I've been reading Gardner's Perry Mason books off and on for decades. Many years ago, I was an intense fan of the series, and read them all at least once. Now, after a lot of water over the dam, I'm looking at them again.Those who are used to really fine mystery writers (in the literary sense), such as Ross Macdonald, may find Gardner's writing style off-putting. It can be stiff and mechanical. Nonetheless, I still love the general setting: the characters of Perry, Della, Paul, Lt. Tragg, and Hamilton Berger. That, and the ingenious plots, are why I read Perry Mason.On the whole, the ones written by 1954 are the best. This one was written in 1935, from Gardner's early "hard boiled" period, and is very good. It opens with Mason greeting a new client named J. R. Bradbury. He is a wealthy 42 year old man from a small southern California city. He says that his town was victimized by one Frank Patton, who runs a clever, barely legal scam. He represents a movie company and goes to small cities and towns supposedly looking for the next Hollywood starlet. He runs a beauty contest for the girl with the best legs and figure, offers the winner a movie contract, and sends her off to Hollywood with much fanfare. However, the fine print says the studio can cancel the contract and picture at their discretion. It always seems to turn out the "starlet" can't act, so she is left high and dry in Hollywood, too embarrassed to return home. This just happened in his town to a young former employee of his, Marjorie Clune. Bradbury has more than a fatherly interest in her. He is furious at Pollard and wants Mason to find some way to get at him, to build a legal case against him.Mason takes the job. We meet some interesting characters in the DA's office and the police force. In this very early book, there is no Sgt. Holcomb, Lt. Tragg, or Hamilton Burger. Paul Drake starts to get the dope on Patton. They find that Marjorie Clune is with another victim of Pollard's scam, Thelma Bell, and there seems to be a third young woman victim too. The plot thickens as we learn that a young dentist named Dr. Doray is in love with Marjorie Clune, and is also in LA trying to get even with Pollard. Before long Pollard is found murdered and suspicion quickly falls on Dr. Doray and Marjorie Clune. Mason is one of the first to find the body and takes a chance juggling some evidence.A great deal of suspense results from tension between Bradbury and Mason. Bradbury is footing the bill, but is an unusal client: he is a strong, assertive, smart personality who says he will stop at nothing to clear Marjorie Clune. He clearly understands how Mason juggled the evidence and will throw Mason to the police if he thinks it's necessary! This is a tightly written page-turner. There are good descriptions of locales and people. The "hard boiled" style of 1930s fiction is very strong here. We see a fighting intense Perry Mason far removed from the character that became so popular on television 20 years later. I love it!There is no court room scene. The murderer is revealed during an interview with police where Mason is about to be arrested(!)One small flaw: there aren't many suspects for us to think about. Recurring themes: lots of action in a hotel room; flight in a small private plane; Mason taking chances and risking disbarment.Highly Recommended.Oh yes, we learn that Perry Mason's phone number is Broadway 39251!
"Lucky" to have Perry Mason as her attorneyWhat a wonderful book! Erle Stanley Gardner has done it again with this third installment of the Perry Mason series. This case deals with the murder of a shady promoter of good-looking young women. Young women win a "legs" contest and are promised a Hollywood career and attendant fame. This is, of course, a scam, and the girls are left fame-less and penniless. The promoter, of course, is murdered and Mason represents the girl and man who are the prime suspects. The plotting is intricate; the pace is fast and the end is surprising. Through it all, Mason is calm, deliberative, ingenuous, and brilliant. I highly recommend this book.
Do You like book The Case Of The Lucky Legs (1990)?
This one frustrated me as I was hoping that Perry would, at some point, punch his client in the mouth. Sadly it never happened.
—DJ
When a young woman enters a beautiful legs contest, where the winner gets a movie contract, she has no idea what about to happen to her life. After winning, she is taken to L.A. and left to fend for herself. The business leaders of her town who were talked into financing the contest, were cheated out of the their money, and now two different suitors are in the city trying to find her and avenge her humiliation. When the man who pulled off the con is found dead, it looks like there is no lack for suspects. It could be one of two girls that fell for the scam, or it could be a young lady who came in second. It could be one of the two suitors arriving in town, one who threatened the guy, the other who is willing to do anything to win the girl.When Perry is hired to find the young lady in the picture, he didn't know that he was about to be mixed up with murder, blackmail, a frame up of unbelievable proportion, and be wanted by the police for hiding a fugitive. Of course that last bit is pretty much standard fare for the attorney. He knows the law, and how far he can push it. Sometimes the cops think he's pushing it beyond it's borders, but Perry always manages to come up on top in these matters. It's when he's the most effective and dangerous. This was an ingeniously layered mystery that seemed unbelievable at first. How can anyone killer be able to control so many twists and turns without it being too contrived or sloppy. Most authors would not have been able to pull this off, but Erle Stanley Gardner seems to do it effortlessly. Most literary detectives would look like a fool in such situations, but Perry Mason comes across as confidant in his abilities to solve the caper.
—Ryan G
