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Perry Mason #33
The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom
A lawyer is sucked into a couple’s hostile divorce in this mystery with “a stellar ending” from the original detective series that inspired the HBO show (Kirkus Reviews). Edward Garvin is a very successful businessman with a very unhappy ex-wife—who wants his money. So Garvin calls on lawyer Perry Mason to protect his company from her schemes, and ensure the divorce they’d gotten in Mexico is actually finalized. But when Garvin’s former spouse is struck down by a killer, Mason’s client becomes the chief suspect. Fortunately, the attorney “comes up with dazzling answers” to the mystery . . . (The New York Times). This whodunit is part of Edgar Award–winning author Erle Stanley Gardner’s classic, long-running Perry Mason series, which has sold three hundred million copies and serves as the inspiration for the HBO show starring Matthew Rhys and Tatiana Maslany. DON’T MISS THE NEW HBO ORIGINAL SERIES PERRY MASON, BASED ON CHARACTERS FROM ERLE STANLEY GARDNER’S NOVELS, STARRING EMMY AWARD WINNER MATTHEW RHYS
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1949
401 people are currently reading
587 people want to read
About the author
Erle Stanley Gardner
1,350 books815 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 93 reviews
November 4, 2020
I have been a reader of Erle Stanley Gardner for a long, long time. I don’t know how good a lawyer he his but he writes with care and craft about lawyering and his Perry Mason has been an iconic image for more recent authors.
The plots often have a hard core of law to them. Mason is based in Los Angeles so he is expert on California law and that plays an interesting role in a case that involves international bigamy (and, as usual, murder). There is a pattern to Gardner’s stories in that Mason has his two trusty associates, Paul Drake and Della Street, by his side in almost all cases. There are always many characters but the Los Angeles police (and usually, Lt. Tragg) figure prominently. The situations are no longer politically correct with much of the description of women going to their looks. The following is an exception but it doesn’t eliminate the imbalance.
"“Do sit down, Mr. Mason.” While her figure did not have the lines of early youth, it had, nevertheless, maintained the slim-waisted symmetry which comes with a disciplined diet. There was about her face and about her eyes the calm, self-contained look of a woman who has coordinated her life with the greatest care and makes every move as the result of some carefully preconceived plan."
Mason is a clever lawyer who skirts the edge of acceptable practice at times. "If I have a right to cross-examine a man and ask him how he knows that’s the car, after he’s given his testimony in court, I have a right to cross-examine him before he testifies and demonstrate to him that he can’t really tell one convertible from another. Come on, Della.”"
More than 9 out of 10 times the story is resolved in the courtroom with Mason delivering a coup de grace to someone unexpected on the witness stand. This case is not much of an exception, but is certainly well done. 3.5*
The plots often have a hard core of law to them. Mason is based in Los Angeles so he is expert on California law and that plays an interesting role in a case that involves international bigamy (and, as usual, murder). There is a pattern to Gardner’s stories in that Mason has his two trusty associates, Paul Drake and Della Street, by his side in almost all cases. There are always many characters but the Los Angeles police (and usually, Lt. Tragg) figure prominently. The situations are no longer politically correct with much of the description of women going to their looks. The following is an exception but it doesn’t eliminate the imbalance.
"“Do sit down, Mr. Mason.” While her figure did not have the lines of early youth, it had, nevertheless, maintained the slim-waisted symmetry which comes with a disciplined diet. There was about her face and about her eyes the calm, self-contained look of a woman who has coordinated her life with the greatest care and makes every move as the result of some carefully preconceived plan."
Mason is a clever lawyer who skirts the edge of acceptable practice at times. "If I have a right to cross-examine a man and ask him how he knows that’s the car, after he’s given his testimony in court, I have a right to cross-examine him before he testifies and demonstrate to him that he can’t really tell one convertible from another. Come on, Della.”"
More than 9 out of 10 times the story is resolved in the courtroom with Mason delivering a coup de grace to someone unexpected on the witness stand. This case is not much of an exception, but is certainly well done. 3.5*
May 8, 2024
The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom involves corporate financial manipulation, Mexican divorce, bigamy, and, of course, murder.
Mason, working late at night, confronts a beautiful, armed intruder on his fire escape. The intruder manages to hide the pistol she is carrying, which is later discovered by officers of a corporation who share the fire escape with Mason. She manages to elude him by accusations in front of a security guard that Mason made sexual advances towards her.
The corporation manager retains Mason to determine the validity of his Mexican divorce from his first wife and his marriage to his new wife. Mason contacts the first wife, who informs him she intends to pursue criminal bigamy charges against Mason’s client. Mason advises his client and wife to go to Mexico, where the divorce and subsequent marriage are legal. Mason joins the couple at a hotel in Mexico.
In the meantime, the first wife engages in an underhanded proxy war to wrest control of the corporation from the husband.
