Perry Books

Perry Ludy's book, Profit Building examines a powerful dichotomy for business in the new millennium. It empowers commerce to make effective choices to achieve profit building by cutting costs without cutting people.

Profit Building is also an imperative to examine conventional business models during periods of economic uncertainity. This book is precise, concise and truly on the cutting edge of contemporary issues in today's economy.

Profit Building is a must read for savvy business management - or those who expect to join the ranks - to "get ahead of the curve" or virtually reinvent the human possibilities.

Reviewed by former Group Publisher CBS.

If you are looking for a way to increase profits in your organization, I strongly recommend that you start by first reading Profit Building - Cutting Costs Without Cutting People. Mr. Ludy takes you step by step though the process of building an on-going profit build team for your organization. We have used it as a blueprint for our company and it has really turned our employees. The book moves fast and I found it to be an easy read.

Perry J. Ludy, a seasoned executive, presents his strategies for building profits and cutting costs in this well conceived book. He provides a team-based, profit-making plan that companies of any size could implement. In this simple, highly effective book, Ludy dispels myths about cutting costs and building profits. He uses examples from his professional experience to show his suggestions in action. We [...] recommend this book to managers and executives who are responsible for cost cutting and profit building.

As one CEO said to me recently, "No one who has a conscience ever wants to lay anyone off." Yet the headlines are filled with announcements that companies are making massive cuts in jobs and employees. Recently, these cuts are even coming in the fastest growing technology industries. If people don't like to fire anyone and people don't like to be fired, why is this happening?

Mr. Ludy argues that faced with missing budgets, the orders come down to spend less. Most people do know how to fire someone, so that option gets plenty of attention. Most people do not know many other ways to cut costs or boost profits in the short term, so the alternatives get little attention.

Our firm did a study more than a decade ago that has been quoted in dozens of books and magazine articles. We found that the stocks of companies which did layoffs usually underperformed the stocks of companies that did not. By the end of four years, the differences were enormous in favor of those who did not do layoffs.

Many people believe that this is because people do layoffs poorly, and many people do. But it also because the effort that goes into the layoffs could be better deployed in activities that increase profits. Usually, the bulk of those who go are the most employable people. They end up working for the competition, or having to be hired back as expensive consultants. How does either alternative help, while you are paying severance benefits as an additional cost?

Mr. Ludy points out, based on his extensive experience, that most executives, managers, and supervisors know little about profit improving.

Much of the recent training in companies has been on how to reduce errors, and that may help cut costs in main processes. That learning is often of little help in secondary processes and in areas where the processes need to be totally replaced, revised, or outsourced. Xerox and Motorola are both famed for their quality processes, and both companies are struggling now to make a profit.

Mr. Ludy has developed a process described in the book that helps to get people focusing on the best opportunities, and following through to implement the opportunites that they select. He also provides lists of items which many companies ignore, to help get the process started.

Although I have not seen this process working in practice, it is similar enough to elements of successful processes I have seen that is has credibility to me.

If you decide to pursue this process, I suggest that you can improve upon it. First, rather than just having one small team working on this, you should try to get as many people working in small teams as possible. The most successful profit-improvement program I ever saw involved over 14,000 people in suggesting ideas. Second, be sure to compare the performance you are achieving in one part of the company with what you are achieving in another part of the company in the same activity. Most large companies get their best ideas from benchmarking to their own best practices. Third, be sure to create an e-intelligence capability to get more information to everyone about how the company is performing. E-Business Intelligence is a book that can help you understand this point better.

The three strengths of Mr. Ludy's process to me are:

1. The emphasis on finding ways to improve profits, without hurting people.

2. Training people about how to improve profits.

3. Eliciting questions to locate opportunities.

In regard to the second point, you may find it helpful to read Dr. Ram Charan's new book as well, What the CEO Wants You to Know. That book focuses on simple business concepts and metaphors to make everyone better able to relate to the issues of the enterprise.

One of the major weaknesses of companies is that leaders are often asked to pursue tasks for which they do not have relevant information, experience, or training. Where else does your company have this issue? In my experience, two areas stand out.

(1) Finding better solutions to repetitive problems.

