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Perry Mason #73
The Case of the Horrified Heirs
In the readers' court, no one objects to a full docket of Perry Mason. Virginia Baxter is the only witness still living who can vouch for the authenticity of Lauretta Trent's will. Now, Lauretta has been murdered on the highway--after almost being poisoned. Confused? Just think how Virginia's lawyer, Perry Mason, must feel. HC: Morrow.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 1964
43 people are currently reading
461 people want to read
About the author
Erle Stanley Gardner
1,351 books817 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 65 reviews
October 6, 2023
3,5 stars
It is one of the later Perry Mason books, written in the 1960s and it shows. Maybe ESG was already getting tired of his creation or bored writing these books(?).
The usual quick-paced, tense, straightforward & action-packed storyline is there with even less embellishments than usual: hardly any descriptions or dialogues that do not relate to the plot. Possibly ESG & Perry Mason are to blame for the fact that I just cannot stomach the long-winded crime mysteries of today where it's all description and stream of consciousness instead of action. :)
And yet, somehow I have the feeling that the course of the novel is set up quite mechanically. The case is solved almost offhandedly. It does not end in the usual courtroom coup de theatre, where ESG nicely builds up suspense: all the odds are against the defense attorney and his client; with a glowering Hamilton Burger on the brink of "victory" just to have his thunders stolen by Mason with some brilliant deduction at the very end. No, the end finds us with PM and Lt. Tragg in a room of a police informant who spills everything for fear of getting killed by criminals. It is rushed and a bit of a letdown, but still a good read.
It is one of the later Perry Mason books, written in the 1960s and it shows. Maybe ESG was already getting tired of his creation or bored writing these books(?).
The usual quick-paced, tense, straightforward & action-packed storyline is there with even less embellishments than usual: hardly any descriptions or dialogues that do not relate to the plot. Possibly ESG & Perry Mason are to blame for the fact that I just cannot stomach the long-winded crime mysteries of today where it's all description and stream of consciousness instead of action. :)
And yet, somehow I have the feeling that the course of the novel is set up quite mechanically. The case is solved almost offhandedly. It does not end in the usual courtroom coup de theatre, where ESG nicely builds up suspense: all the odds are against the defense attorney and his client; with a glowering Hamilton Burger on the brink of "victory" just to have his thunders stolen by Mason with some brilliant deduction at the very end. No, the end finds us with PM and Lt. Tragg in a room of a police informant who spills everything for fear of getting killed by criminals. It is rushed and a bit of a letdown, but still a good read.
November 30, 2024
Another intriguing Perry Mason mystery. Poisonings, a treacherous car crash, spurious wills, and a diabolical plot to frame an innocent woman? This one will have you guessing until the last shocking chapter.
May 12, 2020
This novel is not one of the better ones, and it lacks the clever excitement of some of the earlier books, but it is largely redeemed by a surprise ending. Virginia Baxter is being set up to be arrested on drug charges. She doesn't know why she is being framed, and calls on Perry Mason to help her. Together, they deduce that the matter is connected to her former role as a legal secretary to a deceased lawyer; more specifically, she is the witness to the Will of a wealthy woman, Lauretta Trent, who, incidentally is undergoing her own trauma with an ongoing stomach ailment --- or is it arsenical poisoning?
Most of the action takes place outside of the courtroom, and Hamilton Burger, Perry's greatest nemesis, is not in the novel at all. But Lieutenant Tragg makes an appearance, and Della is loyal, and Paul Drake is full of energy, and all ends up right with the world in Perry Mason's Los Angeles.
Most of the action takes place outside of the courtroom, and Hamilton Burger, Perry's greatest nemesis, is not in the novel at all. But Lieutenant Tragg makes an appearance, and Della is loyal, and Paul Drake is full of energy, and all ends up right with the world in Perry Mason's Los Angeles.
December 4, 2017
Virginia Baxter is framed for possession of drugs but why? Who did it? Someone is intent on getting her out of the way, not by murder but by having her thrown in prison. What is the motive? Who did she offend or does she know something that could obstruct someone's goal. But what is that goal? What does someone want and how is Virginia in the way?
