Stanley Books

Well organized and informative, this text educates and challenges today's young business math student whether the course is being taken as a requirement or as an elective. Either way, the successful student, upon completion of this course will walk away a better business student and a wiser investor/consumer.

The book goes over the information quite thoroughly. However, there are a few things that can be improved upon. The book only mentions one method of doing things while there are actually several that make more sense.
The answers in the back of the book help you check your work, but it does end up being a crutch that you lean on (once you figure out there are answers there).
A lot of good information, even if it is a high-school level book used in colleges.

I have a friend who's a very nice guy, but I admit he's a little weird and very hard to figure out good birthday gifts for. I gave him this for his birthday recently and he loved it, which is perhaps not too surprising in retrospect, since his favorite movie is the Texas Chain-Saw Massacre.

This is an extremely useful guide to being your own butcher. If you follow the guidance carefully this book teaches you the basics of cutting meat from your own body. Perfect for the man who enjoys fava beans and a nice chianti.

The Case of the Gilded Lily, by Erle Stanley Gardner

The 'Foreword' dedicates this book to Walter J. R. Camp, M.D., Ph.D., one of this country's leading toxicologists. He is a Professor of Toxicology and Pharmacology at the University of Illinois, and the Coroner's Toxicologist for Cook County (Chicago). Dr. Camp is cool and objective when working on many spectacular cases.

Stewart G. Bedford is a wealthy business man who recently married a much younger woman. Binney Denham visited him one morning and asked about a "loan"; Binney has police records of Stewart's new wife Ann! Bedford loves his trophy wife and enjoys the envy and admiration of his friends. Then a phone call that night insists on getting the money next morning. Bedford gets traveler's cheques, then visits Binney and drives away with Geraldine Corning to a motel as part of the pay-off. A drink causes Bedford to fall asleep, as if it was drugged. When Bedford wakes up he finds Corning gone, and Binney shot dead in the next room. Bedford's secretary drives there and picks him up, she has retained Perry Mason.

Perry gets the story from Bedford and his secretary Elsa Griffin, and advises them what to do. Paul Drake begins his investigation. Elsa will return to her motel unit to lift any of the fingerprints left there by an unknown visitor (Chapter 6). The motel manager accurately described the man and the girl he was with: "that indefinable something that marks the babe, the chick, the moll" [body language?]. Perry finds out who the unknown visitor was (Chapter 8). But that person denied being there, and admits to other actions (Chapter 9). Mason is called, but the police reach Bedford first. Against Mason's advice Bedford makes a statement; the police take him in (Chapter 13). Mason talks to Bedford in jail, and listens to Bedford's theory of the crime (Chapter 15).

The shadow on Grace Corning reports she is leaving for Mexico under a disguise. Drake's operatives get fingerprints from Grace Compton's apartment (Chapter 17). The trial starts in Chapter 18. The motel manager testifies, and we learn new facts about the events (he saw Binney visit, and a "prowler" that he described to the police). A police officer tells of searching the garage to find a hidden gun. Elsa Griffin visits Perry to tell him of her suspicions; as she leaves she meets Sgt. Holcomb and offers her information (Chapter 19). When the trial resumes Elsa Griffin testifies about the fingerprints she lifted; but they do not match the People's Exhibits! Something wrong here. The police fingerprint expert is called to settle this dispute. Then the motel manager takes the witness stand to identify Mrs. Bedford! But Perry asks a few questions that expose new facts (Chapter 20). Perry explains the events to his freed client (Chapter 21).

In other novels Gardner warned about an eyewitness whose testimony can't be corroborated. The fact of substituted fingerprints is subtly mentioned here. Gardner covered the Sir Harry Oakes murder trial for the Hearst Press.

This story is an excellent story inline with all the others I've read by Erle Stanly Gardner.

This story like all the others in the Perry Mason series has a series of different twists.

What makes this story so good like all the other ones is that your getting nearly about 3/4s of the way through and you can see that unless something goes drastically wrong for the prosecution then the defendant is going to get the electric chair. But in true Erle Stanley Gardner fashion Perry Mason the defense lawyer pulls the defendant out of the spot that he's in and in doing so he gets his professionalism questioned including accusations of tampering with evidence.

In conclusion This is an excellent book by Erle Stanley Gardner and like others in this series it has the twists and other odd things that happen.