(2) Choosing directions that will lead to better results, regardless of business conditions.

May you find more intelligent, and more humane, ways to profit!

It is axiomic that the role of the firm is to maximise profit; some would say to maximise shareholder value. Profit can be increased by selling goods and services at a premium price that the customer is prepared to pay. However, in a highly competitive environment, prices can be depressed and the company may have to focus on cutting costs whilst maintaining an acceptable level of service and quality.

With the various economic shocks that the world is subjected, one typical and favourite target for cost cutting is reducing the workforce. This short-sighted approach to cost cutting not only causes a lot of human suffering but seldom achieves the intended objective of reducing costs in the long-run. Perry Judy proposes a more progressive approach that focuses on profit improvement. The Profit-Building Process that the author proposes appears to be an effective and workable method for building profit without employing the short-sighted and often self-defeating cost-cutting through cutting people.

I work in the airline industry where people cutting is a favourite strategy employed during lean times. Very often, following the drastic reduction in manning levels, service levels are reduced to such an extent that customers are turned away, further worsening the plight of the airlines concerned. The step-by-step approach of building on-going profit through motivated teams appears to be an excellent strategy for companies to employ when cost-cutting is required.

The book is required reading for all managers tasked with the responsibility to cut costs and build profits in any department.

Don't neeed a thousand words to describe this beautiful map. Great, wonderful and thanks to the publishers for all the information contained.

We have been to Cancun three times now and still find this map and guide invaluable. The information it contains allows even a first time visitor to enjoy all that Cancun has to offer. We will be heading back to Cancun in Jan. of 2001 and this will be the first thing we pack. After that we will order an new one as this one is getting quite worn from all the use. The only thing I have found that I would rate higher is the "Cancun User's Guide" and unfortunately that is only available through the author who has lived in Cancun since 1981.

in making a trip to the Yucatan Penninsula. Excellent coverage of Cancun. The Can-do Maps by the McFarlin family are updated annually and available through Amazon or their www.cancunmap.com website. Maps are available of Cancun, Cozumel, Riviera Maya, Playa de Carmen, and soon Isla Mujeres and Chichen Itza.

I buy new maps yearly, because the changes year to year are so drastic. Get one or all before you go!

This map, along with the others they publish, is the one thing you must have before travelling to Cancun. It will make your trip so much more enjoyable, because you will never be lost.

This map proves very helpful to know where you are and how to find where you are going. The price guide lets you know what to expect to spend once you get there. It also has the locations of the bus stops listed. This is a very easy way to travel and knowing where you can get on and off is very handy. The map made us look like we had been there many times when it was only our first trip. I also know what I missed so I can see those things next trip. You will not be disappointed in the map once you get there. It is amazing how much information is packed on this little map.

If you enjoy Anne Perry, you will love this little novella for
Christmas as I did. It is about hope and change. I think we
all want to see redemption and this little book delivers.

A Christmas Guest was a quick, engaging, and fun Christmas mystery. I found Grandmama to be somewhat of a prude, but endearing still the same. In addition to uncovering the mystery of Maude Barrington's death the story also provides some light humor and a good message. Although it is not your typical Christmas read, if you're alright with Victorian-type novels this is one worth checking out during the Christmas season.

Anne Perry presents readers with a neat puzzle in this holiday mystery in the classic tradition. Like the rest of Perry's books, this a a page turner, and it will hold your attention right up to the last page!

Also recommended:
Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices

A Christmas Beginning: A Novel

Item was sent very quickley and in excellent condition.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but this Anne Perry gem truly SHINES. No, it's not your average Christmas story with predictable, shopworn plot devices. But being atypical is what makes it so great. Anne always delivers a great story and this is NO expection!!!

I love her historical mysteries...she puts you right THERE...you're always cheering for the hero or heroine, and her villians are really despicable...And if you're looking for a complex character, you'll be fanscinated with "A Christmas Guest's" Grandma Ellison...

Another atypical holiday story I thoroughly enjoyed was : "Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices" by John Allen. It's heartbreaking, it's inspiring...and if you hang till the astonishing climax, it's comforting...