Lauretta Trent is a wealthy woman in her sixties. She is financially supporting her two sisters and their husbands. She has left a will that was signed by her lawyer and his secretary, who happens to be Virginia Baxter.
For the past few months Lauretta has been hospitalized for digestive upsets. Is it the spicy Mexican food she can't resist or is something else going on? It turns out that her hair and fingernails test positive for arsenic. Who is trying to kill her?
Is it the siblings? They are not given anything in the will. They're better off if she lives. Or is it the chauffeur who stands to gain the most? He also prepares her food.
Nothing is as it seems and what I enjoyed about the story was all the different threads that seemed unrelated and how they come together in the end.
Lauretta Trent is a wealthy woman in her sixties. She is financially supporting her two sisters and their husbands. She has left a will that was signed by her lawyer and his secretary, who happens to be Virginia Baxter.
For the past few months Lauretta has been hospitalized for digestive upsets. Is it the spicy Mexican food she can't resist or is something else going on? It turns out that her hair and fingernails test positive for arsenic. Who is trying to kill her?
Is it the siblings? They are not given anything in the will. They're better off if she lives. Or is it the chauffeur who stands to gain the most? He also prepares her food.
Nothing is as it seems and what I enjoyed about the story was all the different threads that seemed unrelated and how they come together in the end.
June 14, 2017
I really like this Perry Mason book, and I think (no spoilers!) one piece of the plot makes it absolutely unique among PM books!
I can't say anything else without giving stuff away, but it is an enjoyable mystery, and a bit different (in more than one way) from other Perry Mason mysteries. The defendant is likeable and moderately well developed, and Perry executes some very clever maneuvers to solve the case.
Though this is a later book, ESG's antiquated opinion on the stereotypical weaknesses of the female sex comes through loud and clear - and more frequent than even some of his earlier works. It is interesting from a historical perspective, and hilarious if taken with a grain of salt (remember, he was an old white guy at this point; he was very much a product of his own generation), but it could annoy modern-day readers with the frequent slights.
I can't say anything else without giving stuff away, but it is an enjoyable mystery, and a bit different (in more than one way) from other Perry Mason mysteries. The defendant is likeable and moderately well developed, and Perry executes some very clever maneuvers to solve the case.
Though this is a later book, ESG's antiquated opinion on the stereotypical weaknesses of the female sex comes through loud and clear - and more frequent than even some of his earlier works. It is interesting from a historical perspective, and hilarious if taken with a grain of salt (remember, he was an old white guy at this point; he was very much a product of his own generation), but it could annoy modern-day readers with the frequent slights.
March 17, 2017
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), such as Ross Macdonald, may find the writing style here off-putting. It can be stiff and mechanical. 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 last ones, written in 1964. Like many later books, written after the TV series became a huge hit, it is dryly written, with few embellishments or little details. But the plot is very good, and the writing is better than many of the late ones.
In the first two brief chapters we meet Lauretta Trent, sixtyish wealthy woman just getting over a bout of gastroenteritis, her third in a few months. Her doctor, Dr. Alton, admonishes her to be more careful with her diet, that another such episode could be very serious. In her household live various servants, a nurse, her two sisters, and both their husbands. Neither man, evidently, has been much of a success in life.
As all mystery fans know, bouts of gastroentritis usually mean one thing -- arsenic poisoning!
The scene shifts in the third chapter. A youngish woman, Virginia Baxter is arriving at the airport. In a scene so familiar to everyone now, she goes to the luggage carousel to pick up her bags. She waits and waits. She is the last one there and still no bag. At last the two bags finally come down the belt. She is about to get them when suddenly a man who had been lurking in the shadows comes forward. He is a policeman and says they have had some trouble with bags, would Virginia please open hers. Obligingly, she does, only to reveal a strange large plastic bag full of some odd substance. She is promptly arrested as being a drug smuggler! The policeman had been there on a tip. Even worse, a photographer suddenly appears and takes her photo.
For ten years Virginia had been the secretary for a lawyer now deceased named Delano Bannock. So she knows to quickly call Perry Mason.