The Case of the Beautiful Beggar

A young woman has just returned from a 3-month vacation cruise in Hawaii. Daphne Shelby has a letter from her Uncle Horace ordering her to met Perry Mason immediately to draft a new will. Uncle Horace's stepbrother, his wife, and a friend came for an extended stay. During Daphne's absence they had Uncle Horace declared incompetent and put in a nursing home. Stepbrother Borden was now in charge of the Shelby fortune, and Daphne was ordered out of the only home she ever knew! The check given to Daphne is for a closed account. There is a suspicion that Borden's wife Elinor has drugged Uncle Horace to make him senile. Perry Mason files a paper to question the court judgment. The bank manager is ready to testify that Horace was competent, and Daphne has a good business head. But Borden Shelby reveals a surprise about Daphne that could prevent her suit. The court appointed a psychiatrist to settle the question. But Uncle Horace disappears!

Soon a dead body turns up. Daphne is suspected of murdering her uncle for the inheritance. But the body turns out to be Borden's friend! Perry placed investigators on all the people, and learns the facts needed to clear his client, and discover where Uncle Horace was hiding. The final scenes in the Preliminary Hearing clears up the mysteries. Another long suppressed scandal is the source of these problems. This is another roller-coaster ride of a story designed to keep your interest until its surprising conclusion.

I think that this book was really good. Earl Stanley Gardner is a great author. There were so many twists in the story you'd never know what would happen next.

Very well-plotted mystery. Especially, the process to the murder is very complicated and fascinating. The disclosure of who is murdered is so surprising, so explosive! That makes this story outstanding.

It is well-known that Mason's clients are always innocent. That seems to limit the mystery, but Mason mysteries are not so easy. It is not sure whether the clients tell the truth. They often tell various lies on various reasons, but sometimes they tell the genuine truth. This is perplexing, and that makes it difficult for Mason and readers to guess what really happened.

Very well-plotted mystery. Especially, the process to the murder is very complicated and fascinating. The disclosure of who is murdered is so surprising, so explosive! That makes this story outstanding.

It is well-known that Mason's clients are always innocent. That seems to limit the mystery, but Mason mysteries are not so easy. It is not sure whether the clients tell the truth. They often tell various lies on various reasons, but sometimes they tell the genuine truth. This is perplexing, and that makes it difficult for Mason and readers to guess what really happened.

Selma Anson, a well-to-do widow rushes to see Perry Mason because she is being followed. Perry gets Paul Drake to investigate. Paul explains a "rough shadow" and a "roper". The first follows a subject in such a way as to be noticed (a "smooth shadow" keeps far away from the subject). A "roper" tries to befriend the subject in a casual way to gain their confidence. The "roper" will admit to illegal or unethical acts in order to draw out a similar confidence from the subject. [You may encounter this in your workplace.] Selma is friendly with a wealthy man; some of his nephews and nieces regard Selma as a fortune hunter! The shadow is the boyfrined of the niece who dislikes Selma. The complication is that Selma's husband Bill died a year ago of food poisoning, and some gossip that his wife took advantage of this to poison him!

Selma's deceased husband is exhumed; test show arsenic. Selma also had been buying arsenic until her husband died. A bottle of this arsenic was found hidden by the barbecue grill where Selma's husband got sick. "The prosecution's evidence always seems convincing," Mason said. Who else could have a motive to murder except the spouse?

Perry's client listens to bad advice, and acts foolishly by flying to El Paso. Perry arrives, and is able to salvage her mistake, and turn it around (Chapters 9 & 10). Chapter 13 tells how Perry uses a polygraph expert to prove Selma's innocence. One example of this was in the Sam Sheppard case; family members proved they had never heard Dr. Sam Sheppard say anything indicative of guilt. [Erle Stanley Gardner kept up with current events.] But courts won't allow a polygraph test to determin guilt. "It's very, very possible to frame a person for murder," Mason said.

On the last day of the trial we learn that Selma Anson has just married Delane Arlington, who found the bottle of poison. A spouse cannot testify against another spouse. But Perry says Delane will testify voluntarily! Lt. Tragg testifies that the police found no bottle of poison (clearly marked) when they previously searched the whole area of the barbecue grill. The manufacturer of this poison (used in taxidermy) testified it was freshly manufactured within three months. The owner of the taxidermy supply store identifies the customer who bought this poison. Once all the facts are learned, Perry's client is found not guilty by the Judge. The customers who bought this poison are arrested for evidence tampering; and you know what's next.

Selma Anson found herself a widow after her husband died from supposed food-poisoning at a BBQ thrown by the Arlington family. She invested the insurance money wisely, and amassed a small fortunte from it. She and Delane Arlington also found themselves romantically attached in the wake of the trajedy.

A year later, Selma finds herself followed by an individual, and threatens to slap his face if he keeps at it. She's warned about the legal ramifications of such an act, and consults Perry Mason.

Selma ends up being the target of an insurance company investigation, who claims she murdered her husband, and all the money she made was as an involuntary trustee of the funds, and the victim of the district attorney, who after exhuming the body of her deceased husband, finds the death was due to arsenic. To make matters even worse, Delane Arlington finds a key piece of evidence that would serve to prove her guilt.

It looks bad for her, but she has Perry Mason as her lawyer. His own analysis of the evidence, coupled with his belief in the ability of Lt. Tragg of the police department, allows him to exonerate his cliend... despite claims of wrongdoing by Hamilton Burger.

A young woman under the influence of the "truth" serum sodium pentathol confesses to her doctor that she poisoned the older man in whose house she had been living. After the man's death, she says, she threw the bottle containing the poison into a lake. The doctor, armed with this information and a recording of the session, consults Perry Mason, bringing the famous lawyer into the case.

The police have no knowledge that anyone has been murdered. The possible victim's cause of death was put down to natural causes years before when he died. Now, though, the police get wind of the confession, and Mason finds himself racing against time to determine whether a crime has been committed at all. He goes to the lake and succeeds in finding a bottle that, thankfully, does not contain poison. Apparently, the case is at an end. The "confession," he thinks, was just a product of the woman's imagination and guilty conscience. However, just when Mason thinks he can rest easy, the police recover a second bottle.

Now, not only is Mason's client back in hot water, but Mason himself is also facing legal trouble. The police, it seems, suspect Mason of having planted the first bottle.

There is not much new in this Perry Mason tale. It is the same competent, completely readable, and thoroughly enjoyable mystery Garner produced time after time. Hamilton Burger, the district attorney who always seems out to get Mason, is at it once again, and Mason must fall back on his wits and hope to pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat to save his and his client's skins.

The Case of the Demure Defendant, by Erle Stanley Gardner

The importance of legal medicine is how it can prevent guilty persons from getting away with murder and innocent persons from being wrongfully convicted. This book is dedicated to Dr. Daniel J. Condon the Medical Examiner of Maricopa County Arizona who consulted on a Court of Last Resort case.

Nadine Farr had emotional problems, and visited a psychiatrist. She is given sodium pentothal and her answers are recorded on tape. During the questioning she admits to poisoning her Uncle. Dr. Denair consults Perry Mason to find out if this is confidential, or must be reported to the police. Perry points out a confession to a crime is not confidential, but the statements of a drugged person are not reliable in a court of law since they may be imagined. Dr. Denair brings Nadine Farr to consult with Perry Mason. But the nurse present at the treatment tells this to her policeman boyfriend, and the tape recording is obtained with a search warrant by the police.

The story is that Nadine threw away the poison. Perry recovers the bottle and has it analyzed - a sugar substitute! But the police do their homework and find a second bottle with the poison. We learn that Nadine's boyfriend says he found that bottle and flushed it away. We also learn that Jackson Newburn also threw away the poison! The case goes to court, Hamilton Burger accusing Perry of substituting false evidence. This looks like a slam-dunk for Burger until Perry personally inspects the evidence and notices a detail that will clear Nadine Farr of murder, Perry of fabricating evidence, and get a confession from a witness pointing to the real murderer. The scandals that generated this crime are mentioned at the ending.

Nadine Farr was a troubled young woman. Under the treatment of Dr. Denair, she revealed under drugs that she had killed her uncle with cyanide, then tossed the bottle into a lake, weighed down with shotgun shot. Unfortunately for her and her doctor, there was a tape recording of the drug-induced interview... and the nurse's boy-friend was a police detective.

Dr. Denair laid out his problem to Perry Mason, who put together a plan to carefully investigate the matter. In the end, he recovered the bottle from the lake... and it only contained a harmless sugar substitute.

However, the nurse blabbed to her boy-friend, and the police became interested. Then the D.A. found a SECOND bottle in the lake, filled with cyanide. Mason found himself stuck with a client who had confessed under drugs to a crime... and found himself accused of tossing one of the bottles into the lake.

It all comes down to a legal showdown as to whether the drug-induced confession, combined with the recovered bottle, can be admitted as evidence. Surprisingly, Mason reverses position and agrees to allow it all in evidence, despite the strong legal arguments which could prohibit it. It's the trap he puts Hamilton Burger in, and clears both himself and his client in the clear.

The 'Foreword' is dedicated to Dr. Samuel R. Gerber, the coroner of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He is a pioneer in the field of public disaster, where there is a need to quickly identify many bodies to solve legal problems, such as insurance, wills, marital relationships, etc. Dr. Gerber studied traffic deaths, accident prevention, and the effects of alcohol. His percentages on alcohol in the blood have become the accepted standard.

Perry Mason receives a visit from Mrs. Stefanie Malden, the newly widowed spouse of Dr. Summerfield Malden (a plane crash). This very young widow says Dr. Malden was being investigated by the IRS as to income tax. Gladys Foss, his head nurse and office manager, has disappeared - it may not be a coincidence. Stefanie found strange keys, hired a private detective, and learned where her husband spent time. Stefanie is concerned that her husband could have outwitted her! The IRS investigation was over cash income that was lower than expected. Stefanie wants Perry to take care of settling the estate for her. But complications arise from Perry's investigation. Did Perry walk into a cunningly baited trap?

Gladys Foss explains the strains for a medical man. The patients vary as to symptoms and condition, but a doctor must be able to handle any complication. Bookkeeping is an unneeded complication that is usually handled by a nurse. There is a cash shortage due to a lack of records. Could Gladys have taken some of the funds to play the horses? Could Dr. Malden's mechanic been involved in the plane crash? Was Dr. Malden's young wife seeing this mechanic? Then Perry learns that Mrs. Malden and the mechanic Ramon Castella were arrested by the Narcotics squad. When Perry arrives at the Hall of Justice a photographer takes him aside to take a posed photograph. There is quite a dramatic scene (Chapter 6)!

One important fact is that a car windshield was spattered with bugs, so the driver didn't stop for gas where the attendant would have washed them off (Chapter 7). A gasoline credit card can be used to track a person's purchases. Perry gets information on Gladys Foss' losses from the horse's mouth. Perry visits Stefanie in prison to get the truth (Chapter 9). Is there a commodity that Stefanie doesn't recognize? Perry explains his strategy for the preliminary examination (Chapter 10). Testimony from a criminalist tells how they could trace narcotics sold to a doctor, and the contents of a whisky flask. The preliminary hearing covers the main points, and is the longest chapter. [Did you begin to suspect the solution?] Since the prosecution can't meet Perry's objection, the case is dismissed and Stefanie is released from custody. Perry tells her how to leave, what to do, and where to go. Perry summarizes the case for Della [and the reader]. New evidence is found and Stefanie is re-arrested. Perry continues his investigation (Chapter 15).

District Attorney Burger returns to Los Angeles, but loses the publicity to Perry (Chapter 16). Darwin Kirby drank from that flask and soon fell asleep (Chapter 17). The dentist who last worked on Dr. Malden could not positively identify the body. Dr. Malden had been using fluorides to prevent dental caries (Chapter 18). Perry's subpoena of a witness backfires and leads to a contempt citation; but Perry explains how "nothing" would be proved by this witness! Perry surmises the truthful identity of this witness. In Chapter 19 Perry explains this case.
There may have been some humor in Gardner's dedication of this book to Dr. Gerber. Coroner Gerber accused Dr. Sam Sheppard of murdering his wife and ruined Dr. Sam's life.

Steffanie Malden, the client, is a greedy Widow. She is much eager to snatch her late husband's hidden money rather than to mourn for him, and she want to use Mason as a tool. And did she kill her husband cold-bloodedly? Mason fights for the unpleasant client at the risk of being disbarred and/or imprisoned. Lawyer is a hard business.

The most charming point of Perry Mason mysteries is how to reveal the real murderer and/or the real facts convincingly. Also in this book, the thrilling and dramatic revelation of what really happened is splendid! And the the murderer's identity is completely unpredictable and surprising.

I also enjoy quite a few spectacular scenes; D.A. Burger launches his fist at Mason, Mason is sentenced for contempt of court and so on.

The Case of the Hesitant Hostess

The `Foreword' is dedicated to Dr. Milton Helpern, one of the top experts in forensic medicine. Dr. Helpern is one of the chief Medical Examiners of New York City, and a Professor at New York University Post Graduate Medical School. His diagnosis of a spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage saved a man from a murder charge. In another case he found the tip of a knife in the skull and brain or a dead man; what had seemed a natural death was murder.

In Chapter 1 Perry Mason is representing an indigent Albert Brogan, accused of armed robbery. A witness is very sure of her identification, less sure of some other events. The defendant retired after a car accident and a nervous breakdown. Perry thinks Martha Lavina isn't telling all (Chapter 2). Perry goes to search for the missing witness, an unusual investigation. He learned there is more than advertised (Chapter 3). Paul Drake cautions Perry about the Villa Lavina's connections (Chapter 5). Perry's missing witness is located, but Inez Kaylor took a handful of sleeping pills (Chapter 6)! But there is a mystery about the ambulance (Chapter 7). Perry finds out that his client Albert Brogan will be charged with the murder of a young woman (Chapter 8).

When Della Street goes to Inez Kaylor's apartment she finds a new complication in the closet. A doctor is called, then an ambulance (Chapter 10). Della and Perry find out that Inez Kaylor has a sister (Chapter 11). Could a routine business letter hold a clue (Chapter 12)? A very long Chapter 14 has Perry Mason's cross-examination of Martha Lavina and Rodney Archer. Their answers, explanations, and contradictions question their veracity. Della Street walked into trouble when she answered the ad for a model agency. Her mute telephone call warns Perry, and he brings Lt. Tragg along. They discover the hidden secret behind the crime (Chapter 15). The real Inez Kaylor showed up to fill in the rest of the story. She was lured away because she could have told what she suspected about Lavina's racket. They were able to switch people by using an ambulance! One of the gang turned State's evidence and the conspiracy was exposed. Albert Brogan will profit from suing Rodney Archer and Martha Lavina for false accusations, a happy ending (Chapter 16).

The activities of Perry Mason in this 1953 novel are similar to the earlier stories, or the "Ken Corning" short stories, from the 1930s. You can read between the lines to know the real business that is beneath the euphemistic descriptions. The switch of bodies recalls the film "The Lady Vanishes".

This story was unusual as Perry Mason mysteries in several reasons; (1) Mason was assigned by the court as a defending lawyer for a penniless defendant, (2) the case was not a murder but a hold-up and (3) the trial was on from the beginning of the story. The situation went worse and worse to the defendant, but Mason never gave up and at last succeeded in turning the tables more dramatically than ever. The story showed Mason's sincerity as a lawyer; even if he couldn't earn no money, he did everything he could for the defendant. I wish I could retain Mason when I needed a criminal lawyer. And I liked the front cover; it was meaningful.

A woman has urgent business with Perry Mason. Rita Swaine brought along a caged canary with a sore foot. She tells Perry about the problem her twin sister has with her new husband Walter Prescott, and the money he has taken from her sister Rosalind. Rosalind has been seeing her old boyfriend Jimmy Driscoll, and Rosalind's husband has threatened her. Rita explains the problem that happened that morning. The case intrigues Perry, so he agrees to take the case. Rita tells of an accident that happened around noon. Perry calls Paul Drake to investigate Walter Prescott, his business associate, the snoopy neighbors, and the man injured in that accident. Perry learns of trouble at the Prescott home (Chapter Three). Perry and Paul question the neighbors about the accident, and learn the homicide squad was at the Prescott house. The dialogue is an interesting as some trial scenes (Chapter Four).

The man injured in the accident has left the hospital, and can't be located. Perry and Paul visit Harry Trader, who drove the truck that was in that accident. Trader will tell them little, except it was the other driver's fault (Chapter Five). Perry and Della Street fly to Reno to locate Rita Swaine. They also find Rosalind Prescott and Jimmy Driscoll. Perry gets the complete story from Rosalind. Della calls to warn about the police, so Perry can call the telephone operator to report their presence. Perry gives good advice to his clients (Chapter Seven). Paul Drake tracks down "Carl Packard", who was injured in that accident; he can't be found. Perry learns he was an insurance detective who investigated fire-bugs connected with an arson ring (Chapter Eight)!