It is VERY nice book. Especially for medical students and residents.
You can understand from detail to basic of diseases. With this book, you know how to approach and make your list of differential diagnosis.
I worked for infectious disease patients for a while, and this book was very useful because you can get the general knowledge not only about infectious diseases but also general internal medicine, skin lesions, bone diseases, and so on. I especially recommend the chart of antibiotics(Chart 37). I like this book because we can also get the update etiology of diseases. So nice.

This book packs in all the important aspects of client treatment into each section. The headings are a little hard to see when skimming, but the information is excellent. A must have for Nurse Practitioner school!

Very concise, covering a large number of conditions with information about clinical features, diagnosis and treatment... just the best medical book for students, residents and general prationers.

Everyone has a few books they constantly refer to in their library. This is one of mine. The whole CURRENT series is excellent & I update every new issue as soon as it is available. Ideal reference with clear concise text & pictures throughout the book

It is a very good and useful book. It has everything you'd want in it plus more. It includes the signs and syptoms, what you can do to treat the problem, etc. I just wish that it had pictures in it so you could have more to go off of.

New Orleans resident and attorney, Bruce Spizer, has accomplished what no other Beatle fan and/or author could ever. Using his legal knowledge and access, has shed the ultimate light on the Beatles brief but fascinating time spent on Vee-Jay records. Congratulations to Mr. Spizer for cornering the market on what would otherwise be a mere footnote in the Fab's career, and for making it a wonderful read.

This is for all the beatle fans who wanted to know everything about vee jay. I do believe the Beatles on Vee-Jay is just a sentence or two in most biographies. Vee-Jay was something that the Beatles were picked up by before Capital came to their senses. However, if you want to know everything about it from the physical shape of the records in detailed description, from which warehouse a disc was manufactured, to the details of the royalty rates and how vee jay got hold of the beatles recordings and how they chose to release them. Only a lawyer can be this detailed and this good at describing the legal issues of the Beatles various contracts. The Beatles on vee-jay is a complicated matter, something someone from today wouldn't understand but the rock and roll business wasn't always so organized or money oriented, it was a much different world. A world of Singles, which don't exist anymore, a world of EPs which never caught big in America. The story how veejay marked down an ep to a singles price to help sell copies is priceless. Not only is this a book on the beatles it gives a grand idea on how rock and roll was marketed in 1963-1964. Initially you might think these are books are dull and obsessive but these books are essential, the pictures alone are worth the price of each book in the series, never mind all the text, the text is also detailed and through, remember if there's something that doesn't interest you, you may skip over that part i'm sure they'll be plenty in this book and the others that will interest you.

The story itself is absolutely mind boggling. This incredible tale has more loose ends than a rastafarian hat factory, and just as incredibly, Mr. Spizer pulls all of the threads together into a coherent whole and ties it up in spectacular fashion. The bumbling, cheating, lying, greedy characters that make up the story of how a record company missed the brass ring and lost the Beatles almost plays out like a soap opera....but it's all true! This is one of those cases where the truth is stranger than fiction. And while the story plays itself out, one is overwhelmed by the shear volume of product that an albums worth of songs engenders. If you think that Capitol "Butchered" the Beatles, you ain't read nothin' yet. The book is replete with scads of dazzling pictures of everything from record labels to court documents and everything in between. If you're a dihard Beatles fan or a just interested in stories with a twisted plot, you won't be disappointed with this book.

Wow. A great book about a little known part of the Beatles history. Most British fans will probably never even heard of the Vee-Jay records - so for that reason I suggest they well steer clear of this book. It tells the history of each record in so much detail that it is almost exhausting. Most fans will probably not care about the different labels designs and misprints on the sleeve... and which record processing plant they were made in... but to all of the Beatles collectors out there who want to know every possible thing about the band, then this book is a dream.
Not only does it cover all the ground in exhaustive detail, but it is also accurate - a not inconsiderable detail when you read about Vee-Jay in other books. For example, Bruce lays to rest some of the fables about the Introducing The Beatles album.
It is also lavishly illustrated.
Well worth the high asking price.

