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Perry Mason #60
The Case of the Deadly Toy
Toddler Robert, heir to Selkirk fortune, plays with his mother Lorraine's real gun outside, vanishes after his father Mervin is found shot. His accused ex-girlfriend Norda Allison, harassed by anonymous letters, finds address printing press in basement of Mervin's ex-wife and hires California lawyer Perry Mason to save her.
236 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 1959
53 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Erle Stanley Gardner
1,370 books825 followersErle 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
January 29, 2026
In “The Case of the Deadly Toy,” Gardner delves into the world of divorce and custody issues. The story begins with Norma Allison seeing her fiancé Mervin Selkirk slap his seven year old son Robert embarrassing and humiliating the boy to such an extent that Noorda finally realizes who Mervin really was and deciding that she did not want a lifetime with this cruel man. Mervin continued to have it in for Noorda to the extent of catching her on a dinner date with another man, whose jaw Mervin promptly broke with a set of brass knuckles. He also appeared to be sending Noorda a series of articles about men who killed their ex-girlfriends to scare her it would appear.
The story takes an odd turn when Mervin;s ex-wife and husband sort of adopt Noorda by flying her out to Los Angeles and putting her up in their own, all to get her to testify about the slap heard round the world as part of the ongoing custody battle over Robert.
Noorda didn’t last one night in the ex-wife’s home. By morning, she discovered the printing press which had addressed the mysterious letters and, rather than confronting the ex-wife and her new husband, decided to consult Perry Mason. Mason goes back to the Jennings’ home only to find the printing press gone and Robert now gone as well. But Mervin was shot dead at the nearby country club and the murder weapon, with the barrel filed down, was found under the pillow on the bed where Noorda slept.
Mason’s client is quickly arrested for murder and Mason is running all over town trying to sort this one out.
The story takes an odd turn when Mervin;s ex-wife and husband sort of adopt Noorda by flying her out to Los Angeles and putting her up in their own, all to get her to testify about the slap heard round the world as part of the ongoing custody battle over Robert.
Noorda didn’t last one night in the ex-wife’s home. By morning, she discovered the printing press which had addressed the mysterious letters and, rather than confronting the ex-wife and her new husband, decided to consult Perry Mason. Mason goes back to the Jennings’ home only to find the printing press gone and Robert now gone as well. But Mervin was shot dead at the nearby country club and the murder weapon, with the barrel filed down, was found under the pillow on the bed where Noorda slept.
Mason’s client is quickly arrested for murder and Mason is running all over town trying to sort this one out.
May 20, 2017
A solid, exciting Perry Mason mystery with the usual ingredients and scenario, but it is so well-served that I don't mind.
More detailed review to come.
More detailed review to come.
October 11, 2022
3,5*
O grande Perry Mason a defender os inocentes.
O grande Perry Mason a defender os inocentes.
June 11, 2013
Erle Stanley Gardner's "The Case of the Deadly Toy" is a typical Perry Mason mystery, and that's a very good thing. The story is solidly written, and filled with interesting characters. It's also crafted with enough wry humor and clever plotting to hold a reader's interest, and keep her guessing about the plot's final twist till the story's end. Quite a story it is, too -- liberally spiced with gritty "noir" elements as well as Gardner's trademark courtroom theatrics, the mystery tale features a swirl of conniving spouses and clueless girlfriends, anonymous poison pen letters, a custody battle over a pistol-wielding boy all of seven years old, and a midnight murder whose best witness might be Rover, the Great Dane. There's a reason the old "Perry Mason" television series still flickers daily on televisions the world over. Fans of the show who haven't read at least a few of the books that launched the wily attorney's omnipresent TV episodes do themselves a disservice. "The Case of the Deadly Toy" is a great book to start exploring the Perry Mason adventures as Gardner wrote them, which is even more entertaining than the way Raymond Burr et als. portrayed them on the small screen.
August 31, 2013
One of the good late novels in Gardner's career. This one was written in 1959, after the TV series had become a huge hit. Gardner was never especially good as drawing vivid characters (except Perry and Della over time), but in the later books (after, say, 1955) he almost gives up. The writing is quite spare and lacks most any descriptive phrases. Nonetheless, the amazing plots remain, and that's why one reads Perry Mason stories. I rate this one "very good". It's not as good as "The Waylaid Wolf", written in 1960.
