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Perry Mason #6
The Case of the Counterfeit Eye
Blind man’s bluff… Wealthy businessman Hartley Bassett has killed himself. There's a typewritten suicide note and three guns lying near his body. But for Perry Mason, that's evidence overkill. He knows there has been trouble in Bassett’s life. His wife wants out, his stepson hates him, an embezzler can't pay him back - and there's the man with a glass eye who hired Perry Mason even before his glass eye went missing and was found in the hands of the deceased. There are too many suspects and too many lies. But leave it to Mason, his resourceful secretary, Della Street, and clever detective Paul Drake to their wits about them and their wiles tucked away, as they piece together the missing parts of this fatal family puzzle.
203 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1935
248 people are currently reading
930 people want to read
About the author
Erle Stanley Gardner
1,341 books813 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 153 reviews
April 2, 2018
The murder of a wealthy client who had previously hired the services of lawyer extraordinaire Perry Mason to look into the wide spread theft of his finances by an employee leaves the unconventional lawyer in a bind; not only was Mason representing the now deceased client, but that of the alleged thief too.
Further complicating matters is another one of Perry's clients, a man with a false eye who hired the services of the renowned criminal lawyer to protect his interests SHOULD he find himself on the list of suspects for a crime he didn't commit.
Already the fingers point towards the client with presumption of guilt but, as this is a Perry Mason book, nothing is as simple as what it seems.
I didn't think The Case of the Counterfeit Eye had the same polish as the other Perry Mason book I've read but it did have all the courtroom antics and complicated plotting of which the author, Erle Stanley Gardner was renowned. Additionally, the court room thriller aspect was cleverly executed and not laden with legal jargon, as is a staple of these books.
My rating: 3/5 stars. To me, it felt like each character introduced had a sinister motive which immediately turned them into a suspect for Perry Mason to consider; this made the book feel more complicated than it needed to be.
Review first appeared on my blog as part of my Pick Up A Pulp series: http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...
Further complicating matters is another one of Perry's clients, a man with a false eye who hired the services of the renowned criminal lawyer to protect his interests SHOULD he find himself on the list of suspects for a crime he didn't commit.
Already the fingers point towards the client with presumption of guilt but, as this is a Perry Mason book, nothing is as simple as what it seems.
I didn't think The Case of the Counterfeit Eye had the same polish as the other Perry Mason book I've read but it did have all the courtroom antics and complicated plotting of which the author, Erle Stanley Gardner was renowned. Additionally, the court room thriller aspect was cleverly executed and not laden with legal jargon, as is a staple of these books.
My rating: 3/5 stars. To me, it felt like each character introduced had a sinister motive which immediately turned them into a suspect for Perry Mason to consider; this made the book feel more complicated than it needed to be.
Review first appeared on my blog as part of my Pick Up A Pulp series: http://justaguywholikes2read.blogspot...
February 15, 2024
4 Stars. Baffling. That word in the GR description of "The Case of the Counterfeit Eye" is most appropriate. Is Erle Stanley Gardner ever a great writer of detective and courtroom mysteries. Talk about burying clues. In the finale, Perry Mason explains the case to Judge Winters who presided over the hearing of Mason's two clients. At almost every point, I exclaimed, "I should have seen that," or "Yes, that did seem strange and why didn't I question it?" I was 100% baffled as were all but one of the characters in this 90 year-old mystery. Including Della Street, Mason's devoted secretary, and dead-tired P.I. Paul Drake. Actually, the non-baffled should be two, the murderer and who else, Mason himself! It all begins when Peter Brunwold seeks Mason's legal advice. One of Mr. Brunwold's eyes is glass; indeed, he has a full set of such eyes for various situations, morning, evening, and bloodshot if he's been drinking! One of them was recently stolen and he's afraid it's going to be left at the scene of a murder. Ridiculous, but it later turns out to be true. I wish you reading luck. Note - Hamilton Burger makes his first appearance as District Attorney in this one. (Jun2023/Fe2024)
August 22, 2012
This is an early Perry Mason novel. As is the case with most of these books, the plot is very convoluted and only a wizard like Perry Mason could ever explain it. The case begins when a man loses his glass eye and show up in Perry's office, asking Perry to represent him. He is afraid that his lost eye might turn up at the scene of a murder that has not yet been committed and needs Perry's protection. Most attorneys, of course, would be completely flummoxed by such a request, but Perry takes it in stride and accepts the case.