The first wife is murdered with the gun found on the fire escape. Possession of the weapon by Mason’s client is proved. Witnesses place the client’s car at the scene of the crime, or is it actually Mason’s car they see? Mason may face Bar Association discipline when outside the courtroom, he convinces a witness the car is, in fact, his.
The case against Mason’s client seems airtight, but Mason comes to realize that his client’s second wife may be the murderer. The client threatens to fire Mason if he pursues that avenue of inquiry.
Mason, working late at night, confronts a beautiful, armed intruder on his fire escape. The intruder manages to hide the pistol she is carrying, which is later discovered by officers of a corporation who share the fire escape with Mason. She manages to elude him by accusations in front of a security guard that Mason made sexual advances towards her.
The corporation manager retains Mason to determine the validity of his Mexican divorce from his first wife and his marriage to his new wife. Mason contacts the first wife, who informs him she intends to pursue criminal bigamy charges against Mason’s client. Mason advises his client and wife to go to Mexico, where the divorce and subsequent marriage are legal. Mason joins the couple at a hotel in Mexico.
In the meantime, the first wife engages in an underhanded proxy war to wrest control of the corporation from the husband.
The first wife is murdered with the gun found on the fire escape. Possession of the weapon by Mason’s client is proved. Witnesses place the client’s car at the scene of the crime, or is it actually Mason’s car they see? Mason may face Bar Association discipline when outside the courtroom, he convinces a witness the car is, in fact, his.
The case against Mason’s client seems airtight, but Mason comes to realize that his client’s second wife may be the murderer. The client threatens to fire Mason if he pursues that avenue of inquiry.
October 14, 2016
When Perry mason uses the term 'razzle-dazzle' thrice in the book, you can guess the book is going to be a bombshell. And so it is. This was one of the books I had to sneak finish (between breakfast) since it was paced that way.
Dubious bridegroom has a lot of legal quicksands like validity of Mexico divorce, Proxy shareholder voting, eye witness training and proof of car trails. It is a one man show where prosecution has no answer, but then even before the murder, the book is interesting.
Although this book works best when you don't pause to think too much about logic, this is one of the best books in the series I have read.
Dubious bridegroom has a lot of legal quicksands like validity of Mexico divorce, Proxy shareholder voting, eye witness training and proof of car trails. It is a one man show where prosecution has no answer, but then even before the murder, the book is interesting.
Although this book works best when you don't pause to think too much about logic, this is one of the best books in the series I have read.
May 7, 2020
This one really perks up when we finally get to the courtroom scene. The San Diego County D.A. is determined not to let Perry Mason, the big-city lawyer from Los Angeles, make a monkey of him. The case will pivot around what's described as a new hotel in Tijuana; as Donald Fagen advised, it's cheap but it's not free!
March 22, 2023
When businessman Edward Garvin comes in to consult Perry Mason, he implies that Mason’s secretary, Della Street, should leave the room because it’s “a delicate matter.” Nothing doing, says Mason. “‘I specialize in delicate matters.’” And it is in fact a delicate matter.
Garvin is worried about the validity of his marriage to his young second wife, Lorraine. When he was courting her, he thought his first wife, Ethel, had gotten a divorce in Nevada, but that turned out not to be true. He tried to remedy the situation by obtaining a divorce in Mexico before marrying Lorraine, but now Ethel is threatening him with a bigamy charge to get a big property settlement.
Mason agrees to look into it, but the case soon escalates to encompass possible wrongdoing in Garvin’s business. Things come to a head when Ethel Garvin is found murdered. The circumstances seem to point pretty clearly to Edward as the killer, even though he and Lorraine were with Mason in Tijuana, Mexico, on the night of the crime.
When Garvin goes on trial for murder, the District Attorney relishes the opportunity to beat Mason in court. After Mason surprises him with an opening statement that is the definition of minimalism, the D.A. tells his assistant, “‘I can see how Mason has built up a reputation for himself. He’s a grandstander, he’s smart, and he’s always putting on a show for the jury. Tomorrow I’m going to have the great pleasure of knocking the wind out of him. We’re going to smash that poise of his like a gunner smashes a clay pigeon.’”
But of course, Perry Mason is no pigeon, clay or otherwise. Despite some inconvenient facts and uncooperative witnesses—including his own client—he manages to sort things out and uncover the truth to get his client off the hook. Not that anyone who has ever heard of Perry Mason had any doubt.
The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom is a good mystery that contains enough ambiguous clues and red herrings to keep readers guessing about exactly how Ethel Garvin was killed and who killed her. There is also some good back-and-forth in the courtroom. Somewhat oddly, though, the book doesn’t culminate in a courtroom victory, but rather with a reluctant witness finally telling Mason what happened. That seemed a little abrupt to me.