Even though 1959 sounds like a long time ago, this story has some "modern" elements that could have been taken from yesterday's news. A young boy is playing with a gun. During a sleep out in a tent in the backyard, something odd happens, and the boy wakes up at 4:00 am. Was it a shot? Was someone hit? The plot thickens, with quite a few ex-wives, girlfriends, a step-father, and eccentric baby sitters.
The "deadly toy", by the way, is not the gun -- it's a printing press that is used to address envelopes containing harassing letters.
Even though 1959 sounds like a long time ago, this story has some "modern" elements that could have been taken from yesterday's news. A young boy is playing with a gun. During a sleep out in a tent in the backyard, something odd happens, and the boy wakes up at 4:00 am. Was it a shot? Was someone hit? The plot thickens, with quite a few ex-wives, girlfriends, a step-father, and eccentric baby sitters.
The "deadly toy", by the way, is not the gun -- it's a printing press that is used to address envelopes containing harassing letters.
December 22, 2014
#58 in the Perry Mason series. A custody issue for a seven year old boy eventually ends up as a murder trial. There are some side issues with baby sitters, kidnapping and eye-witness identification to flesh out the plot. And the boy's wealthy grandfather swears out a complaint against Perry Mason - with DA Hamilton Burger only too happy to cooperate.
Perry Mason series - When Norda Allison saw her husband-to-be slap his young son, she immediately called off the wedding. Now she is terrified. Her ex-fiancé has beat up her new boyfriend. Anonymous newspaper clippings are flooding her mailbox—articles graphically depicting what jilted men do to the women who leave them. Then Norda’s life takes an even darker turn. It begins with a barking dog, a child’s scream, a gunshot, and the discovery of a very dead body—and ends when Norda is arrested, charged with a brutal murder.
Perry Mason series - When Norda Allison saw her husband-to-be slap his young son, she immediately called off the wedding. Now she is terrified. Her ex-fiancé has beat up her new boyfriend. Anonymous newspaper clippings are flooding her mailbox—articles graphically depicting what jilted men do to the women who leave them. Then Norda’s life takes an even darker turn. It begins with a barking dog, a child’s scream, a gunshot, and the discovery of a very dead body—and ends when Norda is arrested, charged with a brutal murder.
December 29, 2011
Not my favorite Perry Mason adventure. There are plot twists and red herrings, but compared with Agatha Christie and PD James, they seem clumsy and awkwardly obvious. The best part of any Mason story are the legal tricks used, which keep the attorney out of trouble with the bar and the hounds of the law safely baying after the truth. That said, I love the characters, the setting (1950's Los Angeles) and the thought that there is such a thing as an ethical lawyer.
July 28, 2020
Norda Allison breaks off her engagement with Mervin Selkirk after she sees him beat his son, Robert. Shortly thereafter, Selkirk is found dead after breaking Allison's new boyfriend's jaw. Perry Mason is called on to defend her.
Gardner's clever plotting carries the story towards its thrilling courtroom denouement. Mason and Street sparkle on the page, elevating what otherwise would be somewhat shallow characterisation.
Gardner's clever plotting carries the story towards its thrilling courtroom denouement. Mason and Street sparkle on the page, elevating what otherwise would be somewhat shallow characterisation.
July 3, 2012
Not bad. What I thought happened, Perry explored, but turned out to be a false trail, so ESG managed to surprise me somewhat. Still, I had the murderer pegged fairly early in the novel, which is unusual for one of these for me.
August 25, 2018
There were some very jarring discrepancies in this book. I wondered if Gardner got confused himself while thinking it out. Lots of emotional stuff considering a child features in it. The solution was very obvious according to me.
July 15, 2016
Perry Mason is an intelligent trickster who baffles the witnesses on their own statement during the cross examination in the courtroom. FIRST-RATE MURDER MYSTERY.
Read
March 24, 2019In nederlands gelezen (het dodelijke speelgoed), boekje van pépé. Alweer mooi verhaal met onvoorspelbaar einde over Perry Mason.