Within hours a murder will be committed and the prime suspect will be a one-eyed man whose artificial eye is found clutched in the hand of the murdered victim. Perry will have to pull a lot of rabbits out of the hat to save his client this time, but as everyone knows, he never fails.
This book is significant because it introduces Hamilton Burger, Perry's long-time nemesis, as the new D.A. There's a great scene where they meet for the first time in Perry's office and pledge their mutual respect for each other along with their commitment to justice. That, naturally, will last for about five pages.
Within hours a murder will be committed and the prime suspect will be a one-eyed man whose artificial eye is found clutched in the hand of the murdered victim. Perry will have to pull a lot of rabbits out of the hat to save his client this time, but as everyone knows, he never fails.
This book is significant because it introduces Hamilton Burger, Perry's long-time nemesis, as the new D.A. There's a great scene where they meet for the first time in Perry's office and pledge their mutual respect for each other along with their commitment to justice. That, naturally, will last for about five pages.
July 23, 2019
The case of the Counterfeit Eye by Erle Stanley Gardner is the 6th book in the Perry Mason Mystery series. Perry Mason is consulted regarding a substitution of an artificial eye and becomes involved in a murder when a man is killed found clutching the eye. An early Perry Mason book which becomes quite confusing with all the twists and complications but builds to an exciting ending. This is the book where we meet Hamilton Burger. An interesting and fast paced mystery.
October 31, 2017
3.5 stars
Enjoyable cosy mystery delivered by super lawyer Perry Mason. Artful and mischievous as always this plot is pretty complicated building to an excellent conclusion.
These stories are fast-paced, addictive and lots of fun.
Enjoyable cosy mystery delivered by super lawyer Perry Mason. Artful and mischievous as always this plot is pretty complicated building to an excellent conclusion.
These stories are fast-paced, addictive and lots of fun.
February 18, 2023
Perry walks a fine line
Hamilton Burger is the new DA and will be Perry's main sparring partner through the rest of the series. Nearly everyone smokes. A really fun read
Hamilton Burger is the new DA and will be Perry's main sparring partner through the rest of the series. Nearly everyone smokes. A really fun read
August 13, 2018
Too many suspects. Too many red herrings and intertwined motives. Mason is more of a detective here, taking a lot of chances even for my taste. This is the book where Hamilton Burger makes his debut and I was pleasantly surprised to see that he has been shown as a plausible, conscientious, intelligent lawyer. In most of the books I have read featuring Burger, he was more of a belligerent bull-headed caricature than a Chief Public Prosecutor. Even Paul Drake had more to do here and is very able and competent. I think, as Mason started enjoying more and more popularity (as a fictional character as well as in the stories),Gardner made the books all about Mason, with every other character playing a kind of second fiddle or a supporting role. More akin to a 'One Man Show'. But for the convenient coincidences, this was a enjoyable mystery.
May 24, 2020
A really fun read. These early Perry Mason novels (this one is from 1935) feel more like hard-boiled detective thrillers than courtroom dramas. This story was like a fast paced rollercoaster with plenty of twists and turns in the plot. And I enjoy the 1930's LA setting with rapid fire, wisecracking dialogue peppered with that era's slang. Erle Stanley Gardner did a great job with these novels, and this was one of his best.
April 23, 2017
Still enjoying these. I'm not one to write plot summaries and enough of the reviewers do to make any summary by me superflous. This book marks Hamilton Burger's first appearance and perhaps sets the stage for Sgt. Holcomb's retirement. Perhaps to make the way for Lieut. Tragg.
July 5, 2023
First Perry Mason for me. Solid characters, solid mystery, but the mood was fairly dull. I'll try another at some point and see if I feel the same.