I received my copy of this book a couple of days ago with the similar Apple book (see my seperate review of that one). I bought it on the strength on the Author's similar Capitol volumes and boy it's amazing how much research this guy puts into his work. The Vee-Jay story was pretty much an unknown quantity to us Aussies so it's all the more fascinating to read the twists and turns of Vee-Jay's involvement in Beatlemania back in 1963-64. The chapters are mind-boggling to read. All 4 Capitol & Others vs Vee Jay legal cases are thoroughly detailed though I have skimmed through these because it's just so much to take in. The chapter on "Introducing The Beatles" was my main interest because I have a copy of the Mono Version #1 LP which I bought in an Auction here over 10 years ago. I have verified that it's the real deal thanks to this book + Perry Cox's "Beatles Price Guide". No, it's not for sale either!! The label representations and pictures of old original 45's are amazing and enough to drool over. I can't add much more than my colleague reviewers here other than you must have this and the Author's other books (On Capitol #1 & 2 & On Apple) if you're a serious Beatle nut like me. Even if you're not it's a wonderful addition to any Rock Music book library.

Sometimes it's easy to forget that Lincoln Perry isn't a middle-aged guy who's been in the P.I. business for a long time. He demonstrates a maturity beyond his years - most of the time. It's when he doesn't do that, when he acts his chronological age, that his life gets very messy. In A WELCOME GRAVE, Perry agrees to do a favor for an old flame, the woman he was once engaged to marry. Now anyone with a grain of sense would know that this will probably not turn out well. Perry doesn't see past that all-too-human desire to put his rival in a bad light.

Alex Jefferson has been murdered, after being tortured. His wife Karen is the old flame. She asks Perry to track down Alex's son, from whom he has been estranged for quite some time. Matthew is an heir, and Alex was a very rich man. When Perry finds Matthew, not a difficult task, Matthew kills himself in front of Perry. The police, who were already interested in Perry because of the rivalry over Karen, are even more interested now.

As Perry keeps poking around, he seems to get into more and more trouble. Someone is either going out of his way to make Perry look like a truly bad guy, or his luck is incredibly bad. All of this causes some strain between Perry and Amy, a friend in the process of becoming more than that. His business partner Joe is slowly recuperating from taking a bullet in the shoulder, a bullet that saved Perry's life. So Perry's support system is a little shaky right now.

This is the third book in Koryta's Lincoln Perry series. He's good, and getting better. One can excuse some of Perry's more foolish choices; he is, after all, pretty young. He seems to grow a little more with each book. The settings are wonderful, the plotting tight. Readers of classic P.I. series, with just a bit more than a hint of noir, will relish Koryta's newest.

This book is the third in Kortya's fine series about Lincoln Perry, a Cleveland private investigator.

Once again he weaves together strong local Cleveland color as well from southern Indiana to tell a Ross MacDonald-esque story of family greed, desires, and repressed secrets.

As his writing progresses, his plots have become even more multi-layered than in his fine debut work and its follow up. The villains are darker and the violence is greater. Complicating this book is that Perry is the most likely suspect in both locales for a couple of murders, and the local law enforcement officials have no interest in his side of the story. That tension between cop and PI has been done many times before, but not recently to such good effect.

It's a wonderful thing to contemplate work this good from someone in his twenties and just how scary good he might become. Can't wait for his next work!

I've often heard Michael Koryta mention people who have influenced him or the genre. A Welcome Grave is proof that he himself is influencing this genre now, and definitely for the better!

Koryta has a gift when it comes to the English language. I have not walked away from any of his books without feeling like the characters somehow made their way inside me...inside my head, inside my soul. A Welcome Grave continues the character development of Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard, but it also starts to lend weight to some other characters: Amy, Thor. And the dynamics of these characters in relation to Lincoln and Joe add a lot of dimensions to the plot.

Life is never black and white in Koryta's world; I love the shades of gray that develop throughout the course of the book. They help in the suspense and definitely keep the plot from becoming predictable.

Koryta should definitely be a staple of any mystery-lover's booklist!

OK people. Let's get past the fact that the author of three outstanding novels is only twenty-three years old. Let's look at his writing and when you do that, his genius is timeless.