March 8, 2021
My first Mason will *not* be my last.
March 1, 2022
A portion of this book no longer seems plausible today, but the mystery isn't bad and Mason gets his client off yet again.
June 8, 2023
I was disappointed the way the author wrapped up the story. It seemed a bit lazy to me. There are so many excellent Perry Mason books -- I would not suggest starting with this one!
November 30, 2023
Mervin Selkirk, 7 yaşındaki oğluna kötü davranan despot bir adamdır. Bu yüzden nişanlısı Norda Allison ondan ayrılır. Mervin ona yakınlık gösteren bir adamın çenesini kırar. Ve Norda'ya sürekli mektuplar yazmaya başlar. Mervin'in eski karısı Lorraine, Barton Jennings adında biri ile evlenmiştir. Ve Norda'nın avukatlığını yapmayı kabul eder. Bir gün evlerine çağırır ve ondan Robert'ın velayetini tamamen almak için yardım ister. O gece eve gelir Norda ama ertesi gün, kendine yazılan bazı mektupları bulur ve evden ayrılır. Perry Mason'a gider ve ondan yardım ister. Mason, aile ile onu yüzleştirir ama bu durum ters teper. Robert da bakıcısı yüzünden gerçek silahlarla oynamaya alışmış bir çocuktur. Ertesi gün Mervin ölü bulunur. Silah Norda'nın odasında yastığın altında bulunur. Namlu törpülenmiş ve silahtan çıkan mermi ile ilgili olarak teşhis zorlaşmıştır. Mervin'in babası ile oğlunu torununun yanlışlıkla öldürdüğünü düşünür. Marshall adında bir savcı yardımcısı davayı başlatır. Ön duruşmada o varken birden Hamilton Burger gelir. Tragg ile soruşturma boyunca görüşen ve Paul Drake'den de yardım alan Mason, çocuğa ve bakıcısına ulaşıp onları saklar. Onların davadan etkilenmesin istemez. Barton dizinden sakattır ama bir doktora gitmemiştir. Ayrıca köpekleri Rover da kayıptır. Komşuları onları sabah su işe kan temizlerken görmüştür. Robert da gece birine ateş ettiğini düşünmüş ve onu kabus gördüğüne inandırmaya çalışmışlardır. Sevgilisi ile kulüp yakınında takılan kızın gördüğü kadın kimdir? Robert gerçekten ateş etmiş midir? Köpek nerededir? Katil kimdir ve işin içinde ne vardır? Mason bu işi çözüp müvekkilini kurtarabilecek midir? Lorraine ne yapacaktır? Barton bacağını gösterecek midir? Bir solukta okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2025
The Case of the Deadly Toy (P. Mason #58) (1958) by Erle Stanley Gardner. Say what you will about Erle Stanley Gardner’s abilities as they started to wane in his later years, he always, always, always had a master plot to frame the story. Detailing about the characters may have begun to reduce themselves to mere pencil sketches of people but he was always driven to give the reader a good, compelling mystery, and this 1959 outing is no exception.
A seven year old boy who was camping on the back patio with his Great Dane dog runs to his mom telling of a bad dream he had. He thought someone was trying to get into the tent so the boy shot at the person.
Thus begins the mystery of the deadly toy. It is a mystery as in the morning the boy’s father is found shot dead in his car many miles away.
The ensuing story is a complex tale involving divorce, mysterious letters that could be read as threats, a man too proud for his own good, a grandfather’s love?, a fortune to be had and blood on the sidewalk.
As usual with a Perry Mason tale there will be a courtroom scene that will have you enamored with the details of the law (just how Gardner always, and I mean always, managed to seduce his readers in the courtroom scenes is a magic beyond my ken), lies and truths so intermingled it is like trying to pick the right snake out of a basketful of the slithering creatures, Then there are the truths blatantly obvious except to the other characters and, I must confess, me.
In short, this story is the 58th in line but could still be #1 with the reader.
A seven year old boy who was camping on the back patio with his Great Dane dog runs to his mom telling of a bad dream he had. He thought someone was trying to get into the tent so the boy shot at the person.