December 27, 2020
Such fun
I love Perry Mason cases. He has flair, and a good brain. And it was interesting this time seeing him become acquainted with DA Hamilton Burger. Paul and Della are awesome, as always.
I love Perry Mason cases. He has flair, and a good brain. And it was interesting this time seeing him become acquainted with DA Hamilton Burger. Paul and Della are awesome, as always.
December 13, 2022
Written in 1935 during the golden age of detective fiction. Very complicated plot with lots of suspects. Enjoyable read.
October 4, 2019
I've been reading Gardner's Perry Mason books for many years. I 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 about 1953 are the best. This is an early one, from 1935. As in all the early ones, Perry is a hard boiled agressive ingenious fighter, not the more urbane established figure of the much later TV series.
The story begins when Peter Brunold comes into Perry's office with an unusual story. He has a glass eye, in fact several for different occasions, and he says that someone has stolen his good bloodshot eye and replaced it with a cheaper imitation, a "counterfeit". Why would anyone do that? Brunold is afraid his good eye will be left at the scene of a crime and that it could be traced to him. In fact, Brunold seems to be anticipating that a murder will be committed soon, with his eye at the scene!
Perry has an idea that he can beat the problem. Though not totally explained, it seems he's going to get a lot of eyes and scatter them around. That doesn't really make sense, but let that go.
No sooner has Brunold left than a pair of new clients arrives, Harry McLane and sister Bertha. Turns out that Harry has embezzled a lot of money from his employer, one Hartley Basset. Basset has discovered the loss. Harry is an arrogant young know-it-all, a recurring character in the Perry Mason canon. Responsible older sister Bertha wants Perry to try to negotiate a deal she can live with to return the money over time. For her sake, Perry agrees.
Perry visits Basset that night and finds him to be a hard-nosed no-nonsense type who demands repayment at a rate Bertha couldn't do. Oddly, Basset's wife Sylvia comes in and seems interested in the embezzlement and helping Bertha. Basset dismisses her and Perry leaves with disgust. However, as he is getting into his car Mrs. Basset steps in and tells him she would like Perry's help in leaving Basset and marrying someone else! When she realizes she has been followed, she hurries off.
Then events happen rapidly. A couple hours later Perry is called back to the Basset house by Sylvia. He finds Basset dead, a suicide note in his typewriter. Also in the house are Basset's assistant Arthur Colemar, Sylvia's son Dick, a servant woman, and Dick's brand new wife, Hazel Fenwick. There are not one, not two, but three guns near the body!
Hazel Fenwick tells an astonishing story. She saw a man leave the room where the body lay. At first he was masked with a piece of paper in which eye holes had been cut. Behind one eye hole was an empty socket! No eye! And Basset's dead body is clutching a glass eye! We are full circle to Peter Brunold's story. Then Hazel rips off the mask and gets a look at the man. No one else does. She doesn't recognize him.
That's an amazing amount of action in the first 20% of the book. Perry whisks away Hazel Fenwick, telling her to take his car and go to Della Street's apartment. Then the police arrive, led by the usual foil in the early Mason books, Sgt. Holcomb.
Perry seems to have an unusually large number of clients: Peter Brunold, the McLanes, and Sylvia Basset.
Perry has to resort to a clever razzle dazzle to later see Sylvia, pretending to be a window washer. Worse, Hazel Fenwick never went to Della's apartment; she has disappeared and the police think Perry knows where she is. We meet Hamilton Burger for the first time in the Perry Mason books. He bears no malice to Perry, just wants to know where Fenwick is. Perry insists he doesn't know. He is not believed.
Later there is a second murder, a clever razzle dazzle sending a decoy of the missing witness to Reno, where she is noticed and assumed to be the real witness. Now Perry is really in trouble!
Good court room scenes. Hamilton Burger makes his first appearance! Excellent use of Hamilton Burger. Good use of Sgt. Holcomb.
Recurring themes: Perry in danger of being disbarred. Ingenious subterfuges. Arrogant young ne'er-do-well.
Characters who we meet:
Peter Brunold, man with a glass eye who is afraid he will be framed.
Bertha McLane, well meaning sister of
Harry McLane, ne'er-do-well 22 year old with big ideas.