The case goes to trial, the preliminary hearing, and so we have courtroom scenes early in this book. The scenes are good, and the case is dismissed with some clever work by Mason.
But Perry warns her, the whole episode is very odd. Someone planted those drugs in her suitcase and tipped off the police. Why? Virginia has no idea. "Someone is playing a deep game", he warned her. "Be on guard".
She hasn't long to wait. A man comes to visit her telling a rather unlikely tale about some papers that Delano Bannock had worked on some years ago. Did she have those old papers? No, she says all the papers were given to Bannock's brother. She does still have her typewriter from those years. She tells Perry about it.
Perry and Paul Drake trace the man through his license plate. They say he is George Egan, chauffeur to -- Lauretta Trent. Virginia recognizes the name Trent at once. They had prepared the will of Lauretta Trent some years ago. The earlier thread is connected up. Is this really all about that will?
The plot is complex. Suffice it to say that Virginia is soon framed again, this time for the murder of Lauretta Trent. The police say she deliberately forced the car driven by George Egan off the road into the ocean. Passenger Lauretta Trent was trapped in the car and drowned. But the body was not found, evidently swept away.
The final resolution occurs not in a courtroom but in the dingy hotel room of -- well, I'll skip just whose room it is.
Why is the title "horrified heirs"? Because about half way through Mason and Dr. Alton tell the sisters and their husbands that the stomach upsets were indeed arsenic poisoning. They are horrified.
Good use of Lt. Tragg. Modest use of Hamilton Burger. Not much use of Della or Paul Drake. It was fun to have mention of jet travel in a Perry Mason story.
I had no trouble guessing one of the key elements of the plot. It's very creative, but on reflection it is one of those stories where a person acts in an unreal way. But a more realistic action would spoil the plot!
I liked that the defendent was so sympathetic a character. There are a good number of suspects.
On the whole, the ones written by about 1953 are the best. This is one of the last ones, written in 1964. Like many later books, written after the TV series became a huge hit, it is dryly written, with few embellishments or little details. But the plot is very good, and the writing is better than many of the late ones.
In the first two brief chapters we meet Lauretta Trent, sixtyish wealthy woman just getting over a bout of gastroenteritis, her third in a few months. Her doctor, Dr. Alton, admonishes her to be more careful with her diet, that another such episode could be very serious. In her household live various servants, a nurse, her two sisters, and both their husbands. Neither man, evidently, has been much of a success in life.
As all mystery fans know, bouts of gastroentritis usually mean one thing -- arsenic poisoning!
The scene shifts in the third chapter. A youngish woman, Virginia Baxter is arriving at the airport. In a scene so familiar to everyone now, she goes to the luggage carousel to pick up her bags. She waits and waits. She is the last one there and still no bag. At last the two bags finally come down the belt. She is about to get them when suddenly a man who had been lurking in the shadows comes forward. He is a policeman and says they have had some trouble with bags, would Virginia please open hers. Obligingly, she does, only to reveal a strange large plastic bag full of some odd substance. She is promptly arrested as being a drug smuggler! The policeman had been there on a tip. Even worse, a photographer suddenly appears and takes her photo.
For ten years Virginia had been the secretary for a lawyer now deceased named Delano Bannock. So she knows to quickly call Perry Mason.
The case goes to trial, the preliminary hearing, and so we have courtroom scenes early in this book. The scenes are good, and the case is dismissed with some clever work by Mason.
But Perry warns her, the whole episode is very odd. Someone planted those drugs in her suitcase and tipped off the police. Why? Virginia has no idea. "Someone is playing a deep game", he warned her. "Be on guard".
She hasn't long to wait. A man comes to visit her telling a rather unlikely tale about some papers that Delano Bannock had worked on some years ago. Did she have those old papers? No, she says all the papers were given to Bannock's brother. She does still have her typewriter from those years. She tells Perry about it.
Perry and Paul Drake trace the man through his license plate. They say he is George Egan, chauffeur to -- Lauretta Trent. Virginia recognizes the name Trent at once. They had prepared the will of Lauretta Trent some years ago. The earlier thread is connected up. Is this really all about that will?