As a postscript, prospective readers should keep in mind that this book was written in 1949. That comes into play in two ways. First, it contains some old-fashioned attitudes toward women. Mason enjoys describing women’s bodies, from the legs and curves of Virginia Colfax to the rolling “seductive hips” of the woman who runs the hotel in Tijuana. Mason’s not exactly misogynistic—for example, he treats Della Street more as a partner than an underling—but he’d have some adjustments to make in 2021. Second, some of the clues involved in the case are dated. For example, a Dictaphone that records onto cylinders is a potential clue. And Mason deduces that Ethel Garvin filled up the gas tank of her car at a private ranch rather than at a service station because the windshield was still dirty. Ah for the old days of the Texaco service station attendants running out to your car in their snappy uniforms!
Garvin is worried about the validity of his marriage to his young second wife, Lorraine. When he was courting her, he thought his first wife, Ethel, had gotten a divorce in Nevada, but that turned out not to be true. He tried to remedy the situation by obtaining a divorce in Mexico before marrying Lorraine, but now Ethel is threatening him with a bigamy charge to get a big property settlement.
Mason agrees to look into it, but the case soon escalates to encompass possible wrongdoing in Garvin’s business. Things come to a head when Ethel Garvin is found murdered. The circumstances seem to point pretty clearly to Edward as the killer, even though he and Lorraine were with Mason in Tijuana, Mexico, on the night of the crime.
When Garvin goes on trial for murder, the District Attorney relishes the opportunity to beat Mason in court. After Mason surprises him with an opening statement that is the definition of minimalism, the D.A. tells his assistant, “‘I can see how Mason has built up a reputation for himself. He’s a grandstander, he’s smart, and he’s always putting on a show for the jury. Tomorrow I’m going to have the great pleasure of knocking the wind out of him. We’re going to smash that poise of his like a gunner smashes a clay pigeon.’”
But of course, Perry Mason is no pigeon, clay or otherwise. Despite some inconvenient facts and uncooperative witnesses—including his own client—he manages to sort things out and uncover the truth to get his client off the hook. Not that anyone who has ever heard of Perry Mason had any doubt.
The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom is a good mystery that contains enough ambiguous clues and red herrings to keep readers guessing about exactly how Ethel Garvin was killed and who killed her. There is also some good back-and-forth in the courtroom. Somewhat oddly, though, the book doesn’t culminate in a courtroom victory, but rather with a reluctant witness finally telling Mason what happened. That seemed a little abrupt to me.
As a postscript, prospective readers should keep in mind that this book was written in 1949. That comes into play in two ways. First, it contains some old-fashioned attitudes toward women. Mason enjoys describing women’s bodies, from the legs and curves of Virginia Colfax to the rolling “seductive hips” of the woman who runs the hotel in Tijuana. Mason’s not exactly misogynistic—for example, he treats Della Street more as a partner than an underling—but he’d have some adjustments to make in 2021. Second, some of the clues involved in the case are dated. For example, a Dictaphone that records onto cylinders is a potential clue. And Mason deduces that Ethel Garvin filled up the gas tank of her car at a private ranch rather than at a service station because the windshield was still dirty. Ah for the old days of the Texaco service station attendants running out to your car in their snappy uniforms!
April 19, 2020
Perry Mason is working late when a mysterious young woman climbs through his office window.
He soon finds himself drawn into a corporate takeover attempt which leads inevitably to murder. The stakes are high and Mason is called before the Ethics Committee to face charges of manipulating a witness.
Gardner's solid plotting and excellent sense of pace drags readers headlong into the glamorous world of his popular hero.
He soon finds himself drawn into a corporate takeover attempt which leads inevitably to murder. The stakes are high and Mason is called before the Ethics Committee to face charges of manipulating a witness.
Gardner's solid plotting and excellent sense of pace drags readers headlong into the glamorous world of his popular hero.
March 14, 2021
Not one of the better Perry Mason novels. I found it kind of irksome, actually. The plot was muddled, and it was filled with not just outdated, but rather offensive characterizations. Normally I love Gardner's Perry Mason mysteries, but I felt like this one was an unpleasant aberration.
February 27, 2021
Read this book only if you wish to be disillusioned about Raymond Burr's Perry Mason. The Mason of this book is not the suave, urbane lawyer of the 1960s TV show. Rather here we have the pulp version from the 1930s. Perry's description of the woman he brings in off the fire escape would never pass today's feminist sensibilities. And yet...and yet...good ol' Perry solves the case in one of the more raucous courtroom scenes and against a District Attorney who is specifically out to put Perry in his place. It's best to read this book as a contrast to the original TV series and even to some of the earlier books in the series.
And the ending was too abrupt.
And the ending was too abrupt.
December 17, 2020
I turned back the clock to 1949 to read a new edition of Erle Stanley Gardner’s “The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom.” It’s one of 82 Perry Mason novels that spawned a pair of network television series, 30 television movies, and earlier this year, an offbeat HBO series that I enjoyed.
The number one bestselling author of the 20th Century, Gardner virtually created the legal thriller subgenre of crime fiction. (Yes, I know about Arthur Train of a generation earlier and his novels featuring “Yankee Lawyer” Ephraim Tutt).