Hartley Basset, wealthy hard-nosed businessman.
Arthur Colemar, assistant to Hartley Basset.
Sylvia Basset, wife of Hartley, mother of
Dick Basset, son of Sylvia but not actually of Hartley.
James Overton, chauffeur with a hidden agenda.
Hazel Fenwick, mysterious new wife of Dick Basset who is hard to find.
Edith Brite, no nonsense servant in the Basset household.
Thelma Bevins, young woman who needs a job, even if it's a bit risky.
The plot hinges on at least one big coincidence, which detracts from my appreciation of it. I also think there is at least one plot hole.
Still, recommended.
On the whole, the ones written by about 1953 are the best. This is an early one, from 1935. As in all the early ones, Perry is a hard boiled agressive ingenious fighter, not the more urbane established figure of the much later TV series.
The story begins when Peter Brunold comes into Perry's office with an unusual story. He has a glass eye, in fact several for different occasions, and he says that someone has stolen his good bloodshot eye and replaced it with a cheaper imitation, a "counterfeit". Why would anyone do that? Brunold is afraid his good eye will be left at the scene of a crime and that it could be traced to him. In fact, Brunold seems to be anticipating that a murder will be committed soon, with his eye at the scene!
Perry has an idea that he can beat the problem. Though not totally explained, it seems he's going to get a lot of eyes and scatter them around. That doesn't really make sense, but let that go.
No sooner has Brunold left than a pair of new clients arrives, Harry McLane and sister Bertha. Turns out that Harry has embezzled a lot of money from his employer, one Hartley Basset. Basset has discovered the loss. Harry is an arrogant young know-it-all, a recurring character in the Perry Mason canon. Responsible older sister Bertha wants Perry to try to negotiate a deal she can live with to return the money over time. For her sake, Perry agrees.
Perry visits Basset that night and finds him to be a hard-nosed no-nonsense type who demands repayment at a rate Bertha couldn't do. Oddly, Basset's wife Sylvia comes in and seems interested in the embezzlement and helping Bertha. Basset dismisses her and Perry leaves with disgust. However, as he is getting into his car Mrs. Basset steps in and tells him she would like Perry's help in leaving Basset and marrying someone else! When she realizes she has been followed, she hurries off.
Then events happen rapidly. A couple hours later Perry is called back to the Basset house by Sylvia. He finds Basset dead, a suicide note in his typewriter. Also in the house are Basset's assistant Arthur Colemar, Sylvia's son Dick, a servant woman, and Dick's brand new wife, Hazel Fenwick. There are not one, not two, but three guns near the body!
Hazel Fenwick tells an astonishing story. She saw a man leave the room where the body lay. At first he was masked with a piece of paper in which eye holes had been cut. Behind one eye hole was an empty socket! No eye! And Basset's dead body is clutching a glass eye! We are full circle to Peter Brunold's story. Then Hazel rips off the mask and gets a look at the man. No one else does. She doesn't recognize him.
That's an amazing amount of action in the first 20% of the book. Perry whisks away Hazel Fenwick, telling her to take his car and go to Della Street's apartment. Then the police arrive, led by the usual foil in the early Mason books, Sgt. Holcomb.
Perry seems to have an unusually large number of clients: Peter Brunold, the McLanes, and Sylvia Basset.
Perry has to resort to a clever razzle dazzle to later see Sylvia, pretending to be a window washer. Worse, Hazel Fenwick never went to Della's apartment; she has disappeared and the police think Perry knows where she is. We meet Hamilton Burger for the first time in the Perry Mason books. He bears no malice to Perry, just wants to know where Fenwick is. Perry insists he doesn't know. He is not believed.
Later there is a second murder, a clever razzle dazzle sending a decoy of the missing witness to Reno, where she is noticed and assumed to be the real witness. Now Perry is really in trouble!
Good court room scenes. Hamilton Burger makes his first appearance! Excellent use of Hamilton Burger. Good use of Sgt. Holcomb.
Recurring themes: Perry in danger of being disbarred. Ingenious subterfuges. Arrogant young ne'er-do-well.