The plot is complex. Suffice it to say that Virginia is soon framed again, this time for the murder of Lauretta Trent. The police say she deliberately forced the car driven by George Egan off the road into the ocean. Passenger Lauretta Trent was trapped in the car and drowned. But the body was not found, evidently swept away.
The final resolution occurs not in a courtroom but in the dingy hotel room of -- well, I'll skip just whose room it is.
Why is the title "horrified heirs"? Because about half way through Mason and Dr. Alton tell the sisters and their husbands that the stomach upsets were indeed arsenic poisoning. They are horrified.
Good use of Lt. Tragg. Modest use of Hamilton Burger. Not much use of Della or Paul Drake. It was fun to have mention of jet travel in a Perry Mason story.
I had no trouble guessing one of the key elements of the plot. It's very creative, but on reflection it is one of those stories where a person acts in an unreal way. But a more realistic action would spoil the plot!
I liked that the defendent was so sympathetic a character. There are a good number of suspects.
June 2, 2025
Seems like the shortest case, and straight-forward semi-simple compared to other Mason's in some ways. At first I had issues connecting the two storylines but they come together. The doctor's dilemma with his patient was especially interesting. And come on, the luggage weighing left off from the police wasn't tricky courtoom tactics - they were just being incompetent!
November 14, 2021
Perry Mason defends a young woman framed for dope smuggling, but once cleared, Mason discovers that his client has been used as a pawn and now she faces a charge of murder.
September 25, 2025
The Case of the Horrified Heirs (1964) (P. Mason #74) by Erle Stanley Gardner. It is hard to tell if one book is as good as, better than or worse than any other in a series. But with the Perry Mason series of books, rating any of them goes out the window. Either early or late in his career, it is entirely the plots that matter. You will find scant tracings of any of the characters, even the standard crew, in any of the stories but that is fine. You don’t read these to discover the other lives of the main characters and, for that matter, the other people who come to Mason with their problems. Mason, Della Street, Paul Drake all stay the same as do Hamilton Burger and Lt. Tragg. The other people, the victims, the killers, the innocent and the guilty, they change names but they fairly well remain the same. The difference in the books is the plot and the active pacing provided.
This 1964 tale is one of the last dozen books Mr. Gardner wrote but it stands both against the sands of time and comparisons to his other works. And as with his writing, it beats most of the competition then and now.
To encapsulate the action, a young woman flying into LA from San Fran is stopped by the police at baggage. A quick peek into her valise uncovers a stash of dope. At the station she uses her one phone call to contact Mason.
Mason quickly uses his intelligence to come up with a quick solution in court and she walks away free.
All that happens in seven rapid pages at the beginning of the book. It turns out the young woman is just a pawn in a bigger game, and that was just the opening move.
A very wealthy widowed woman does not yet know that she has been a victim of several poisoning attempts. The attempts gave her extreme gusto-intestinal stress and her doctor has some nagging reservations about his diagnosis.
Now the potential killer is stepping up their game, but who is it? There are at least six people mentioned in the will, including the doctor. And there is a possibility of more that just those six, anyone of which might want to hurry up the reading of the will.
But when the widow’s Cadillac is forced over a cliff along the PCH, the end is near.
By the way, the young lady, if you were wondering, was secretary to the lawyer who drew up the will and she not only typed it but was a signatory. There are two different mystery men who have been interested in where the now deceased lawyer’s papers ended up. One has been trying to get a forgery typed up by the woman, and her lawyer has a plan to foil that plot.
I’m only 2/3 of the way through the book, I have a feeling on how it will turn out, and the edge of my chair is getting worn out.
This 1964 tale is one of the last dozen books Mr. Gardner wrote but it stands both against the sands of time and comparisons to his other works. And as with his writing, it beats most of the competition then and now.
To encapsulate the action, a young woman flying into LA from San Fran is stopped by the police at baggage. A quick peek into her valise uncovers a stash of dope. At the station she uses her one phone call to contact Mason.
Mason quickly uses his intelligence to come up with a quick solution in court and she walks away free.