The thing about this novel that enthralled me is how the protagonist of the book, Lincoln Perry, kept getting drawn deeper and deeper into the murder investigations in two locations notwithstanding the fact that he was innocent of either murder or the ones that followed.

There is a murderous manipulator at work in this story and how he goes about controlling events and getting the police to chase all the wrong suspects is both frustrating to the reader and infuriating to Lincoln Perry.

Do not pass up on anything this talented young man has written. They are keepers.

I couldn't put this book down about a private eye (Lincoln Perry) who is framed for a few murders and must clear his name as the police are tightening the noose. Perry has only his partner Joe and his new girlfriend Amy behind him and everyone else against him. Add to that, the mysterious Thor is thrown into the mix and when all can't get any bleaker, Lincoln must team with Thor to maybe turn the tables on the "real" bad guys. A great thriller!

Jason Perry's book, You Are Not Your Own: Living Loud For God is pretty awesome. It really made me want to live sold out for Him. Even if you're not a Plus One fan like I am, I encourage you to read this book. It will change your life for the better.

... this the best book I have read in my entire life and I am not just saying that because I am a BIG Plus One fan!! Lets just say that Jason is a man after Gods own heart, just like David in the Bible. This book has touched my life in an unexplainable(sp.) way!! ...

Jason Perry became an adult while with the very popular Christian boy band Plus One (he left the group at the end of 2002). Once you read this book, you will realize that he also grew up spiritually as well.

Think of "You Are Not Your Own: Living Loud For God" as an autobiography of Jason's walk with the Lord. Although it is a very short book (only 127 pages), Jason has bared his soul to us completely. He not only shares the good, but the bad as well. Many people, especially those who grew up in the church, should be able to relate to Jason.

God has worked wonders in Jason's heart, which will become very obvious to you as you read the book. Though written for an audience his age and younger, even those like me who are (much) older will be touched by Jason's openness and honesty.

Thank you, Jason, for listening to the Lord and sharing with us. I have been truly blessed by it.

This book is TOTALLY AWESOME .It will draw you closer to God.It will encourage,challange,and bring you into a closer relationship with Him!This book is really helping me with my walk with God and it is showing me the areas I need to give to Him.Believe me you or the person you'll be buying it for will love it.I can hardly put it down.I hope Jason writes another book.Believe me you will not be disappointed.Even if you're not a Plus One fan you you will still definitely enjoy it.God Bless!

If your a guy, get past the boy band thing and READ IT. VERY POWERFUL BOOK, Nuff Said. - Later all...

The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook: What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love and Healing The book is highly readable consisting of some of the more interesting and challenging cases that Bruce Perry has encountered. Perry is a remarkable child psychiatrist. I wish there was some way to clone him and make him available in every community around this country. The next best thing is that we can all learn from him, not only from this truly remarkable book but from his Child Trauma Academy website: [...] which includes many of his papers and offers on-line courses for the serious student of his work. He has established himself as one of the leading authorities on the neurobiology of child trauma, especially known for his study of children who have been abused and neglected. But even these impressive credentials do not do him justice. You can't help but be deeply moved when reading his book written with an award winning journalist (Szalavitz). His compassion, empathy, and dedication to his child and family patients reminds me of some of the wonderful psychiatrists I have met along the way in the days when insurances companies were still willing to pay psychiatrists for time to listen to and talk to their young patients and not just the minimum possible time it takes to decide on a prescription. In fact, the need to listen to children and their families is a reoccurring theme throughout this book and the harm that can result when the time is not taken to carefully, listen, and appreciate the whole picture is also noted. I nearly was moved to tears of joy when I came to this paragraph: "Of course, medications can help relieve symptoms and talking to a therapist can be incredibly useful. But healing and recovery are impossible--even with the best medications and therapy in the world--without lasting, caring connections to others. Indeed, at heart it is the relationship with the therapist, not primarily his or her methods or words of wisdom that allows therapy to work" (p.232). Perry also observes, "The most traumatic aspects of all disasters involve the shattering of human connections. And this is especially true of children" (231). I found Perry's message to resonate with my own clinical experiences and convictions again and again and can't remember anything I read that ran counter to my clinical experience or philosophy. I was especially thrilled to see him take up the baton regarding an issue that is dear to my heart because the late Walter Bonime, M.D., a psychoanalyst that I studied with for over a decade in New York City, wrote about this extensively. Perry, like Bonime, before him sees one extremely unhealthy feature of contemporary Western culture to be the hyper-competitiveness that drives parents to load kids up with such extensive academic, sports, and activity schedules that parents have little time to talk to their children, hug their children, and the children have little time to engage in free play with children in the neighborhood. As a result children are often deficient in essential social skills because they get few opportunities to enjoy playing with other children, resolving conflicts or negotiating compromises. I could go on for pages about the things I loved about the book but some things are better left for you to read. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Bruce Perry, author of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, is truly an emotionally intelligent man! In his book he shows the depth of his empathy and invaluable connection with traumatised children.