Characters who we meet:
Peter Brunold, man with a glass eye who is afraid he will be framed.
Bertha McLane, well meaning sister of
Harry McLane, ne'er-do-well 22 year old with big ideas.
Hartley Basset, wealthy hard-nosed businessman.
Arthur Colemar, assistant to Hartley Basset.
Sylvia Basset, wife of Hartley, mother of
Dick Basset, son of Sylvia but not actually of Hartley.
James Overton, chauffeur with a hidden agenda.
Hazel Fenwick, mysterious new wife of Dick Basset who is hard to find.
Edith Brite, no nonsense servant in the Basset household.
Thelma Bevins, young woman who needs a job, even if it's a bit risky.
The plot hinges on at least one big coincidence, which detracts from my appreciation of it. I also think there is at least one plot hole.
Still, recommended.
January 19, 2019
A thrilling early entry from 1935 that marks the first appearance of DA Hamilton Burger. Perry Mason is in hot water up to his eyeballs having managed to get his prints on both a gun and bullets at the crime scene. Perry is almost arrested twice, including a breathtaking chase while posing as a window washer to get to a witness. Even at the time of trial, Mason is nearly held in contempt of court, placed into custody, and called before a grand jury. The only way out? Find the real murder before the court goes into recess.
July 9, 2021
The good: this is a very quick read, and the logic of the solution is solid.
The bad: the plot is extremely unrealistic, including in no uncertain terms the fact that Paul Drake apparently finds out a person of interest's entire life story during the wee small hours of the morning.
Also, the shenanigans that Mason pulls, which includes are just not credible of a so say expert lawyer.
The bad: the plot is extremely unrealistic, including in no uncertain terms the fact that Paul Drake apparently finds out a person of interest's entire life story during the wee small hours of the morning.
Also, the shenanigans that Mason pulls, which includes are just not credible of a so say expert lawyer.
March 1, 2021
Este ha sido mi primer acercamiento a un personaje tan famoso como Perry Mason (con más de 300 millones de libros vendidos y populares series de televisión), y he de decir que me ha gustado mucho. La narración me ha parecido ágil e intrigante, y no he perdido el interés en ningún momento. Una lectura francamente divertida, perfecta para pasar un buen rato. Muy recomendable.
June 18, 2020
A fast-pace story about murder, mayhem, & a cunning attorney, Perry Mason. There's no extra input except for a few grammatical errors but overall, a book full of the anecdotes used by a very Knowledgeable and crafty attorney.
December 13, 2020
Helmet Burger makes his first appearance in this book and ESG writes what I think is his first solid mystery and the most fun court scenes to date. This book feels like the one the tv series built it’s formula on.
January 1, 2022
Been missing Perry and the gang, and I LOVE the earlier ones!
November 1, 2024
Fun engaging and typical Perry Mason.
July 31, 2023
Perry Mason picks up two cases. A man with a glass eye comes in and says someone stole his glass eye and replaced it with a cheap version and my be trying to get him falsely arrested. Then a young woman comes with her brother who says he had embezzled some money from a man he worked for. When Perry goes to the employer, he finds a young woman being tended to after being accosted by a man running from the inner office with a mask showing one empty eye socket. As you can imagine, the two cases seem to be related, but with a very complicated plot. The story is clever and complicated!
July 27, 2023
AFTER READING THE FIRST BOOK OF PERRY MASON I HAD TO CONTINUE READING ABOUT HIM
The first book was great and this one did not dissapoint.
The first book was great and this one did not dissapoint.
April 18, 2023
Brilliant! Another masterstroke by ESG. When i had read the previous few books in the Perry Mason series, i had found the plot to be straightforward (a bit) at the beginning, completely complicated in the middle, and then what always followed was a fascinating explanation that tied up the loose ends. This one baffled me from the start, the middle was exceptionally convoluted which resulted in an exciting build up for the bombshell to be dropped at the finale!
I’m not even sure how to write a blurb for this plot but i will try my best.