All that happens in seven rapid pages at the beginning of the book. It turns out the young woman is just a pawn in a bigger game, and that was just the opening move.
A very wealthy widowed woman does not yet know that she has been a victim of several poisoning attempts. The attempts gave her extreme gusto-intestinal stress and her doctor has some nagging reservations about his diagnosis.
Now the potential killer is stepping up their game, but who is it? There are at least six people mentioned in the will, including the doctor. And there is a possibility of more that just those six, anyone of which might want to hurry up the reading of the will.
But when the widow’s Cadillac is forced over a cliff along the PCH, the end is near.
By the way, the young lady, if you were wondering, was secretary to the lawyer who drew up the will and she not only typed it but was a signatory. There are two different mystery men who have been interested in where the now deceased lawyer’s papers ended up. One has been trying to get a forgery typed up by the woman, and her lawyer has a plan to foil that plot.
I’m only 2/3 of the way through the book, I have a feeling on how it will turn out, and the edge of my chair is getting worn out.
January 7, 2024
Lauretta Trent, iki kızı ve damatları, şoförü ve bir çok uşağı ile beraber yaşayan zengin ama hasta bir kadındır. 3 kere midesinden rahatsızlanmış, doktor ona sıkı bir diyet önermiştir. Ve hemşire Anna Frinch'i de onunla gönderir. Virginia Baxter adlı bir avukat sekreteri de uçak yolculuğu sonrasında havaalanında ihbar üzerine valizinde Uyuşturucu madde bulunur. Mason'a haber veren Virginia ön duruşmada Mason'ın valizleri tarttırması ve kadının bagaj etiketindeki rakamla aynı çıkması, bu yüzden bu rakamı bilen birinin yerleştirmiş olması iddiası sayesinde beraat eder. Virginia Lauretta'nın vasiyetini hazırlayan avukatın yanında çalışmış ve yazmıştır. Ama kağıdı ve kopyalarını hatırlayamaz. Adının George olduğunu söyleyen biri gelir. Virginia'dan bir vasiyet hazırlanmasını ister. 2 tane sahte vasiyet hazırlatır. Birinde her şey şoföre kalıyordur. Bu arada Mason, doktor ile görüşüp, aslında Lauretta'nın mide rahatsızlığı olmadığı, arsenik ile zehirlendiği şüphesini belirtir. Doktor gizlice saç ve tırnak temin eder. Şüpheler doğrulanır. Bir gün Virginia Lauretta tarafından bir otele çağrılır. Lauretta yolda giderken bir kaza olur ve araba nehire düşer . Virginia sahte belge, öldürmeye teşebbüs gibi suçlarlar itham edilir. Damatlardan biri başka bir vasiyet bulmuştur. Bunda da Virginia'ya ciddi miktarda para kalmaktadır. Acaba suçlu kimdir? Mason, otelde kalan birini Paul Drake'e buldurur ve evine gider. Ama içeri giremeyince Tragg ile konuşup gelmesini sağlar. Bu adam şoförün akrabasıdır. Acaba neler olmuştur? Bu işi azmettiren kimdir? Lauretta kurtulmuş mudur? Çantadaki para ne olmuştur? Neden Virginia Uyuşturucu ile tutuklansın istemişlerdir? Onun daktilosu ne için lazımdır? Yemeğe zehri ki koymuştur? Keyifle okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2024
Całkiem przyjemny kryminał, taki na jeden lub dwa wieczory akurat. Bardzo podobała mi się scena pierwszej rozprawy i ważenie dowodów. Pomysł by tak oczyścić bohaterkę z oskarżeń świerny i niespodziewany. Jednak czym dalej tym bardziej to wszystko było już niewarygodnymi zbiegami okoliczności. Koniec też w moim odczuciu rozczarowujący. Sprawca nagle został odnaleziony i wszystko wyjawił policji. No brakowało żeby na końcu rzucił "i uszłoby mi na sucho gdyby nie te wścibskie dzieciaki". Brakowało mi też jakiejś klamry końcowej w której Virginia by podziękowała adwokatowi czy jakiegoś ogólnego opisu dalszych wydarzeń. Książka się nagle urwała i tyle.