Without Perry Mason, would there have been a John Grisham or a Scott Turow? Like Gardner, they were both accomplished trial lawyers when they first started writing fiction, and both were clearly influenced by his work. (Before I wrote my first legal thriller, a Miami judge questioned whether I was already writing fiction in my legal briefs).
“The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom” starts as a civil matter with an ex-wife trying to take over her hubby’s company. When she’s found killed, sure thing, the ex-husband is charged with murder. Mason does much of the gumshoe work himself, aided by loyal P.I. Paul Drake and the shorthand-taking secretary Della Street. Once in the courtroom, sparks fly, and there are the twists and turns and red herrings associated with classic mysteries.
So how does a 70-year-old novel stack up against today’s legal thrillers? One thing going for Gardner’s work: homicide trials and criminal procedures have changed very little. That helps with technical details.
Similarly, Mason’s skepticism of the justice system would not be out of place in today’s legal thrillers: “By the time a witness gets on the stand he’s testifying to a composite of what he saw, what he thinks he saw, what the other fellow tells him he saw, and what he concludes he must have seen.”
Famously, Gardner dictated his novels, and rather quickly. It’s no-frills writing without elegant flourishes. There are no lengthy descriptions of the courtroom’s polished oak wainscoting and very little sense of place. Scenes are short, and even so, the dialogue tends to get windy. There are some unfortunate examples of ethnic stereotypes that were doubtless reflective of the era.
In short, “...Bridegroom” is a time capsule, right down the cylinders of a Dictaphone that portend a plot twist. Like many 1940's books and plays, the novel is dated but worth considering.
Paul Levine
The number one bestselling author of the 20th Century, Gardner virtually created the legal thriller subgenre of crime fiction. (Yes, I know about Arthur Train of a generation earlier and his novels featuring “Yankee Lawyer” Ephraim Tutt).
Without Perry Mason, would there have been a John Grisham or a Scott Turow? Like Gardner, they were both accomplished trial lawyers when they first started writing fiction, and both were clearly influenced by his work. (Before I wrote my first legal thriller, a Miami judge questioned whether I was already writing fiction in my legal briefs).
“The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom” starts as a civil matter with an ex-wife trying to take over her hubby’s company. When she’s found killed, sure thing, the ex-husband is charged with murder. Mason does much of the gumshoe work himself, aided by loyal P.I. Paul Drake and the shorthand-taking secretary Della Street. Once in the courtroom, sparks fly, and there are the twists and turns and red herrings associated with classic mysteries.
So how does a 70-year-old novel stack up against today’s legal thrillers? One thing going for Gardner’s work: homicide trials and criminal procedures have changed very little. That helps with technical details.
Similarly, Mason’s skepticism of the justice system would not be out of place in today’s legal thrillers: “By the time a witness gets on the stand he’s testifying to a composite of what he saw, what he thinks he saw, what the other fellow tells him he saw, and what he concludes he must have seen.”
Famously, Gardner dictated his novels, and rather quickly. It’s no-frills writing without elegant flourishes. There are no lengthy descriptions of the courtroom’s polished oak wainscoting and very little sense of place. Scenes are short, and even so, the dialogue tends to get windy. There are some unfortunate examples of ethnic stereotypes that were doubtless reflective of the era.
In short, “...Bridegroom” is a time capsule, right down the cylinders of a Dictaphone that portend a plot twist. Like many 1940's books and plays, the novel is dated but worth considering.
Paul Levine
July 19, 2020
I’ve been watching the new (and thus far excellent!) Perry Mason series on HBO, as well as a few of the classic 50s episodes. Thus, I was drawn to the source material, and I was particularly stunned by just how prolific a writer Erle Stanley Gardner was. While I understand the appeal of a book such as “The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom,” I found the repetition of details (from personal interviews to follow-up discussions to the courtroom testimony), as well as the over-reliance on dialogue (it reads as a script in that sense), to be limiting. In addition, the characters were somewhat flat — especially the women, who seem to exist alternately for descriptions of their legs (Virginia) and the usefulness of their “women’s intuition” (Della) — though that may be the result of jumping into the middle of an established series, as well as of course the 1949 publication date.
December 22, 2021
I’ve only read a couple of Perry Mason mysteries but this one was by far the most fun yet. It starts with Perry finding a beautiful woman on his fire escape who is trying really hard not to be seen or identified. He then gets pulled into the kind of case that wouldn’t be nearly such a big deal today. His client has divorced his first wife in Mexico and then gotten remarried. He thought she also wanted the divorce, but now she’s angry and is maneuvering to get control of his company from him and have him arrested on charges of bigamy. While Perry is doing an amazing job of managing this problem, a murder occurs upping the ante tremendously as everyone thinks his client is the murderer.