Hartley Basset, a wealthy businessman ( a loan shark who often charged a humongous vig) has killed himself, or has he?! There is a suicide note though, and three guns in the room! Basset’s wife wanted an out, his adopted son hated his guts, and his former accountant owed him four thousand dollars of embezzled money. And there’s a man with a glass eye who hired Mason regarding his missing eye orb- which later was found clutched in a dead body’s hand. This time it might seem that Perry Mason have taken up more than what he can chew, yet he never gives up on a client- cause he’s a paid gladiator! The feisty trio - Perry Mason, Della street (his confidential secretary) and Paul drake - a sleuth who gets results even after going without sleep, together they’ll have to keep about their wits, and piece together this likely unsolvable puzzle of mayhem, deceit, lies, and murder!
I have mentioned before how Mason acts more like a detective rather like an attorney, though his skills and reputation as the latter are unmatched! From the get-go Mason starts pulling his threads and makes fast paced decisions to create clues or plot lines that might make the evidence against his clients circumstantial. What i found very interesting in this particular book was the fact that one of the the notorious ‘manoeuvres’ of Perry Mason, that are normally very extraordinary and brilliantly thrilling, blows up in his face and could have had land him in front of a grand jury if he was made out by the police. A new district attorney is introduced in this story, and something tells me about Hamilton Burger that he’s going to stay as the DA for the next books in the series as well. This is an interesting and a fast paced mystery, with twists and turns that’ll make a high speed roller coaster ride seem like a remote control miniature car for kids!
I’m not even sure how to write a blurb for this plot but i will try my best.
Hartley Basset, a wealthy businessman ( a loan shark who often charged a humongous vig) has killed himself, or has he?! There is a suicide note though, and three guns in the room! Basset’s wife wanted an out, his adopted son hated his guts, and his former accountant owed him four thousand dollars of embezzled money. And there’s a man with a glass eye who hired Mason regarding his missing eye orb- which later was found clutched in a dead body’s hand. This time it might seem that Perry Mason have taken up more than what he can chew, yet he never gives up on a client- cause he’s a paid gladiator! The feisty trio - Perry Mason, Della street (his confidential secretary) and Paul drake - a sleuth who gets results even after going without sleep, together they’ll have to keep about their wits, and piece together this likely unsolvable puzzle of mayhem, deceit, lies, and murder!
I have mentioned before how Mason acts more like a detective rather like an attorney, though his skills and reputation as the latter are unmatched! From the get-go Mason starts pulling his threads and makes fast paced decisions to create clues or plot lines that might make the evidence against his clients circumstantial. What i found very interesting in this particular book was the fact that one of the the notorious ‘manoeuvres’ of Perry Mason, that are normally very extraordinary and brilliantly thrilling, blows up in his face and could have had land him in front of a grand jury if he was made out by the police. A new district attorney is introduced in this story, and something tells me about Hamilton Burger that he’s going to stay as the DA for the next books in the series as well. This is an interesting and a fast paced mystery, with twists and turns that’ll make a high speed roller coaster ride seem like a remote control miniature car for kids!
February 9, 2017
I’ve read Erle Stanley Gardner once before but I’ve never read his Perry Mason books – which is remarkable since (1) I liked the TV show, and (2) my mom had a bunch of them on her bookshelf when I was a kid. Now that (somewhat hilariously) the American Bar Association is reprinting the Mason series, I decided it was time to try one. This is one of the earlier ones, which starts with a one-eyed client who claims someone stole his glass eye and he wants Mason to provide him with insurance in case the eye should be used to frame him – which is exactly what happens when wealthy businessman Harley Bassett is found dead with a glass eye in his palm and three guns near the body. The style is somewhat pulpish and occasionally cornball (such as when Mason introduces himself to people as “I'm Perry Mason, the lawyer”), and sometimes it’s unintentionally funny (honestly, almost everyone who comes to seek Mason’s services in this book seems to expect him to help them without confiding anything to him). And yet it’s pretty entertaining if you like dialogue-driven mysteries and courtroom drama (which I do) – it’s a fast-paced page-turner with solid characters, and while Mason’s strategy to win the case is pretty over-the-top, it’s an entertaining enough tale that it seems churlish to complain.
