قضية الذئب

Perry Mason #61

by Erle Stanley Gardner, أحمد خالد توفيق (Translator)

عندما دافعت ( آرلين فيريس ) عـن نفسها ؛ وجدت أنها متهمة بالقتل .. وحين دافع المحامى الأشـهر ( بيرى ميسون ) عنهـا ؛ وجد أنه متهم بالتلاعب فى الأدلة .. وهكذا كان عليه أن ينقـذ موكلته وينقذ نفسه كذلك ، فى هـذه القصة الممتعـة من قصص ( بيرى ميسون ) ، بقلم ( إير ستانلى جاردنر ) ..

أشهر من كتب الألغاز القانونية ..

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

143 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories who also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray, and Robert Parr.

Innovative and restless in his nature, he was bored by the routine of legal practice, the only part of which he enjoyed was trial work and the development of trial strategy. In his spare time, he began to write for pulp magazines, which also fostered the early careers of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. He created many different series characters for the pulps, including the ingenious Lester Leith, a "gentleman thief" in the tradition of Raffles, and Ken Corning, a crusading lawyer who was the archetype of his most successful creation, the fictional lawyer and crime-solver Perry Mason, about whom he wrote more than eighty novels. With the success of Perry Mason, he gradually reduced his contributions to the pulp magazines, eventually withdrawing from the medium entirely, except for non-fiction articles on travel, Western history, and forensic science.

See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erle_Sta...

Reviews

[Melindam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woooo-hoooo! What a ride!

Honestly, much as I love the Perry Mason books, the later ones -this is #61- were losing some steam, but this one was everything I love in Erle Stanley Gardner's courtroom mysteries: fast-space, loads of action until the very end, red-herrings and counter-decoys, plenty of suspects all round and circumstantial evidence that seems to doom Mason's -naturally innocent- client to lifelong jail.

So we have a spoiled, rich son of a powerful businessman, abusing his position by forcing himself on young women in his company & daddy trying to cover up the traces afterwards to "preserve" his good name.
I found the story especially poignant as I read it first when the H. Weinstein scandal was in full swing, and thought that though it ain't easy today, women had it even worse back in the 1960s. So kudos to Erle Stanley Gardner for highlighting it. And while the story of course concentrates on Perry Mason's investigating and trying to solve the whodunit while defending his client, it still brings to attention the issue how defenseless women were, especially if their attackers happened to be privileged bastards perfectly in the know about the leeway the imperfect laws for these cases allowed them.

"Let me tell you something about the law in this state ... If a woman presents a charge for criminal attack against a man, her own previous moral character can be inquired into. Dad's lawyers even gave me the California case that determined the point... That means that with all the money at my command, I can put detectives on your back trail. I can turn you inside out on the witness stand. I can ask you names, dates, specific occasions ..." - This is Loring Lamont, who tries to assault Arlene Ferris and when she warns him that she will prosecute, that is his reply. Charming, irresistible man, is he not?

Fortunately, the victim, Arlene manages to flee before things get really serious and decides to consult Perry Mason about a possible suit against Lamont (not knowing that he got his comeuppance & was killed in the meantime). Her reasoning to herself are: "She knew that, for her own sake, it would be better to keep quiet, to say nothing. But she also felt that too many young women in Loring Lamont's life had decided to follow the line of least resistance, thereby making it doubly hard for the next young woman on whom he cast his predatory eyes."

And to Perry Mason she says: "I want to stand up for my rights. I want to stand up for my own sex."

To which Mason's reply: "If you want to put a stop to this sort of thing, we'll put a stop to it - but it isn't going to be easy. they'll throw mud, they'll claim blackmail, they'll have young Lamont testifying that you deliberately led him on, that you were the one who made passes at him, that when he was too bored to acquiesce you ran true to the old adage that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned..."

In a way it would had been much more interesting, if Lamont hadn't been killed and Arlene and Perry Mason were trying to win charges pressed against him, but maybe that would have been too progressive for the time. But the murder happens and then ESG started concentrating on the usual routine of the investigation and courtroom scenes, which were tense and exciting and had the usual, but rather satisfactory defeat Mason dealt to the Prosecution including Hamilton Burger in the end.