Now right from the beginning, I think it should be noted that this book didn’t need a murder. The original problem, managing the client’s problems with his (at least in Mexico) ex-wife, was excellent and totally had my interest. I was almost sorry to see the murder because it changed dramatically the nature of the legal problem. But that being said, the courtroom drama was equally fascinating. There’s a humorous element as the prosecutor and his assistant are constantly maneuvering to humiliate Perry (and we, the reader knows Perry is going to win out in the end). They go so far as to (unethically in my opinion) try to get the bar to come down on Perry for doing his job as a defense attorney. But in addition to the normal legal troubles, Perry also (again) has to deal with a client who won’t tell the truth to him, making it ten times as hard for Perry to adequately defend him. Then consider the red herrings... I freely admit that I didn’t figure this one out—but I should have.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Now right from the beginning, I think it should be noted that this book didn’t need a murder. The original problem, managing the client’s problems with his (at least in Mexico) ex-wife, was excellent and totally had my interest. I was almost sorry to see the murder because it changed dramatically the nature of the legal problem. But that being said, the courtroom drama was equally fascinating. There’s a humorous element as the prosecutor and his assistant are constantly maneuvering to humiliate Perry (and we, the reader knows Perry is going to win out in the end). They go so far as to (unethically in my opinion) try to get the bar to come down on Perry for doing his job as a defense attorney. But in addition to the normal legal troubles, Perry also (again) has to deal with a client who won’t tell the truth to him, making it ten times as hard for Perry to adequately defend him. Then consider the red herrings... I freely admit that I didn’t figure this one out—but I should have.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
August 23, 2020
I never got into Erle Stanley Gardner even though my mom, who introduced me to murder mysteries, was a minor fan. A couple years back Charles Ardai's Hard Case put out an A.A. Fair Cool and Lam novel, which was tricksy and enjoyable, as was the followup reissue. I haven't watched the new series, but given that its existence has spurred Mysterious Press and an affiliated imprint to drop a bunch of Perry Mason novels, now's an opportune time to catch up. I'm on my third Mason and it's worth doing. Gardner's writing is brisk (although there's some padding here and there — why should Mason have to tell confidante Della Street that "That's Paul Drake's secret knock" and so on), his characters ingratiating, his situations unusual, and his plots twisty. Nifty stuff.
December 7, 2024
Not one of the better Perry Mason's, I think. While it had some delightful Perry-Della-Paul moments, the plot was rather a mess of names, motives, vehicles, and casual sexism. Plus some rather unlikeable people. It wasn't bad, per se, but it definitely featured some of the most dubiously legal actions on the part of both Perry AND the police. Which is saying something because, if you've read these, you know that Perry's a bit of a line-walker sometimes.
March 20, 2021
This is an excellent Perry Mason case. The plot is intricate with several characters not truthful for one reason or another. A nice twist at the end allow Perry to solve the mystery. Sharp courtroom dialog and it brings a chuckle to the reader as Perry wraps another DA around his finger and watches him squirm. I recommend this for the mystery fan.
October 25, 2020
Have seen this episode on television many times so I decided to read the book as well. There are many changes to the plot, but the murderer remains the same. Frankly, I prefer the TV version because it is more intriguing in many ways. The book is probably closer to what really happens in a courtroom, but some of the events are drawn out and not as interesting. Still Perry, Della and Paul are always worth a read.
June 1, 2021
Perry Mason books are formulaic, which I already knew from the old tv show. But honestly, sometimes it is nice to know what you are getting. I read these with pictures of the tv characters in my head.
August 5, 2025
Very entertaining. The end was a bit rushed and contained a bit of an inconsistency. But it was a lot of fun.
December 23, 2023
Good story about bigamy. There is a lot of movement in this one, US and Mexico. It's well written, unfortunately, though, it has the usual spelling and punctuation issues, but then no one bothered to proofread after they scanned the original book. Excellent read, though.
December 10, 2021
Inconsistently interesting and last minute luck really saved the day here. Courtroom antic kinds of amusing with the new DA and his sidekick, but abrupt ending took away the full congratulatory wrap-up. We didn't find out full resolution on the second charge that hung over the defendants head the first half of the book either, nor really much of a motive that's as solid as usual.
October 19, 2020
I've been reading this series in order, and this is one of the better ones. It might be best to read it in one sitting, which I was not able to do. I think most of the clues are there, and certainly there are at least important hints early on. I thought it deteriorated a bit at the end, where Gardner seems to feel he had to end things a bit quickly.
There are cultural frustrations to reading books from this time period. Women are generally just objects, and the Mexican hotel manager is a somewhat debasing stereotype. But the fun is encountering a lot of things which no longer exist -- phone books, elevator operators, gas station attendants, road maps, slide rules, dictaphones, etc.
Some of the insights are more than just factoids. Mason gets a $1000 fee in this case, which must have been an awful lot of money in 1948. And Gardner decries a police tendency to badger witnesses into expressing what they want to hear, something you will never find in, say, Dell Shannon's series. And, guess what, Los Angeles traffic was awful even back then.