December 5, 2020
Perry Mason👨🏻⚖️ se enfrenta esta vez a un caso en el que recibe la visita de un hombre👨🏻 que tiene un ojo de cristal y sospecha que en uno de los tantos que tiene le han dado el cambiazo.
Nada más salir este hombre del despacho entra una pareja👩🏻🧑🏻🦱 para encargarle otro caso al abogado. Dos casos que no tienen nada que ver en apariencia, pero la cosa se enreda, ya que el ojo👁 que sospecha el cliente de Perry que le han robado para darle el cambiazo por uno de peor calidad es encontrado en la escena de un crimen.
El crimen de un hombre muy rico💵 Hartley Basset, que estaba rodeado de enemigos, y que aparece con el ojo👁de cristal robado en la mano y varias armas🔫🔪, lo que hace descartar desde el principio el suicidio. Nuestro abogado👨🏻⚖️ tendrá que enfrentarse a un caso donde todo indica que sus defendidos lo tendrán difícil, pero no será así porque los defiende el mejor. Si queréis saber más cositas, la reseña completa está en nuestro blog.
Nada más salir este hombre del despacho entra una pareja👩🏻🧑🏻🦱 para encargarle otro caso al abogado. Dos casos que no tienen nada que ver en apariencia, pero la cosa se enreda, ya que el ojo👁 que sospecha el cliente de Perry que le han robado para darle el cambiazo por uno de peor calidad es encontrado en la escena de un crimen.
El crimen de un hombre muy rico💵 Hartley Basset, que estaba rodeado de enemigos, y que aparece con el ojo👁de cristal robado en la mano y varias armas🔫🔪, lo que hace descartar desde el principio el suicidio. Nuestro abogado👨🏻⚖️ tendrá que enfrentarse a un caso donde todo indica que sus defendidos lo tendrán difícil, pero no será así porque los defiende el mejor. Si queréis saber más cositas, la reseña completa está en nuestro blog.
December 16, 2022
The Perry Mason series never fails to disappoint and Counterfeit Eye is yet another excellent read. The books may be short but Gardner packs a lot of twists and turns to keep things interesting. It seems. Like a simple murder but it quickly evolves into something else entirely and each character has a motive for wanting the man dead.
Mason isn't just a lawyer but he could also be a detective and is clever enough to keep two or even three steps ahead of the police. The dialog may seem a bit dated but the story itself isn't. There's a reason these novels are so addictive and Gardner is constantly tweaking the formula to keep things fresh and exciting. The characters themselves are interesting and are there to keep the plot moving while being an intricate part of the book.
The series never fails to disappoint and it continues to be a series I always come back to.
Mason isn't just a lawyer but he could also be a detective and is clever enough to keep two or even three steps ahead of the police. The dialog may seem a bit dated but the story itself isn't. There's a reason these novels are so addictive and Gardner is constantly tweaking the formula to keep things fresh and exciting. The characters themselves are interesting and are there to keep the plot moving while being an intricate part of the book.
The series never fails to disappoint and it continues to be a series I always come back to.
February 3, 2020
One of my favorites so far. You do learn more than you'd want to know about glass eyes, though. I'm temporarily a mini-expert before my memory fails me again. Hamilton Burger is introduced for the first time, and as fans of the show or books know, he becomes the main competition in the courtroom. Perry smashes him but soothes it over with an olive branch at the end. I'm sure this goodwill won't hold. A funny thing about this one is Perry is representing almost every character in the novel in some shape or form.
December 25, 2014
I picked this up as a daily deal. I have never read any of the Perry Mason books, just grew up on the reruns of the TV show.
Still i was not prepared for how good this was and just how interesting the character of the detective-lawyer Perry Mason was. The show presented some of this, but once again the book is always better.
Still i was not prepared for how good this was and just how interesting the character of the detective-lawyer Perry Mason was. The show presented some of this, but once again the book is always better.
June 26, 2017
I love this series. I have been working towards reading the entire series. I love how old fashioned they are. As a woman it is shocking how they treat and talk to women. Such a different time. Good reminder that things have changed even if it is not perfect.
December 30, 2016
To follow
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