mason's task to determine whether or not she did it.

[False · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maxine Lindsay, aspiring artist and model but naive, becomes embroiled in a law suit about whether a painting is a fake. She repeats the comments of Colin Durant about the painting. Durant is found shot in her shower, so she is charged. This was a re-read, by accident, and I didn't care for it anymore than I did the first time. I've started up again trying to finish the Perry Mason books, perhaps this year. I have to admit I liked Perry Mason in the 1920's best when Della was a flapper and Perry quit to fisticuffs.

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent Perry Mason mystery. Some shocking developments, and an interesting who-done-it, but not quite as spectacular as a few others. I like the relationship Mason has with Tragg. I liked the plot twist of having Mason fall victim to a con game - and watching him fight to get out of being made out a fool was interesting. I last read this 22 years ago.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was something that kept my interest until the end. With all of the names, though, it got to be a bit confusing. And the author didn't follow up with what happened to the model after the charges were dropped. It's very interesting, too, to see the way that women are "devalued" or stereotyped in this book. My, how things have changed. Still, I'm glad I read it.

[Doug Dams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perry Mason gets involved in a slander case, counterfeit art work, and then a murder. A beautiful art student and model is accused and the chase is on as Perry Mason rushes to find the solution before his client is convicted. It's an okay story but not the best of the Perry Mason stories.

[Huma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, Mason plays with high stakes, putting the defendant on stand in the preliminary.

We also catch a glimpse of Hamilton Burger, Mason's nemesis and the attorney general who wants to get him disbarred.

[Unknown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually I have ths book in hardback. I've collected a couple dozen that I read from time to time. This not the best Mason novel, but is fairly good.I enjoy reading older mysteries.

[Sergey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting mystery, but not as enjoyable.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's easy to see why Gardner leads the genre in sales. Tightly crafted, snappy dialogue, lots of twists - and all in less than 200 pages.