There are cultural frustrations to reading books from this time period. Women are generally just objects, and the Mexican hotel manager is a somewhat debasing stereotype. But the fun is encountering a lot of things which no longer exist -- phone books, elevator operators, gas station attendants, road maps, slide rules, dictaphones, etc.
Some of the insights are more than just factoids. Mason gets a $1000 fee in this case, which must have been an awful lot of money in 1948. And Gardner decries a police tendency to badger witnesses into expressing what they want to hear, something you will never find in, say, Dell Shannon's series. And, guess what, Los Angeles traffic was awful even back then.
August 10, 2020
A pretty good read. Just about what you'd expect if you've read Gardner before, or if you are familiar with the original Raymond Burr TV series. Nothing at all like the HBO series.
(By the way, the HBO series is great...it's just not Perry Mason. No matter what names they paste on the characters.)
(By the way, the HBO series is great...it's just not Perry Mason. No matter what names they paste on the characters.)
December 21, 2011
Standard Perry Mason. Good book to read while I was getting married.
December 25, 2014
The end was just too abrupt. Just when I started to think the twists were starting, Gardner wrapped up the story. The courtroom drama comes to halt just as it's starting.
Disappointed! :-(
Disappointed! :-(
April 26, 2022
Another good Perry Mason story. He had no case. Ended up getting one. Went to court and figured everything out. The story didn't slow down. And the story was entertaining.
January 9, 2023
Perry spots a nice set of gams on the fire escape and ends up in the gossip columns.
This author's sense of humor is seldom mentioned, but I appreciate it. This book opens with Perry alone in his office late at night, searching for a precedent that will win the case he's arguing tomorrow. He's interrupted when he sees a pair of shapely legs on his fire escape and goes to investigate.
Miss Virginia Colfax's face and body are just as good as her legs and she's used to charming men into believing even her most improbable stories. Maybe Perry would have fallen victim to her charms, too, if he hadn't seen her dropping a gun off the fire escape landing. As it is, he's suspicious.
Her story keeps changing, but she works for Garvin Mining, one floor up from Perry's office. She claims to have stayed late by her boss's request and stepped onto the stairs to smoke. When someone entered the office, it wasn't her boss but his wife. She'd like to see what Wifie is up to and doesn't appreciate Perry's interference. He tries to keep the upper hand, but ends up losing the fight in the street outside his office, to the glee of local gossip columnists and assorted by-standers. Everyone loves to laugh at a lawyer.
The Drake Detection Agency is called in to investigate. Turns out the intruder is really the boss' ex-wife and they're fighting dirty for control of the company. When Mr Garvin is located, he's honeymooning with his new wife and HIS main concern is if his former wife really got that divorce she said she would. He's definitely married, but to whom?
Perry advises him to move the honeymoon to Mexico where he can't be arrested and charged with bigamy until Paul Drake's operatives can sort things out. Then there's a murder and being charged with bigamy is the least of Mr Garvin's problems.
Gardner may have left his legal practice to write detective novels, but he had strong opinions about the justice system and they come out in his books. One is that law enforcement has great power and should be required to use that power ethically. Sometimes it seems that the criminal gets all the breaks, but it could be the other way around.
In this story, Lt Tragg carefully arranges for the witnesses to see exactly what he wants them to see. Garvin's lucky to have an experienced criminal lawyer with a few tricks up his own sleeve. The author's point is that Tragg is NOT the stereotypical redneck sheriff who beats confessions out of suspects. He's a smooth, smart city cop, but his tactics are just as unfair, although nonviolent.
Garvin Mining isn't a shining beacon of ethical behavior, either. They operate within the law, but barely. The middle-aged (and older) men also take full advantage of their power over the young women they hire as typists and secretaries. "Play if you need your pay" is the motto of the firm and the young women have little choice but to work after hours. I'm sure the author was aware of many such situations and he clearly disapproved.
It's a good mystery and Della Street gets the best line in the book. When Perry sheepishly tells the story of his midnight adventures and shows the gossip column, she comments dryly, "I DID say I'd be happy to stay with you." Even LA's sharpest lawyer needs constant (female) supervision. Typical.
This author's sense of humor is seldom mentioned, but I appreciate it. This book opens with Perry alone in his office late at night, searching for a precedent that will win the case he's arguing tomorrow. He's interrupted when he sees a pair of shapely legs on his fire escape and goes to investigate.
Miss Virginia Colfax's face and body are just as good as her legs and she's used to charming men into believing even her most improbable stories. Maybe Perry would have fallen victim to her charms, too, if he hadn't seen her dropping a gun off the fire escape landing. As it is, he's suspicious.
Her story keeps changing, but she works for Garvin Mining, one floor up from Perry's office. She claims to have stayed late by her boss's request and stepped onto the stairs to smoke. When someone entered the office, it wasn't her boss but his wife. She'd like to see what Wifie is up to and doesn't appreciate Perry's interference. He tries to keep the upper hand, but ends up losing the fight in the street outside his office, to the glee of local gossip columnists and assorted by-standers. Everyone loves to laugh at a lawyer.