Przez 3/4 książki było naprawdę dobrze ale końcówka mocno mnie rozczarowała.
Przez 3/4 książki było naprawdę dobrze ale końcówka mocno mnie rozczarowała.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2025
A Perry Mason Mystery THE CASE OF THE HORRIFIED CASE.
I can point out the case of the horrified heirs as the first book I read based on the Perry Mason character by Erle Stanley Gardner.
It had a really interesting story. I also found the story to be very fast-paced.
However, I felt that the very short dialogues and quick transitions between events kept me away from the story and characters.
This book, written in the 1960s, belongs to the detective, mystery and crime genre and it was fun to learn about the methods of solving crimes and communication methods used in the 1960s.
I can say that I was satisfied with this book as a catalyst to read ESG's Perry Mason series, which has a very long story line.
I can point out the case of the horrified heirs as the first book I read based on the Perry Mason character by Erle Stanley Gardner.
It had a really interesting story. I also found the story to be very fast-paced.
However, I felt that the very short dialogues and quick transitions between events kept me away from the story and characters.
This book, written in the 1960s, belongs to the detective, mystery and crime genre and it was fun to learn about the methods of solving crimes and communication methods used in the 1960s.
I can say that I was satisfied with this book as a catalyst to read ESG's Perry Mason series, which has a very long story line.
May 1, 2022
A drug bust frame, a murder charge, leave it to Mason to unravel the truth
A truly twisted tale of deceit with an all to cooperative patsy arrested for crimes she may or may not have committed. How do you prove a client innocent when she won't stay quiet and every word she tells the police makes it worse for her in the eyes of Lutenent Tragg and the court. At first Mason messes up then comes through with the goods on the murder mastermind to prove his client innocent.
A truly twisted tale of deceit with an all to cooperative patsy arrested for crimes she may or may not have committed. How do you prove a client innocent when she won't stay quiet and every word she tells the police makes it worse for her in the eyes of Lutenent Tragg and the court. At first Mason messes up then comes through with the goods on the murder mastermind to prove his client innocent.
April 15, 2024
This starts out with a big deviation from the standard Perry Mason. It made me wonder if someone other than Gardner written it.
It also ends with a big deviation from the standard plot in a way that makes the resolution really unsatisfying.
But the worst part is the unbelievable elements of the story are far more unlikely than usual.
Again Gardner pulls ideas from previous books.
This was a disappointment.
It also ends with a big deviation from the standard plot in a way that makes the resolution really unsatisfying.
But the worst part is the unbelievable elements of the story are far more unlikely than usual.
Again Gardner pulls ideas from previous books.
This was a disappointment.
April 23, 2024
A good story. I just wish that the ending for some of these books, including this one, wasn't so abrupt. Detective work is good and makes sense but then the courtroom doesn't appear again in a few of the books. Mason is a lawyer first, before detecting, and it would be of interest to me to see how he breaks the case in court. Still, worth reading, vivid characters, although one who was a legal secretary seems incredibly naive, but then it's a different era.
August 5, 2024
Surprise Happy Ending
There are twists and turns galore in this Perry Mason mystery. The question is, who really stood to profit from a bogus will? But the final surprise twist comes at the tail end. Wait for it!
There are twists and turns galore in this Perry Mason mystery. The question is, who really stood to profit from a bogus will? But the final surprise twist comes at the tail end. Wait for it!
December 20, 2025
When all else fails, Erle Stanley Gardner can always deliver an entertainment. When it looks like arsenic poisoning -- and the chauffeur is well known for his spicy Mexican cookouts -- who are you going to believe? Perry gets to the bottom of things for his client.
September 29, 2023
This one gripped me from the get-go! A little different from the usual Perry Mason because the murder happened quite a ways into the book. Or did it?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2024
Quick read w Perry, Della, and Paul.
Read
June 14, 2024A Perry Mason is the perfect antidote to a run of poorly written books. This book was fast paced, cleverly plotted and highly enjoyable.