[Mohammed · Rating 3 out of 5]

جاردنر الاكتشاف الجميل

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#61 in the Perry Mason series. This case gives author Gardner the opportunity to expound on the tenets that eye-witness accounts are notoriously unreliable and the circumstantial evidence is the best IF it is correctly interpreted. Mason's stratagem with a piece of skirt never seems to go anywhere but a related challenge to an eyewitness remembering who parked a car ultimately confuses everyone. Good read and enjoyable courtroom climax.

Perry Mason series - Arlene Ferris works as a secretary at the Lamont Rolling, Casting, and Engineering Company. She is an efficient worker and is always careful to meet her deadlines, even if she has to work overtime to achieve them. This is what makes her stay back late in her office one day. That is the day her car breaks down and Loring Lamont, son of the owner of the company Jarvis.P.Lamont, offers her his assistance. When she accepts his offer, she has no idea, what this man’s intentions are. He takes her out to the countryside on the pretext of having some official work and tells her that once he is done with his work he would drop her home. His charm and impressive manner comes in the way of her better judgment and she almost ends up becoming the victim of his lewd motives. But, wit and quick thinking helps her escape. The next day she goes to work, expecting every second to get fired. When that doesn’t happen, she decides she will stand up for her rights and punish the man who thought his company’s workers could be used as playthings. She hires Perry Mason, the astute and famous defense attorney known for using unique methods to uncover the truth. However, the story takes a highly unexpected turn when Loring Lamont is found murdered.

[Amira Mahmoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

يمكن مكنش فيها حبكة قوية , لكن طريقة السرد كانت شيقة وجذابة
وطريقة التحليل القانوني والبحث عن الأدلة كانت لذيذة
لكن " شخصية بيري ميسون " مكنتش مرسومة بوضوح زى مثلاً شيرلوك هولمز وأغلب أبطال القصص البوليسية
لكن القصة ف حد ذاتها كويسة :)

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better late novels. This one was written in 1960, after the TV series had become a huge hit. Gardner was never especially good as drawing vivid characters (except Perry and Della over time), but in the later books (after, say, 1955) he almost gives up. The writing is quite spare and lacks most any descriptive phrases. Nonetheless, the amazing plots remain, and that's why one reads Perry Mason stories.

This one concerns a young woman who is almost raped by a rich lothario, the wolf who gets waylaid. She's an especially sympathetic defendant, and there is a good selection of other suspects. As often happens, Perry (and Della) get into some hot water of their own, which build tension. Very recommended.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.9)

This one is v, v confusing and even lost me a few times. Thankfully, once Perry starts to explain what's going one you can catch up easily. Also, there's not much in the Perry/Della department and it makes me sad.

Recommended 13+ for murder, creepy dudes, language, and lawyer talk (that still gets me after more than 10 years of Perry Mason).

[Richa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end was unexpected.
How I wish real life judges are as good as the judge here.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a young secretary runs away from the son of her employer after he tries to assault her, she seeks the advice of Perry Mason as to what her next steps should be. Her consultation is cut short by the shocking news that her assailant is dead, stabbed in the back and that she is now the prime suspect.

Gardner plays a fine game of 'chase the lady' as he weaves a web of deceit and trickery that threatens to condemn his hero to disbarment.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent mystery featuring Perry Mason and crew. It is the story of a spoiled, rich, young man who is used to having his way and forcing himself on women. This time, he goes too far and ends up as a corpse with a knife in his back.

[AbdEl-Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

العدد 61 من سلسلة قواضي المحامي الأشهر "بيري ميسون" التي طالما سمعت عنها - أي تلك السلسلة- ولكن للأسف لم أعثر على أي مترجمات له سوى ذلك العدد ترجمة د. أحمد.
بداية تلك السلسلة تعد من أشهر روايات قصص الألغاز القانونية وتربع "إيرل جاردنر" المحامي ومؤلف تلك السلسلة على عرش ذلك النوع من الروايات لفترة لا بأس بها، وجدير بالذكر أن السلسلة حققت مبيعات خرافية 325 مليون نسخة حول العالم، لذلك هي سلسلة جديرة بالقراءة.
تبدأ القصة عندما تجد "إيرلين فيريس" نفسها متهمه في قتل شخص كان يريد أن يريد أن يغتصبها في منزله، ولكنها هربت منه ثم وجدت نفسها تاني يوم متهمة بقتله، فتلجأ إلي "ميسون" لينقذها من ذلك الشرك.
أهم ما يميز تلك الرواية بل كتابات جاردنر بصفة عامه أن طريقة جمع الأدلة تتم وفق قوانين معينة، فهو في نهاية الأمر محامي يحاول أن يجمع الأدلة لبراءة موكلته، فعلى الرغم من بساطة الموضوع إلا أنه شيق جدا أن تعيش في أجواء قضية من أولها لآخرها، كذلك الغلاف الطبيعي الذي غلف به أعمال "جاردنر" مهم جدا، وهي النقطة الأساسية في الاختلاف ما بين "ميسون" و "شيرلوك هولمز"، وأعني بذلك ذكاء "ميسون" هو ذكاء طبيعي، القضية هي قضية طبيعية تحدث بكثرة في عالمنا الواقعي مع اختلاف التفاصيل.
وأخيرا أن أتمنى أن أعيد قراءتها مرة أخرى بترجمة أكثر تفصيلياً.

[Aravena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Langsung terasa ada hal mencolok pada adegan pertama (dibandingkan judul lainnya dalam serial Perry Mason): sudut pandangnya adalah dari tokoh perempuan yang kemudian menjadi klien Perry. Biasanya, kita sebagai pembaca selalu ditempatkan pada sudut pandang Perry, jadi akan ada prasangka dan keraguan tentang klien yang terjepit; seberapa jujur dirinya, dan seberapa banyak informasi yang ia sembunyikan. Namun, kali ini Erle Stanley Gardner mengambil pendekatan berbeda dalam membingkai adegan pembuka antara seorang juru ketik perempuan dan anak bos di perusahaan sama yang menawarinya tumpangan pulang—atau dalam bahasa kiasannya, sang ‘tudung merah’ dan ‘serigala’.

Langkah itu diambil karena kali ini ada tema sosial penting yang diangkat: pelecehan kekuasaan, sekaligus posisi perempuan yang lemah di mata hukum saat mengadukan kasus kekerasan/pelecehan seksual. Kini, isu tersebut makin banyak ditampilkan dalam bungkusan karya fiksi yang sedikit banyak terinspirasi peristiwa nyata, tetapi menarik melihat bagaimana novel legal kriminal AS dari tahun 1959 membingkainya. Seperti dijelaskan Perry kepada kliennya setelah adegan pembuka: banyak strategi ampuh untuk pihak pembela (tertuduh pelecehan seksual) melindungi kliennya dengan mendiskreditkan pihak penuduh, apalagi kalau yang tertuduh adalah dari kalangan kaya-raya tujuh turunan seperti sang ‘serigala’ di judul ini.

Sesuai pakem berjalannya cerita pada serial ini, ceritanya segera beralih ke kasus pembunuhan (*kita diperlihatkan adegan awal konfliknya di awal, tapi tidak dengan apa yang terjadi setelah klien Perry minggat). Sebenarnya, menarik sekali membaca bagian saat Perry menyiapkan strategi dengan asumsi akan membantu korban pelecehan, jadi sayang juga rasanya begitu elemen ini ditinggalkan dan kita mengikuti sepak terjang Perry seperti biasa. Untuk misterinya sendiri, cukup bikin penasaran walau saya kurang sreg dengan beberapa langkah Perry, seperti saat menanamkan barang bukti palsu di TKP. Setelah bagian investigasi yang agak bertele-tele, duel pengadilanya lumayan oke, dengan menampilkan tokoh Hakim Bayton yan kompeten dan bijaksana (sebagaimana semestinya seorang hakim!).

Bagaimanapun, bagian paling menariknya memang dari aspek penyelewengan kekuasaan di tempat kerjanya, bagaimana seseorang di posisi lebih lemah begitu sulit menolak atau menghindari kelakuan atasan bejat karena mata pencahariannya dipertaruhkan. Dua bab pertama terasa begitu mencekam dan realistis, karena begitulah bahaya riil di tempat kerja yang seharusnya aman dan nyaman bagi karyawan…

[Amit Bikram · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better reads among the later ones I have read so far. This book came out in 1960, a couple of years after the TV series first came on, and had been a huge hit. By this time, ESG's writing had become somewhat formulaic, and the single-book characters didn't feel as well fleshed out as in some of the previous books. Even so, this mystery did have many ingredients of a typical Perry Mason thriller: lots of courtroom drama, fast-paced action, Mason in the soup, only to escape with a grandstand finish. While the finish wasn't as flashy as some other books in the series, it certainly made for a fitting ending to a poignant story of women struggling in a man's world.

The spoiled kid of a wealthy business tycoon is the wolf in the book title, and soon enough, he turns up dead, with a distressed damsel having somehow escaped his clutches, only to be charged with his murder. She does end up reaching out to Mason to press charges against the wolf, even before being aware of his murder. The remainder of the plot involves the prosecution doing its damnedest to convict both the defendant and her counsel, with DA Hamilton Burger, the arch nemesis, coming up short yet again and with a fresh round of egg on his face. Personally, I would have enjoyed it more had the decedent not been murdered and Mason tried to convict him of trying to outrage the defendant's modesty.

The plot is a bit convoluted, with a lot of action happening around the time of murder, lot of which is uncovered very late in the book, further showing the deliberate incompetence shown by the police. It certainly gave the impression of Lieutenant Tragg, usually quite smart, of being a fumbling idiot hell-bent on proving Mason wrong.

Overall, it was a classic Mason novel, with little in terms of loose threads or confusing plot points.

[Serdar Poirot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arlene Ferris adında bir genç kız Lamont şirketinde steno olarak çalışmaktadır. Bir gün işten geç çıkar ve arabasının çalışmadığını fark eder. Yanına biri yanaşır ve onu evine bırakabileceğini söyler. Bu genç veliaht Loring Lamont'tur. Bir kaç evrak bırakacağı bahanesiyle bir eve gider. Burada bir iki telefon konuşmasından sonra Arlene'yi öper ve ona tecavüz etmek ister. Arlene kaçar. Peşinden gelen ve üstü başı batan Loring aptallık eder. Arlene onun arabası ile kaçar. Evine gidip üstünü değiştirdikten sonra arabayı park cezası alması için bir yangın musluğunun önüne bırakır ve eskiden o şirkette çalışan arkadaşı Marge'ı arar. Ertesi gün yöneticisi Albert'tan izin alıp Mason'a gider. Ona Lamont'un unutamayacağı bir ders vermek istediğini söyler. Ancak Paul Drake onlara Lamont'un dün gece öldürüldüğünü söyler. En büyük şüpheli Arlene'dir. Marge da ona benzediği için onunla beraber bir tanığın yanına gider ve Hanley, arabada gördüğü kadının bu olduğunu söyler. Ama Tragg yetişir ve bunun bir oyun olduğunu iddia eder. Edith Bristol ve Albert Mason'a düşmanca davranır. Edith, Lamont'un eski sevgilisi ve baba Lamont'un sekreteridir. Savcı Carson ön duruşmayı başlatır. Burada trafik cezası yazan polis memurunun ifadesi önemlidir ama bulunamaz. O akşam bir araba da ikinci şeride park etmeden ceza almıştır. Ayrıca Lamont da Marge da telefon konuşmaları yapmıştır. Üstü batan Lamont öldüğünde üzerindeki temiz kıyafetleri nereden bulmuştur? O elbiseleri evinden kim getirmiştir? Mason bu gizemi çözebilecek midir? Ölen adamın yazdığı çek kim içindir? O. K. Otto Keswick anlamına mı gelmektedir? Bu bahçıvan ve hizmetli Sadie şantaj mı yapmaktadır? Katil neden öldürmüştür? Mason Arlene'yi kurtarabilecek midir? Marge neden kaybolmuştur ve Albert konuyla neden bu kadar alakalıdır? Keyifle bir solukta okunan bir roman.

[Omar · Rating 2 out of 5]

تقدّم The Case of the Waylaid Wolf قصة تدور حول امرأة تتعرض لهجوم مباغت من رجل يقتحم حياتها ليلاً، محاولة اعتداء تتحول سريعاً إلى لغز معقّد عندما تتهم لاحقاً بقتل هذا الرجل نفسه. تتشابك الخيوط بين خوفها الأولي، وترددها في كشف الحقيقة كاملة، ثم ظهور المحامي الشهير بيري ماسون الذي يحاول إنقاذها من ورطة تكاد تبتلعها، بينما تتكشف أسرار صغيرة تقلب اتجاه التحقيق أكثر من مرة.

هذه هي أول قصة أقرأها لبيري ماسون، ورغم أنني توقعت حبكة أكثر صلابة وإثارة، إلا أن التجربة كانت أقل من المتوقع. لم تدهشني القصة كما كنت آمل؛ هناك شيء باهت في طريقة بناء التوتر، وكأن السرد يحوم حول الفكرة دون أن يغوص فيها بقوة. الأحداث تمتلك بذرة مثيرة، لكن الإيقاع المتذبذب يجعل بعض اللحظات تفقد تأثيرها، رغم أن النهاية تعيد بعض التوازن وتقدم مفاجأة لطيفة.

مع ذلك، تبقى القصة مقبولة كمدخل إلى عالم بيري ماسون، وتعطي لمحة عن طريقته في تفكيك القضايا، حتى إن لم تكن من الأعمال التي تترك أثراً عميقاً


The Case of the Waylaid Wolf presents a story centered on a woman who is suddenly attacked by a man breaking into her home at night—an attempted assault that quickly turns into a complicated mystery when she is later accused of murdering that very same man. The threads tangle between her initial fear, her hesitation to reveal the full truth, and the arrival of the famous lawyer Perry Mason, who tries to pull her out of a crisis that threatens to consume her. Small revelations surface along the way, shifting the direction of the investigation more than once.

This is the first Perry Mason story I’ve ever read, and although I expected a tighter, more gripping plot, the experience was somewhat underwhelming. The story didn’t astonish me the way I hoped; there’s a certain dullness in how the tension is built, as if the narrative circles around its ideas without diving deep enough. The events carry an intriguing seed, but the uneven pacing weakens some moments, even though the ending manages to restore some balance and offers a pleasant twist.

Still, the story works as a decent introduction to Perry Mason’s world. It gives a glimpse of his method in unraveling cases, even if it’s not one of those works that leaves a lasting impression.

[Bill Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read anything by Erle Stanley Gardner, although I did grow up watching the TV series with Raymond Burr. This was one of many books I acquired when I cleared my father's house a few years back. I recently picked it up and started reading. Staggered by the book dust cover text that says this was Gardner's 100th book - and he hadn't finished at that point. It is also the 61st in the Perry Mason series. Yikes! From reading other reviews, it seems that the series lost energy. Not really surprising given the numbers of volumes. However, they suggest this is one of the better later ones. It was easy to get into, with a strong setting of the crime scene. And it is an easy page turner, almost a single sitting read. What surprised me, is the lack of 'writing'. It is almost a court transcript, line after line of dialogue, virtually no character development, no description, no back story or subplot. Once beyond the first chapter of scene setting, it is Perry Mason asking questions and getting answers. I gather Gardner used to dictate to a bank of secretaries and I suppose that's what you get 'writing' that way and writing so much. And yet, I really enjoyed it, the gradual discovery of the interrogation of witnesses and the facts, just the facts, of the case, no distractions. Fun. I'll go in there again, but I'm not rushing.

[Greg Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is a bit stilted, as I remember the TV series being. There are perhaps too many lawyerly exchanges, with Mason badgering witness to get exact wordings that he can turn on them. What I didn't remember from the series, is the way Mason uses trickery to try to get the results he wants from witnesses. Claiming that police use the same underhanded tricks, getting witnesses to identify someone after first showing them a picture of the suspect, Mason seems to almost stumble into a winning strategy, when it appears that his decoy might actually have been the murderer.

The truth and plot are a bit more twisted than that and I'll leave Mason to unravel them for you if you choose to read the case.

I admit that, having only a vague memory of the TV series to go on, I was anticipating the moment when someone stands up in court and tearfully claims "it was me; I did it". which seemed to always be how the show ended. Having read a couple of theses novels, I know that not every book shares this classic ending, but it sure is satisfying when it does.

[Deane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story by Gardner about sexual harassment in the workplace. Loring Lamont was the vice-president of his father's large company; he was rich, drove a fancy car, and made life miserable for several women he fancied in the company.
He tricked Arlene Ferris into getting into his car after she had worked late and found she couldn't get own car started. Reason: he had removed the distributor cap so no sparks would ignite the gas. She hesitated because she had heard stories at the office about Loring and his so-called romantic escapades but he convinced her to get into his car.
They go to the family lodge where he forcibly tries to rape her....she got away...stole his car and left it close to a fire hydrant.
The story was easy to follow, had twists and turns one doesn't expect and Perry Mason was at his best...the killer not anyone I even suspected.
I have now read all 7 novels in one hard-cover book of 821 pages of very small print published by Avenel in 1979.

[Rupesh Goenka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arlene Ferris is employed by the Lamont Rolling, Casting, and Engineering Company as a stenographer. She is late in leaving the office on a cold rainy day because some documents must be transmitted in the night mail. Loring Lamont, the company's owner's son, offers her a ride home when her car breaks down. He then takes her to a secluded resort run by the firm for his wicked sinful plans. She rejects his advances and flees. The next day, she seeks Perry Mason’s assistance in filing a criminal complaint against him. Loring Lamont, on the other hand, is found dead. She is detained and charged with the crime. Perry Mason defends her. Perry Mason, a criminal defence attorney, has an unwavering commitment to his clients, and his zeal for justice causes him to take desperate risks. DELIGHTFUL MYSTERY.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Arlene grabbed her raincoat and made for the door, running down the gravel driveway, past the swimming pool, out to the dirt road. When she could run no more, she looked back. The beam of headlights was swinging around the driveway. Then the car started slowly down the road after her.”

This was a book hard to put down --- Perry Mason at his best and doing things I never thought a lawyer would do to get justice for his client. The twists and turns were amazing and I love how even though Drake was investigating for him, he really didn’t know what was going on and Della helped in every way she could! The book was livid and exciting! What I enjoyed even more was that not only was it well plotted but the language was perfect American English! GREAT read, good mystery!

[Mark Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

The spoiled heir to an engineering firm targets a young stenographer as his latest rape victim. She has other ideas. When the pervert ends up stabbed, it's up to Perry to defend her.

This one starts slow, but gets more interesting at the end. I became angrier than usual at the police and the DA's office. Often, they cheat to try to convict an innocent, but they pick the wrong suspect through laziness, prejudice, or incompetence. Here, they seem to deliberately suppress exculpatory evidence so egregious that I couldn't help suspecting corruption. Tragg has always struck me as seeking justice. Here, I got the feeling that he and Hamilton Burger knew the defendant was innocent and didn't care.

[John Bunyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

61 books in the elements of the plots are repeating. No guns involved in this one but if Gardner is not complicating the plot with matching guns, he’s doing it with matching women. Of course most of the women in the books are 20 something beauties with fabulous figures.
There’s another secluded lodge here with a woman and a murder victim. These elements were in a book just Bertie this one.
This plot also calls for a couple extraneous characters to as circumstances and motives to get the really Gardner has concocted.
The next book in the series is The Case Of The Duplicate Daughter - more matching women.

[James Vest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having started with the books, I’ve never understood the appeal of the original Perry Mason television series. Having a murder stand up and admit what they did in court sounds completely unbelievable. To come across such a turn after reading 84 books into the series, it took a genuine 5-star mystery and added a punctuated groan for no justified reason (perhaps other than it hadn’t been done yet in a series that thrives on it’s unexpected twists and turns.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Perry Mason stories so much, I have to have SOME complaints, right? Okay, so this one loses a star just because I found Gardner’s usual formula to be a little bit too obvious in this one. It just is not quite as crisp as many of the others, and I very much felt I had read many of the scenes in previous Mason volumes. Still, I would recommend it as a, well, typical Gardner Perry Mason novel.

[Fay AlFalah · Rating 4 out of 5]

اسم الكتاب: قضية الذئب The Case of the Waylaid Wolfكُتبت عام 1965
اسم المؤلف: اريل ستانلي جاردنر Erle Stanley Gardner
اسم المترجم: أحمد خالد توفيق
عدد الصفحات: 72 صفحة

نبذة عن المؤلف:
ولد عام 1889 في ماساتوشس وعمل كمحامي واستلهم أغلب رواياته من عمله كمحامً وقدم أكثر من 80 رواية أغلبها بدأت بأسم قضية الذئب قضية غوريلا ...الخ، عمل في الحي الصيني وتعلم اللغة الصينية ودافع عنهم في المحاكم وافسد عمله بسبب إنحياه لهم فغادر كاليفورنيا وعمل بمكتب محاماة ناشئ ويشتهر بذاكرته الحادة التي تجعله يتذكر شهادة الشهود حرفيّا مهما طالت، كما اشتهر بولعه بالصراع العقلي في المحاكم.
بدأ الكتابه عام 1921 كسبيل للحصول على المال يعينه، وفي عام 1933 ولدت شخصية بيري ميسن المحامي الشهير خارق الذكاء، وكان نجاح الروايات لا يصدق، قدمت أعماله في 6افلام، و3221 حلقة إذاعية، 271 حلقة تلفزيونية، 20 فيلماً تلفزيونياً، وبلغت مبيعاته في الستينات 26 الف نسخة كل يوم.
كان المؤلف أيضاً ملاكما ولاعب تنس وراما بارعا وكان مربي الخيول وكلاب، كما إنه كان مصورا محترفا للحياة البرية وعالما في الجريمة وخبير حيتان وعالما في الجيولوجيا والفلك، كما إنه أسس محكمة "الملجأ الأخير" التي تدرس قضايا المساجين الذين يصرون على برائتهم.

~مختصر القصة:
تتأخر مس آرلين فيريس بالعمل نصف ساعة إضافية وعند مغادرتها تتعطل سيارة فيأتي إبن صاحب العمل لورينج لامونت لمساعدتها وتوصيلها بسايارته ويأخذها لمنزل الشركة الريفي بحجة رغبته لتسليم الأوراق لصديق والده قبل توصيلها لمنزلها وهناك يدعوها للدخول بسبب تأخر هذا الصديق ويحاول استمالتها لإقامة علاقة بينهما ليساعدها بالترقية في عملها، ترفض آرلين ذلك وتخرج من المنزل هاربة بعد رميه بالكرسي، اليوم التالي تقرر زيارة المحامي الشهير بيري ميسن وتخبره بما حدث وتخبره برغبتها في ان تعلمه وتبرهن له إنها تستحق الإحترام وكونها كاتبة اختزال لا يعني إنها أصبحت مِلكَ ابن صاحب الشركة المدلل، فيدعو ميسون بول ديريك الذي يقوم بكل أبحاثه ويدعوه للتحقق بالأمر ليخبره ديريك إن لورينج لامونت وجد مقتولاً ليلة أمس حيث كانت جثته في استراحة الشركة الريفي وثمة طعنة سكين في ظهره.
يعطي ميسون بعض التعليمات للآنسة آرلين وصديقتها التي تشبهها تماماً في سانتا مونيكا ويقوم بعدة أمور لتأخير وصول الشرطة لآرلين بعد أن أكدت له آرلين إنها بريئة من هذه الجريمة.

يتم اتهام مس آرلين بالجريمة ويجد ميسون نفسه متهماً أيضا بالتلاعب بالأدلة، بل الأصح كما قال "إن إخفاء الأدلة جريمة، لكن على قدر علمي ليس جرماً أن نضيف أدلة جديدة"، لكن هو القاتل الحقيقي؟!

~اقتباسات:

1- ان الحقيقة ليست فقط أقوى سلاح، لكنها على قدر علمي هي السلاح الوحيد.

[د.علي محمد الخرشه · Rating 4 out of 5]

ها هو العراب يأخذنا في جولة ثالثة في قاعات المحاكم وصراعات المحاميين والادعاء العام.
قضية الذئب.. كانت بغاية التعقيد. وكانت المحكمة ستحكم بالظلم على الحمل البريء لولا براعة المحامي الفطن ميسون الذي حل لغز القضية.. وحصل على البرائة لموكلته.
إنها قضية واحدة من تلك القضايا التي كسبها هذا المحام العبقري... لذلك استحق أن يكون له سلسلة طويلة تحكى عنه.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well constructed murder mystery. Erle StanleyGardner was a master at creating complex murder stories and telling them through courtroom proceedings. The Cade of the Waylaid Wolf is exceptional in how the author is able to show Perry Mason’s thinking process as PM struggles to figure out how and why the murder happened.

[Danny Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever twist is marred by twin exposition dumps. A little ridiculous, even for the series.

[Neeharika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once more I failed to guess who the murderer would be. Author never failed to amaze us. You love this book.

[Dr Hanif Hassan Barbhuiya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent

[Shailesh Dhume · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast pace, lots of twists and a whodunit that keeps you engaged till the last page. What more do you want from Perry Mason. One of the better Mason books.