The Drake Detection Agency is called in to investigate. Turns out the intruder is really the boss' ex-wife and they're fighting dirty for control of the company. When Mr Garvin is located, he's honeymooning with his new wife and HIS main concern is if his former wife really got that divorce she said she would. He's definitely married, but to whom?
Perry advises him to move the honeymoon to Mexico where he can't be arrested and charged with bigamy until Paul Drake's operatives can sort things out. Then there's a murder and being charged with bigamy is the least of Mr Garvin's problems.
Gardner may have left his legal practice to write detective novels, but he had strong opinions about the justice system and they come out in his books. One is that law enforcement has great power and should be required to use that power ethically. Sometimes it seems that the criminal gets all the breaks, but it could be the other way around.
In this story, Lt Tragg carefully arranges for the witnesses to see exactly what he wants them to see. Garvin's lucky to have an experienced criminal lawyer with a few tricks up his own sleeve. The author's point is that Tragg is NOT the stereotypical redneck sheriff who beats confessions out of suspects. He's a smooth, smart city cop, but his tactics are just as unfair, although nonviolent.
Garvin Mining isn't a shining beacon of ethical behavior, either. They operate within the law, but barely. The middle-aged (and older) men also take full advantage of their power over the young women they hire as typists and secretaries. "Play if you need your pay" is the motto of the firm and the young women have little choice but to work after hours. I'm sure the author was aware of many such situations and he clearly disapproved.
It's a good mystery and Della Street gets the best line in the book. When Perry sheepishly tells the story of his midnight adventures and shows the gossip column, she comments dryly, "I DID say I'd be happy to stay with you." Even LA's sharpest lawyer needs constant (female) supervision. Typical.
July 20, 2023
Bir gün Perry Mason ofisinde uyuyakalmışken ofise yangın merdiveninden bir kız girer. Oldukça güzel olan bu kızın elinde bir silah olduğunu düşünen Mason kız ile konuşup kimliğini öğrenecekken kız onu tokatlar ve kaçar. Ertesi gün üst katındaki maden firması sahibi Edward Garvin onunla görüşmeye gelir. Eski eşi Ethel Garvin'in ona boşanacağım diyip boşanmadığını öğrenmiştir. Ama sevgilisi Lorraine Evans ile evlenmek üzeredir. Bu durumu nasıl halledeceğini bilemez. Ayrıca bir kaç gün içinde şirkette hissedarlar toplantısı yapılacaktır. Yardımcısı olan Denby'ye bir sürü vekaletname gelmiştir. Hepsi de E. C. Garvin adınadır. Ancak bu durum sıkıntılıdır. Çünkü Edward ve Ethel'in ikisi de kastedilmiş olabilir. Della ve Paul ile araştırmalara devam eden Mason, Ethel'in erkek arkadaşının Oceanside tarafında bir çiftliği olduğunu öğrenir. Hissedarlar Edward tarafına çeker ve toplantı başarıyla sonuçlanır. Edward ve Lorraine ise Meksika'ya gidip evlenmiştir. Mason da onlarla gider ve otelde kalır. Ancak ertesi gün Ethel öldürülmüş bir şekilde bulunur. Yangın merdivenine silahı bırakan güzel kız Virginia Bynum'dur ve Denby'ye şahitlik etmiştir. Lorraine de kocasının hiç bir yere gitmediğine şahitlik eder. Ama birisi gidip öldürmüştür ve mahkemede bazı şahitler Edward'ı gördüğünü ifade eder. Bunu sonradan öğrenen Mason etrafına hiç bir şeyi çaktırmamaya çalışır. Çoğu şahidin ifadesini parçalar. Ancak birinin kendi arabası ile Oceanside tarafına gittiğini öğrenir. Denby fotoğrafik bir belleğe sahiptir. Lorraine de gitmemiştir. Peki kim arabayı almıştır. Otele gelen sarışın güzel kız kimdir? Kimin şahitliği yalandır? Mason bu olayı çözebilecek midir? Keyifle soluksuz okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2025
The thirty-third book in the Perry Mason series was published in 1949, and, like all of the novels by Erle Stanley Gardner, it reflects the social and cultural mores of its time. Which is to say that it is hardly politically correct by the standards of American society seventy-five years down the road.
As the book opens, Mason is in his office, in the dark, in the middle of the night, taking a respite from a long night of looking up legal precedents. As he's sitting in the chair, a shapely young woman steps out on to the fire escape in front of Mason's office. The woman has obviously come from the office immediately above Mason's and is clearly in fear of getting caught.
Ever the gentleman, Mason opens the window and invites the woman into his office. Mason checks to ensure that the woman is not armed and she spins a story that clearly seems not to fit the facts of the situation. But before Mason can figure out what is actually going on, the woman manages to escape into the night.