January 15, 2025
4.5 μικρο αλλα καλο βιπερακι. σε κραταει σε αγωνια ως το τελος...περασε ευχαριστα η ωρα τουλαχιστον.
January 26, 2025
When I began this story, I thought this wasn't a Perry Mason. Fortunately, I was wrong. Again, the story does not disappoint. The plot is full of intrigue and mystery.
February 6, 2025
Another great book!
July 6, 2025
Everything was fine until the last couple pages when ESG played a trick on the reader and took the easy way out.
October 20, 2025
#73 in the Perry Mason series of legal thrillers.
June 22, 2023
“Well, Mason, it seems as if there is butter on both sides of your bread.”
My final Perry Mason for the time being. Not a super groundbreaking read but still fun for what it is. Which is just a good up and down mystery.
But this one…I dunno. It seems like it’s missing a lot of pluck and urgency that made some of the early ones I’ve picked up such vital feeling reads. This one’s case is fun enough and has a pretty neat resolution that’s been totally different than the ones I’ve read so far.
It just didn’t really wow me like I wanted my last one too. Plus, REALLY disappointing to see Della sidelined for most of this. Like I’m happy I read it but I don’t feel like this will be one I revisit much.
My final Perry Mason for the time being. Not a super groundbreaking read but still fun for what it is. Which is just a good up and down mystery.
But this one…I dunno. It seems like it’s missing a lot of pluck and urgency that made some of the early ones I’ve picked up such vital feeling reads. This one’s case is fun enough and has a pretty neat resolution that’s been totally different than the ones I’ve read so far.
It just didn’t really wow me like I wanted my last one too. Plus, REALLY disappointing to see Della sidelined for most of this. Like I’m happy I read it but I don’t feel like this will be one I revisit much.
August 18, 2017
I fondly remember the mid-20th century Perry Mason TV series so why not read a Perry Mason mystery and relive the old-time fun? Unfortunately, I found little enjoyment in reading The Case of the Horrified Heirs.
Problem 1: Gardner's language lumbers along awkwardly; it is stilted and uninteresting. The book has a mystery-by-the-numbers feeling, a novel written by an author who hardly cares.
Problem 2: The plot is convoluted in a dull sort of way, stimulating little reader curiosity. The characters inhabit the plot as mystery devices, not real people. The story is preposterous, but with old-time mysteries, absurd coincidences can be part of the fun. Here, the story is just wearing.
Problem 3: The famous "Perry Mason moment," when all is revealed, occurs in a run-down rooming house, not in the courtroom. Here, the moment has little drama and none of the grandeur of a courtroom confrontation.
So The Case of the Horrified Heirs, having failed on several levels, was a disappointment. Perhaps the reason is Gardner's books are not as good as the TV series. Perhaps since Gardner had been writing Perry Mason mysteries for 30 years when he wrote this one, the author was just mailing it in, not caring about quality. Or perhaps my memory is faulty, and the TV series wasn't that high quality either. I do know I won't be reading any more of Gardner's mysteries.
Now the question is: Should I search the back end of my cable channels or YouTube and watch Raymond Burr in action as Mason? I think I'll let my memory suffice. The book was disappointment enough.
Problem 1: Gardner's language lumbers along awkwardly; it is stilted and uninteresting. The book has a mystery-by-the-numbers feeling, a novel written by an author who hardly cares.
Problem 2: The plot is convoluted in a dull sort of way, stimulating little reader curiosity. The characters inhabit the plot as mystery devices, not real people. The story is preposterous, but with old-time mysteries, absurd coincidences can be part of the fun. Here, the story is just wearing.
Problem 3: The famous "Perry Mason moment," when all is revealed, occurs in a run-down rooming house, not in the courtroom. Here, the moment has little drama and none of the grandeur of a courtroom confrontation.
So The Case of the Horrified Heirs, having failed on several levels, was a disappointment. Perhaps the reason is Gardner's books are not as good as the TV series. Perhaps since Gardner had been writing Perry Mason mysteries for 30 years when he wrote this one, the author was just mailing it in, not caring about quality. Or perhaps my memory is faulty, and the TV series wasn't that high quality either. I do know I won't be reading any more of Gardner's mysteries.