Perry combines his knowledge of how the brain works with an intrinsic heart felt warmth. When finding which link was not connected in the brain of a very young traumatised baby/child, he draws on the strengths of genuine community love to nutritiously feed the heart, brain and soul of that child.

His holistic approach is a refreshing change from stories of medical intervention which address the physical need of the body only.
Parenting for a Peaceful World

I read this book in a day. For anyone involved in the social services, or even just interested in psychology--it is a must read that truly touches your heart and makes you appreciate the power of children even more.

I work in the child abuse field and I also adopted a traumatized child. This book provides honest and practical information about working with and living with a child who has been traumatized. The author maintained a sense of humor and encourages this in anyone reading the book. Some of the stories were incredibly sad. Many were filled with terror and loss of hope. However, in almost every situation, he was able to find hope for the child where none had been before.
I have shared this book with others at my place of work. The overwhelming review has been the same from all. Well done, must read for anyone in the field or thinking of becoming a foster parent or adoptive parent for a severely traumatized child.

Assisted by a talented science writer, child psychiatrist Bruce Perry presents a series of heartbreaking stories of children severely damaged by trauma. But that's only one side of this remarkable book. The other side is how many of these profoundly damaged children were assisted to heal.

Perry explains his "neurosequential" approach that sequentially targets brain regions left undeveloped by abuse or neglect. He presents compelling cases to illustrate how the child's age at the time of the abuse or neglect will determine the gaps in neurological development and how his interventions sequentially target those developmental gaps. For children whose brains were stalled out in infancy, for example, therapy may start with healing touch or rhythm before moving on to higher brain activities.

The focus, always, is on the child's humanity. Perry explains the importance of listening and letting the child set the pace. He warns of the damage caused by well-intentioned but poorly trained therapists who push children to open up, or who administer punitive interventions in the guise of treatment. Healing is not about a specific technique administered in cookbook fashion but, rather, about love, and restoring shattered human connections.

This is an enlightening and heartening book and a real page-turner to boot. The neurological underpinnings of the trauma theory are presented in clear English accessible to anyone who can read. If you're a mental health professional, psychologist, or psychiatrist, you'll love this book. If you're a parent or a teacher, it's also for you. Whoever you are, it's for you. I guarantee you will be engaged and inspired.

The 'Foreword' is dedicated to Lester Adelson, M.D. who was then working with the coroner of Cuyahoga County in Cleveland Ohio. Legal medicine and autopsies help the living. Dr. Adelson believes his allegiance is to the TRUTH, not to the side that hired him. A Medical Examiner should study the dead to help the living. Murder cases are but a small fraction compared to accidental deaths (traffic, industrial, or at home). Suicide is much more frequent than murder. Sudden deaths can appear to be suicide, homicide, or accidental. Unsuspected infectious diseases are one threat to the community. The forensic pathologist is important to the public interest, and should be an impartial fact-finder.

Mervin Selkirk is conversing with Norda Allison when he slaps his seven-year old son Robert for interrupting. Suddenly Norda sees the sadistic streak behind the mask of smiling politeness and affability over the selfish personality. Norda dislikes this discipline but Mervin says she's a "softie". The result is the breaking of their engagement. A few days later Mervin punches Norda's boyfriend, Nate Benedict, in a restaurant. Mervin explains it as self-defense and his friends there back his story. Later Norda gets anonymous letters about suitors who killed former fiancees. The postal authorities couldn't catch the sender. Mervin's previous wife, Lorraine Selkirk Jennings, tells of a toy printing machine; this is enough for a search warrant on Mervin. The toy printing press doesn't match. His first wife tells of Mervin's ruthlessness and cleverness, and the power of his family. Then Lorraine sends a flight ticket to arrange for a meeting in person. The Jennings surprise Norda with their plans; is this some sort of trick? They have an excuse for Robert's absence. [Did you suspect anything?]

Something happens during the night, Norda packs and leaves, then visits Perry Mason to tell of the problems. The investigation does not agree with Norda's claims. Something's wrong here. The mystery deepens when a gun is found in the bed where Norda Allison slept. The police were called and took Norda in for questioning. We soon learn the reason for this activity: Mervin Selkirk was found shot dead in his car, parked at the Country Club. Perry is visited by Nate Benedict, who has a permit to carry the gun he brought on his flight from San Francisco. Nate also owns a gun like the murder weapon. Perry meets Mervin's father Horace Livermore Selkirk, as unscrupulous as he is powerful, and he is very powerful. Perry and Della use a ruse to interview Robert's baby-sitter. By following Barton Jennings they find a clue to where Robert was taken. New facts are discovered to complicate the mystery. Chapter 12 starts to uncover the mystery and the disappearance of Robert. Perry meets the young woman who was placed in charge, and talks to her about the laws and her actions.

The Preliminary Hearing starts in Chapter 14. Perry's cross-examination of Sgt. Holcomb raises questions about the prosecution's theory of the crime. Other facts are brought out in the testimonies to clarify the question of guilt. But there is a new fact that connects Norda to the dead body of Mervin! The judge calls for a conference at the noon recess and there is a new development that could free Perry's client. But a shocking surprise shakes Horace Selkirk. Hamilton Burger brings in his surprise witness who was at the Country Club parking lot (Chapter 17). Perry's cross-examination of Millicent Bailey neutralizes her testimony. Then Barton Jennings appears as a witness, and tells of what he knows. Perry's cross-examination has this witness contradicting his testimony. Then another witness is recalled so Perry can question her. Now there is another material fact that is brought out. Norda is released from custody. The last chapter resolves the outstanding questions and explains the unknown events. Erle Stanley Gardner describes the corrupt and powerful people who run society, albeit in fiction. Like other novels, the courtroom scenes are the dramatic high points.

This Perry Mason book is a suspenseful action thriller and a spectacular page turner. "The Case of The Deadly Toy" is about a woman, Norda Alison who is convicted of murder after her ex-fiancé is found dead and the murder weapon is found hidden under her pillow. This book is very well written and keeps you clueless of the real murderer until the last few pages in the book. Norda Allison is the victim of a conspiracy between her ex-fiancés former wife and her husband. Perry Mason does a great job keeping the reader active and having new suspenseful ideas on every page. Perry, his secretary Debra, his close friend and detective Paul Drake do a great job solving the mystery after all hope is lost. The book is very exciting after Norda's ex-fiancés former wife's son fires a gun shot heard early in the morning and Norda's ex-fiancé is found dead the next morning. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery books and I think everyone will love and cherish this book.

Mervin Selkirk is a wealthy man used to getting what he wants. He uses a campaign of terror to intimidate his ex-fiancé Norda Allison. He is in a protracted fight with his ex-wife, Lorraine Jennings, over their seven-year-old son. He also set up an ambush that allowed him to sucker punch a man with a pair of brass knuckles and break his jaw. Yes, Mervin is quite a guy, and it is not much of surprise when he turns up dead. The police decide to point the finger at Norda Allison, but she has Perry Mason on her side. With the help of Paul Drake and Della Street, Perry slowly uncovers the truth of what really happened to Selkirk.