Thus begins the mystery of the deadly toy. It is a mystery as in the morning the boy’s father is found shot dead in his car many miles away.
The ensuing story is a complex tale involving divorce, mysterious letters that could be read as threats, a man too proud for his own good, a grandfather’s love?, a fortune to be had and blood on the sidewalk.
As usual with a Perry Mason tale there will be a courtroom scene that will have you enamored with the details of the law (just how Gardner always, and I mean always, managed to seduce his readers in the courtroom scenes is a magic beyond my ken), lies and truths so intermingled it is like trying to pick the right snake out of a basketful of the slithering creatures, Then there are the truths blatantly obvious except to the other characters and, I must confess, me.
In short, this story is the 58th in line but could still be #1 with the reader.
November 12, 2024
I've now read the first 60 Perry Mason books in order, and this one disappointed me. Gardner began with his usual interesting and convoluted mystery, but the accused disappeared from the story far too early, and literally no other characters unique to this book were likeable or relatable. NONE of them.
Even the courtroom scenes, normally clever and amusing, lacked the zip of most of Gardner's courtroom scenes. I'll often read an amusing few paragraphs of one out to my wife, and in this book, nothing prompted me to do that.
Finally, the solution is pulled out of thin air, with no clues to give the reader a chance to solve the puzzle independently of the author merely EXPLAINING what happened. When the reader can solve the case from the clues, I call that a "Fair Mystery". Sadly, Deadly Toy doesn't qualify. This book is for completists only, and if you read this first, you won't be ambushed as I was.
Even the courtroom scenes, normally clever and amusing, lacked the zip of most of Gardner's courtroom scenes. I'll often read an amusing few paragraphs of one out to my wife, and in this book, nothing prompted me to do that.
Finally, the solution is pulled out of thin air, with no clues to give the reader a chance to solve the puzzle independently of the author merely EXPLAINING what happened. When the reader can solve the case from the clues, I call that a "Fair Mystery". Sadly, Deadly Toy doesn't qualify. This book is for completists only, and if you read this first, you won't be ambushed as I was.
May 19, 2024
Gunplay
From the start, you pretty well know who is going to get killed. And you also know who will be accused of the killing. The question is, who will actually do him in?
During the story, you are introduced to some interesting characters, including a babysitter who sees nothing wrong with allowing a seven-year-old child to play with a real firearm. Does the boy actually shoot someone, or does he just have a nightmare in which he imagines that he has shot someone?
Can you solve the mystery?
From the start, you pretty well know who is going to get killed. And you also know who will be accused of the killing. The question is, who will actually do him in?
During the story, you are introduced to some interesting characters, including a babysitter who sees nothing wrong with allowing a seven-year-old child to play with a real firearm. Does the boy actually shoot someone, or does he just have a nightmare in which he imagines that he has shot someone?
Can you solve the mystery?
July 7, 2025
A young woman gets sucked into a custody battle between her vengeful ex-fiancé and his first wife. The boy in question loves to play with pistols, especially the real .22 automatic his baby-sitter lets him play with. Lots of moving parts and red herrings. Great fun.
July 8, 2025
A typically good Perry Mason story, fast-moving and abounding in cleverness. Even when I remember a few of the details (because I've read these all more than once!), Gardner manages to pull a surprise or two on me. My everlasting comfort reading.
September 5, 2025
This was a good one, up there with the top 10-20 Mason stories. Great clues, lots of tension, and memorable courtroom scenes. Stands out in that children, children’s toys, and dogs are central to both plot and trial.
December 9, 2023
Pretty standard Pretty Mason. I was filled by a red herring and missed an obvious question so that aspect was done well.
Otherwise the story was not that compelling.
Otherwise the story was not that compelling.
January 1, 2024
This poor kid :( :(
Recommended 11+ for violence, death, and topics not for younger readers.
Recommended 11+ for violence, death, and topics not for younger readers.
October 31, 2024
I do remember this as being a TV episode but the book was much better
September 19, 2025
Yes the usual combination of Mason the magician as well as some fabulous rabbit out of the hat moments too.
February 2, 2026
best crime thriller I've ever consumed 🙌
July 16, 2023
Great Perry Mason novel!