Now the question is: Should I search the back end of my cable channels or YouTube and watch Raymond Burr in action as Mason? I think I'll let my memory suffice. The book was disappointment enough.
September 26, 2022
It is one of the later Perry Mason books, written in the 1960s and it shows. Maybe ESG was already getting tired of his creation or bored writing these books(?).
The usual quick-paced, tense, straightforward & action-packed storyline is there with even less embellishments then usual, hardly any descriptions or dialogues that do not relate to the plot. - Possibly ESG & Perry Mason are to blame for the fact that I just cannot stomach the long-winded crime mysteries of today where it's all description and stream of consciousness instead of action.
Somehow I have the feeling that the course of the novel is set up quite mechanically. The case is solved almost offhandedly. It does not end in the usual courtroom coup de theatre, where ESG nicely builds up suspense: all the odds are against the defense attorney and his client; with a glowering Hamilton Burger on the brink of "victory" just to have his thunders stolen by Mason with some brilliant deduction at the very end. No, the end finds us with PM and Lt. Tragg in a room of a one-horse police informant who spills everything for fear of getting killed by criminals. It is rushed and a bit of a letdown.
After reading a few Gardner biographies, I am really turned off by him, outside of his earlier writing abilities. He and his wife lived apart most of their marriage. He had many (a stable) of young female secretaries. Loved going camping with his wet towel snapping buddies. But his own little fiefdom and thus he passed through the decades, unchallenged.
The usual quick-paced, tense, straightforward & action-packed storyline is there with even less embellishments then usual, hardly any descriptions or dialogues that do not relate to the plot. - Possibly ESG & Perry Mason are to blame for the fact that I just cannot stomach the long-winded crime mysteries of today where it's all description and stream of consciousness instead of action.
Somehow I have the feeling that the course of the novel is set up quite mechanically. The case is solved almost offhandedly. It does not end in the usual courtroom coup de theatre, where ESG nicely builds up suspense: all the odds are against the defense attorney and his client; with a glowering Hamilton Burger on the brink of "victory" just to have his thunders stolen by Mason with some brilliant deduction at the very end. No, the end finds us with PM and Lt. Tragg in a room of a one-horse police informant who spills everything for fear of getting killed by criminals. It is rushed and a bit of a letdown.
After reading a few Gardner biographies, I am really turned off by him, outside of his earlier writing abilities. He and his wife lived apart most of their marriage. He had many (a stable) of young female secretaries. Loved going camping with his wet towel snapping buddies. But his own little fiefdom and thus he passed through the decades, unchallenged.
May 8, 2008
Why I read this book: I finally finished The Mysterious Island after weeks of slogging. While I enjoyed that, I was in the mood for something much quicker.
This is another enjoyable and professionally-written (some might say slick) novel by Erle Stanley Gardner. The plotting is ingenious, as always, and the characterization is minimal--but that's a good thing for this sort of story, since spending time on character would detract from the speed and puzzle aspects. It struck me that Mason is a trickster almost like coyote--he does something pretty outrageous to muddy the waters, only to find that a murder may have been committed. On page 173 of my copy he says, "Of course, if I'd known a murder had been committed and the car had been involved, then my actions would have been criminal. After all, it's a question of intent."
(Finished 08:25EDT 2008-05-07.)
(My copy has 197 pages.)
This is another enjoyable and professionally-written (some might say slick) novel by Erle Stanley Gardner. The plotting is ingenious, as always, and the characterization is minimal--but that's a good thing for this sort of story, since spending time on character would detract from the speed and puzzle aspects. It struck me that Mason is a trickster almost like coyote--he does something pretty outrageous to muddy the waters, only to find that a murder may have been committed. On page 173 of my copy he says, "Of course, if I'd known a murder had been committed and the car had been involved, then my actions would have been criminal. After all, it's a question of intent."
(Finished 08:25EDT 2008-05-07.)
(My copy has 197 pages.)
June 16, 2023
I've been a fan of Perry Mason for many years, and this book didn't disappoint. Once again, the team pulls through for the innocent client through reasoning that would make Poirot proud.
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