This book is a classic mystery tale with excellent courtroom scenes. The setup is quick and interesting, and the investigation uncovers a terrific maze of clues and red herrings. Perry is obviously the star character and he is highly intelligent, driven to succeed, and quite funny at times. The author was an attorney himself, and that undoubtedly helps make the courtroom scenes so entertaining. The plot moves along briskly, at just over 200 pages there is little room for fat in the story.

Reading a Perry Mason novel is kind of like going to a Holiday Inn. They're all pretty much the same, and if you like one you'll probably like them all. That's no insult, because I happen to enjoy the series. For newcomers, this volume is as good as any for an entry point. If you're a fan, then you'll be perfectly at home with Perry, Della, Paul Drake, and even the ever-ineffectual Hamilton Burger. This book is not likely to help you think deep thoughts, but it's a highly enjoyable read that will entertain for several hours.

This is a wonderful mystery laced with humor. And the solution to the mystery is impossible to figure out...however, when you finish the book, and go back over some passages, you have to admit that all the clues were there.

Whenever I finish a Perry Mason, I want to start another (with the determination that this time I will solve the mystery before Mason.)
I feel the same way about Nero Wolfe mysteries such asBlack Orchids (Nero Wolfe Mysteries).

This Perry Mason book is a suspenseful action thriller and a spectacular page turner. "The Case of The Deadly Toy" is about a woman, Norda Alison who is convicted of murder after her ex-fiancé is found dead and the murder weapon is found hidden under her pillow. This book is very well written and keeps you clueless of the real murderer until the last few pages in the book. Norda Allison is the victim of a conspiracy between her ex-fiancés former wife and her husband. Perry Mason does a great job keeping the reader active and having new suspenseful ideas on every page. Perry, his secretary Debra, his close friend and detective Paul Drake do a great job solving the mystery after all hope is lost. The book is very exciting after Norda's ex-fiancés former wife's son fires a gun shot heard early in the morning and Norda's ex-fiancé is found dead the next morning. I recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery books and I think everyone will love and cherish this book.

I can't remember when I first read this. In paper for sure. There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this book. I have read it several times and love it every reading. A terrifically fun read. To write more is stupid. "Butcher's Boy" is a very nice read also.

Having loved Perry's Jane Whitefield books, and been dazzled by their pace and that of a couple of subsequent works of Perry's, I was intrigued to pick up this well-reviewed early work. Metzger is, surprisingly, the name of our protagonist's cat! His human `Chinese' Gordon, is a rather petty criminal who stumbles onto a major opportunity. Blackmailing the CIA? Gonna try, anyway. Bring in Latino Mafia-like members as allies? OK, but how long will it last? Do all this while upsetting the workings of a city the size of Los Angeles? Pick a couple of vulnerable spots and attack them. Gordon and his cronies are easy to root for 'bad guys'. The CIA agents are a pleasantly varied lot. The action rolls past you like Gordon's van well over the speed limit. Wonderful fun, particularly if you live in and/or know the Los Angeles area as I do. Add my five stars to all of the others. Great pace, funny and sometimes violent scenes, a great moll for Gordon, a winner for Perry like so many of his others.

Glad this has been republished-- I read it in the early 80s when it was first published and I've been a confirmed Thomas Perry fan since. This loose-jointed thriller has everything: laughs, tension, and brilliantly quirky plotting. Perry makes it look easy, and he's only gotten better over the years.

Read this and then ask yourself: Why hasn't it been filmed? I think I may know: it's been ripped off so many times that producers think it won't fly. Too bad, since it did it first and best. Read it! Still a rollickingly great novel and the perfect book for a vacation.

I have my original copy of this novel, and re-read it every few years. It is the best he has written. Funny (very), and what a plot. Do not miss this read. You will thank me.

I have a taste for books that are both funny and intense, and for that reason this is perhaps my favorite of all Perry's books. Years ago, I read sections of it (the parts about Chinese Gordon, his friends, and their adventures) out loud to my then ten year old son. (I thought the other sections weren't suitable for a child, so I censored them.) He howled with laughter, and both of us were awed by the scenes in which a few men completely, bloodlessly, shut Los Angeles down. What a glorious idea. Another reviewer is quite right -- this book would make a great "caper" movie. Where's the Rat Pack when you need them?