July 27, 2017
I am on a weird quest. Realizing that I had never actually read one of Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason books I looked them up. I knew there were a lot of them, turns out there are 82 original Perry Mason novels (he wrote lots of other non-Mason books, as well) including two that were published posthumously. Soooo, liking a reading challenge I got on my Library's web site and ordered a copy of 1933's The Case of the Velvet Claws.
A few years later and I am still at it, the books from the 60's on my current list. I read about one a month, sort of a palette cleanser between meatier books. They are all around two hundred pages, more or less and all read very similarly. Perry has changed a little over the years. He was pretty reckless in 1933. The Perry Mason of the novels is still, a lot more fast and loose with evidence than his TV counterpart.
The main characters from the TV Series are found in most of these books. Hamilton Burger is a lot less noble in the novels than he is on TV and why they went with such an old actor to portray Lieutenant Tragg on television is a mystery to me. He is about Perry's age in print, and much slicker than the TV version. I will say that when I read these, I do visualize Barbara Hale as Della and William Hopper, as Paul. Both were wonderful choices.
So, though the writing improves as time goes on, these stories always feel the same. Like the TV series, the page turning really starts when court is in session. If you like the TV show, I definitely recommend trying a few of these. I am writing this long story here because I expect to read them all and I doubt my review will change. For the mystery lovers out there, and even more for courtroom action fans, these are fun, fast reading. I believe this is the first one I have added to my read file in Goodreads and if I add any more I will refer you back to this review. Have fun!
A few years later and I am still at it, the books from the 60's on my current list. I read about one a month, sort of a palette cleanser between meatier books. They are all around two hundred pages, more or less and all read very similarly. Perry has changed a little over the years. He was pretty reckless in 1933. The Perry Mason of the novels is still, a lot more fast and loose with evidence than his TV counterpart.
The main characters from the TV Series are found in most of these books. Hamilton Burger is a lot less noble in the novels than he is on TV and why they went with such an old actor to portray Lieutenant Tragg on television is a mystery to me. He is about Perry's age in print, and much slicker than the TV version. I will say that when I read these, I do visualize Barbara Hale as Della and William Hopper, as Paul. Both were wonderful choices.
So, though the writing improves as time goes on, these stories always feel the same. Like the TV series, the page turning really starts when court is in session. If you like the TV show, I definitely recommend trying a few of these. I am writing this long story here because I expect to read them all and I doubt my review will change. For the mystery lovers out there, and even more for courtroom action fans, these are fun, fast reading. I believe this is the first one I have added to my read file in Goodreads and if I add any more I will refer you back to this review. Have fun!
September 16, 2020
Saturday morning, Perry Mason and his secretary, Della Street, are in the office catching up on work. They are interrupted by Norda Allison, who is seeking Perry’s assistance. She has a story and a problem which Perry thinks may be simple. It turns out to be simply complicated.
Norda has been receiving envelopes containing news articles about couples who had split up. In each case, the man couldn’t stand it and wound up killing the woman with a gun. Norda feels they are coming from the man she has just broken off her engagement from. He turned out not to be what she thought. Not only is he controlling, his father is very prominent in Los Angeles and also has connections in San Francisco, where Norda is from.
Finding the mailer becomes a minor problem when Norda’s ex is found murdered in his car and she is arrested for the crime.
Once again Perry is just a step ahead of Lieutenant Tragg and D.A. Hamilton Burger. But Perry has a few tricks up his sleeve too.
I’ve read quite a few Perry Masons over the years, and I still enjoy them.
Norda has been receiving envelopes containing news articles about couples who had split up. In each case, the man couldn’t stand it and wound up killing the woman with a gun. Norda feels they are coming from the man she has just broken off her engagement from. He turned out not to be what she thought. Not only is he controlling, his father is very prominent in Los Angeles and also has connections in San Francisco, where Norda is from.
Finding the mailer becomes a minor problem when Norda’s ex is found murdered in his car and she is arrested for the crime.
Once again Perry is just a step ahead of Lieutenant Tragg and D.A. Hamilton Burger. But Perry has a few tricks up his sleeve too.
I’ve read quite a few Perry Masons over the years, and I still enjoy them.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews