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Summaries of Perry Mason novels from the 1950s.
36. The Case of the One-Eyed Witness
Morrow: Nov., 1950
Recurring characters:
Plot devices:
Legal matters:
37. The Case of the Fiery Fingers
Morrow: May, 1951
Recurring characters:
Plot devices:
1.: Technology and science: This book includes one of the worst plot devices ever used by Gardner. The characters in the book cannot figure out how fingers could glow in the dark, while the readers yawn and say to themselves, “Phosphorus.” — Update: But Don O., a professor of physics, points out that the phenomenon described in the story is actually fluorescence; important to note, because evidently Erle Stanley Gardner was careful to research the plot devices he uses in his books. Thanks, Professor Don, for the correction!
Legal matters:
38. The Case of the Angry Mourner
Morrow: Oct., 1951
Recurring characters:
Plot devices:
Legal matters:
39. The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink
Morrow: Apr., 1952
Recurring characters:
Plot devices:
1. Mink coat: The solution to the plot requires Perry Mason and Della Street to figure out why someone let moths get into a mink coat. Della helps Perry understand a woman’s point of view on mink coats.
Legal matters:
40. The Case of the Grinning Gorilla
Morrow: Nov., 1952
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Legal matters:
41. The Case of the Hesitant Hostess
Morrow: Apr., 1953
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42. The Case of the Green-Eyed Sister
Morrow: Nov., 1953
Recurring characters:
Perry Mason, Della Street, Paul Drake, Gertie; Sgt. Holcomb, Lt. Tragg. (Hamilton Burger does not appear.)
When the court adjourns to view the apartment where the body was placed after the murder, Sgt. Holcomb is angry and does not want to cooperate. As a result, the judge rebukes him.
Plot devices:
1. Sisters: Two sisters are at the center of the plot — a mousy homebody sister, and an attractive divorcee sister. The latter is the sister with green eyes. Della does not like the green-eyed sister, who manages to get Mason in trouble. The green-eyed sister also tries to steal her sister’s sort-of boyfriend. In the end, the “green-eyed sister” helps the murderer escape. However, the green-eyed sister winds up having to pay Mason’s fee to defend the mousy sister from the murder charge.
2. Blackmail (see below).
3. Technology and science: There are at least four plot devices involving tape recorders — a technology that Gardner enjoyed playing with, and made use of in his writing.
First, the blackmailers put together an audio recording on magnetic tape which seems to incriminate the target of blackmail. The audio recording, however, has been spliced — the target of the blackmail was recorded in an entirely innocent conversation, then one of the blackmailers spliced in questions in his voice that made the innocent conversation sound incriminating.
Second, Mason goes to an interview with one of the blackmailers wearing what appears to be a hearing aid, but which is in reality a tiny audio recorder. Using that, he records the playback of the supposedly incriminating audio tape. Then, using a magnet he finds in the kitchen of the blackmailer, he manages to erase the blackmail audio tape.
Third, the blackmailer installs a hidden recording device on a timer, to record a conversation that Mason has with Della Street and his client.
Fourth, when Mason loses all trust in his client, he tells her that not only will Della Street take notes on their conversation, he will also make an audio recording of it. (Which infuriates his client. Which is part of his intent.)
4. Cooling things artificially: The murderer tries to tamper with the evidence by placing the body in a freezer, in order to increase the cooling thus prompting the medical examiner to place the time of death earlier than it actually happened, during a time when the murderer had a solid alibi.
Legal matters:
1. Perry Mason lectures his client on statutes of limitations. A bank robber becomes immune from prosecution after the statute of limitations; but if that robber has held on to the money that was stolen, the money is covered by a different statute of limitations:
“Mason said, ‘[T]hey’ve had some very clever attorneys looking up the statute of limitations, and they’ve decided that the lapse of time has made Fritch immune from prosecution on any charge. That’s probably why the police haven’t swooped down on Fritch and arrested him for that bank job. It’s up to the bank in a civil suit to try to recover its property — ’
“‘But doesn’t a statute of limitations run against a bank?‘
“‘There,’ Mason said, ‘you’re up against a peculiar, tricky legal situation. In certain types of involuntary trust, where the custodian of the property is presumed to have knowledge of the illegal means by which the property was acquired, and the other person has no knowledge and is prevented from having knowledge by the secretive acts of the involuntary trustee, the statute of limitations may run from the discovery of the facts rather than the facts themselves.’
“‘Oh, you lawyers!’ she said. ‘You’re so technical.’”
2. Later on, Mason gives Sgt. Holcomb a legal lesson in whehter police officers can detain citizens, according to the law:
“‘Hold him,’ Holcomb shouted.
“A uniformed officer grabbed Mason by the arms.
“‘Bring him back,’ Holcomb said.
”Mason said, ‘If you want to charge me with first-degree murder, Sergeant Holcomb, I’m here ready to be charged. If you want to put me under arrest, take me to headquarters. If you forcibly restrain me without putting me under arrest, or if you arrest me without charging me with crime, I’m going to sue you for false arrest and for assault. Now make up your mind which you want.’”
43. The Case of the Fugitive Nurse
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Sept.-Nov., 1953
Morrow: Feb., 1954
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44. The Case of the Runaway Corpse
Morrow: June, 1954
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45. The Case of the Restless Redhead
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Sept.-Oct., 1954
Morrow: Oct., 1954
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46. The Case of the Glamorous Ghost
Morrow: Jan., 1955
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Legal matters:
47. The Case of the Sun Bather’s Diary
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Mar.-Apr., 1955
Morrow: May, 1955
Recurring characters:
Plot devices:
1: Cheesecake: The plot devices, obviously meant to titillate the reader, include a young woman who is a nudist, and who lives alone in a trailer. There’s also a whiff of voyeurism: the young woman’s father is a convicted felon, the authorities are convinced the young woman is hiding his ill-gotten gains in her trailer, and it seems that the (male) authorities are monitoring the young woman’s behavior.
Legal matters:
48. The Case of the Nervous Accomplice
Morrow: Sept., 1955
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49. The Case of the Terrified Typist
Morrow: Jan., 1956
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50. The Case of the Demure Defendant
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Dec., 1955-Jan., 1956
(Serial title: “The Case of the Missing Poison”)
Morrow: May, 1956
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51. The Case of the Gilded Lily
Morrow: Sept. 1956
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52. The Case of the Lucky Loser
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Sept.-Oct., 1956
Morrow: Jan., 1957
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53. The Case of the Screaming Woman
Morrow: May, 1957
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54. The Case of the Daring Decoy
Serialized by the Chicago Tribune/New York News, Sept.-Oct., 1957
(Serial title: “The Proxy Murder”)
Morrow: Oct., 1957
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55. The Case of the Long-Legged Models
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Aug.-Sept., 1957
(Serial title: “The Case of the Dead Man’s Daughter”)
Morrow: Jan., 1958
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56. The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Feb.-Mar., 1958
Morrow: May, 1958
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57. The Case of the Calendar Girl
Morrow: Oct., 1958
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Plot devices:
1. Cheesecake: The plot involves a man who likes to take cheesecake photographs.
2. Photography: The plot involves details of photographic methods.
Legal matters:
58. The Case of the Deadly Toy
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Oct.-Dec., 1958
(Serial title: “The Case of the Greedy Grandpa”)
Morrow: Jan., 1959
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59. The Case of the Mythical Monkeys
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, May-June, 1959
Morrow: June, 1959
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60. The Case of the Singing Skirt
Morrow: Sept., 1959
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61. The Case of the Waylaid Wolf
Serialized: Saturday Evening Post, Sept.-Oct., 1959
Morrow: Jan., 1960