All forms of mayhem will ensue involving the struggle to control the stock of a mining company, a Mexican divorce and subsequent Mexican marriage, clients who refuse to follow Mason's best advice and thus wind up in a world of trouble, and, naturally, murder.
This is one of the better early Masons, spoiled only by an ending that seems rushed and which does not seem to make much sense at all. Needless to say, only Perry Mason could have made sense out of all of this, and the reader is left to wonder about all the holes in the solution. Still, this is a fun read and should appeal to any of the lawyer's millions of fans.
James L. Thane
www.jameslthane.com
As the book opens, Mason is in his office, in the dark, in the middle of the night, taking a respite from a long night of looking up legal precedents. As he's sitting in the chair, a shapely young woman steps out on to the fire escape in front of Mason's office. The woman has obviously come from the office immediately above Mason's and is clearly in fear of getting caught.
Ever the gentleman, Mason opens the window and invites the woman into his office. Mason checks to ensure that the woman is not armed and she spins a story that clearly seems not to fit the facts of the situation. But before Mason can figure out what is actually going on, the woman manages to escape into the night.
All forms of mayhem will ensue involving the struggle to control the stock of a mining company, a Mexican divorce and subsequent Mexican marriage, clients who refuse to follow Mason's best advice and thus wind up in a world of trouble, and, naturally, murder.
This is one of the better early Masons, spoiled only by an ending that seems rushed and which does not seem to make much sense at all. Needless to say, only Perry Mason could have made sense out of all of this, and the reader is left to wonder about all the holes in the solution. Still, this is a fun read and should appeal to any of the lawyer's millions of fans.
James L. Thane
www.jameslthane.com
February 22, 2021
Very entertaining Perry Mason crime and courtroom thriller. The interplay between the team of Perry, Paul Drake (the PI) and Della Street is classic fun.
The mystery starts when Perry spies a young lady on the fire escape outside of his office. He thinks she had a gun, which she denies, but if she does she throws is away before entering Perry's office through the window. This gets Perry involved, and by extension Paul and Dellla, in a financial/marriage fraud imbroglio. The mystery deepens when the wife of the head manager at a large company is murdered. Did the manager kill her? The cops certainly think so. Other suspects are the manager's new wife (jealousy?) and the dead woman's ex-love interest.
The action accelerates during the courtroom scenes, as anyone familiar with Perry Mason would guess.
The outcome is interesting, though a bit out of left field. The way Mason gets to the outcome is the fun part.
Easy to see why Perry Mason is such an iconic character! I plan to read more ESG books.
The mystery starts when Perry spies a young lady on the fire escape outside of his office. He thinks she had a gun, which she denies, but if she does she throws is away before entering Perry's office through the window. This gets Perry involved, and by extension Paul and Dellla, in a financial/marriage fraud imbroglio. The mystery deepens when the wife of the head manager at a large company is murdered. Did the manager kill her? The cops certainly think so. Other suspects are the manager's new wife (jealousy?) and the dead woman's ex-love interest.
The action accelerates during the courtroom scenes, as anyone familiar with Perry Mason would guess.
The outcome is interesting, though a bit out of left field. The way Mason gets to the outcome is the fun part.
Easy to see why Perry Mason is such an iconic character! I plan to read more ESG books.
June 15, 2022
This entry in the Mason series is interesting because it's not actually solved in the courtroom, in one of those magnificent rapid-fire transcripts that translated so well to the small screen. It also brings up ideas that, in future years, ring of identity theft and the legality of extraterritorial marriage in one's native land. It also made much of the infamously easy divorce options made possible in Reno, Nevada -- so well-known that Billy Joel's song "Stop in Nevada" needed no explanatory notes.
A quick, entertaining read that is a credit to the series. It gets to show a more "man of action" side of the most famous lawyer in American fiction.
NOTE: The recent reboot of the character of Perry Mason (which, my minimal research suggests, is nothing like the character we know and love) may have caused this recent republication and numbering system. This book is actually #35 in the series, published in 1949.
A quick, entertaining read that is a credit to the series. It gets to show a more "man of action" side of the most famous lawyer in American fiction.
NOTE: The recent reboot of the character of Perry Mason (which, my minimal research suggests, is nothing like the character we know and love) may have caused this recent republication and numbering system. This book is actually #35 in the series, published in 1949.
March 17, 2023
Perry Mason takes on the case of a business man, to my mind, of rather dubious ethics, who needs help with his ex-wife. Or maybe she is not so ex. Maybe he is a bigamist. Mason pulls all sorts of legally questionable maneuvers to get his guy off a murder rap. The book is fast paced. It shows Della Street off as an important asset in Mason's practice. Paul Drake comes off less well, but in a humorous way. A fun read that doesn't take itself too seriously. AT one point Della Street says about another character: "a certain class of girl is absolutely dependent upon him. Not for her bread and butter perhaps, but for her gingerbread and cake, and with that type of girl gingerbread and cake is really more important than the bread and butter." The book also starts with a list of characters, all humorously described.
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