The Coroner holds an inquest and establishes that Walter Prescott was murdered with a pistol, the bullets came from Jimmy Driscoll's gun that was left with Rosalind Prescott (Chapter Ten). This makes Rita Swaine the last person in the house when Walter Prescott was alive. Now Rita tells Perry more about what happened that day. She found Walter Prescott dead when she arrived after Rosalind and Jimmy had left the house! Perry will have a difficult job defending Rita; she withheld evidence from the police. Perry gives her good advice as to her conduct in jail. Paul Drake calls Perry to tell him "Carl Packard" has been found, but will never testify in court.

In Chapter Fourteen Perry tries to imagine what could have happened. Paul Drake drops in to tell that Rita has confessed to what she found when she arrived at the Prescott house. When Perry learns that Walter Prescott's secretary is moving to Reno he comes up with an idea involving the shipping of luggage from Rita Swaine's apartment! This brings out Sergeant Holcomb to investigate. The Coroner holds another inquest into Jason Braun's death. One witness says he wants to leave because he was injured. Perry makes a suggestion, so Dr. Wallace examines a witness on the stand. A commotion breaks out, and a shocking surprise results. Perry's client will be released (Chapter Fifteen). Perry explains it all to Della Street while driving to the harbor for a well-deserved vacation. [The solution reminds me of Graham Greene's "The Third Man".]

Background: The stylistic heritage of the Perry Mason mysteries is the American pulp magazines of the 1920s. In the early Mason mysteries, Perry - a good-looking, broad-shouldered, two-fisted, man of action - is constantly stiff-arming sultry beauties on his way to an explosive encounter that precipitates the book's climactic action sequence. In the opening chapters of these stories, Gardner subjects the reader to assertive passages that Mason is a crusader for justice, a man so action-oriented he is constitutionally incapable of sitting in his office and waiting for a case to come to him or to develop on its own once it has - he has to be out on the street, in the midst of the action, making things happen, always on the offensive, never standing pat or accepting being put on the defensive. These narrative passages - naïve, embarrassingly crude "character" development - pop up throughout the early books, stopping the narrative dead in its tracks, and putting on full display a non-writer's worst characteristic: telling the reader a character's traits instead of showing them through action, dialogue, and use of other of the writer's tools.

Rating "Ground Rules": These flaws, and others so staggeringly obvious that enumerating them is akin to using cannons to take out a flea, occur throughout the Gardner books, and can easily be used (with justification) to trash his work. But for this reader they are a "given", part of the literary terrain, and are not relevant to my assessment of the Gardner books. In other words, my assessments of the Perry Mason mysteries turn a blind eye to Erle Stanley Gardner's wooden, style-less writing, inept descriptive passages, unrealistic dialogue, and weak characterizations. As I've just noted, as examples of literary style all of Gardner's books, including the Perry Mason series, are all pretty bad. Nonetheless, the Mason stories are a lot of fun, offering intriguing puzzles, nifty legal gymnastics, courtroom pyrotechnics, and lots of action and close calls for Perry and crew. Basically, you have to turn off the literary sensibilities and enjoy the "guilty" pleasure of a fun read of bad writing. So, my 1-5 star ratings (A, B, C, D, and F) are relative to other books in the Gardner canon, not to other mysteries, and certainly not to literature or general fiction.

"The Case of the Lame Canary": A-

One of Perry Mason's best early mysteries, "The Case of the Lame Canary" starts in typical fashion: a visitor to Mason's law office simply wants some advice on a peculiar situation that seems to make him or, more often, her legally vulnerable, but along the way introduces a puzzle that intrigues Mason and serves as the entry point to his involvement in a convoluted murder case. In this instance, Mason is drawn in by the relatively simple puzzle of determining why the canary his client is carrying appears to be lame. And the case that unfolds from this point forward is certainly satisfyingly convoluted.

In the "Lame Canary", Gardner is at his most adept in keeping the story moving and the reader fascinated by an "onion skin" narrative approach: A puzzling situation is introduced, Perry Mason probes the possibilities, plays a hunch, and pieces together a solution, peeling away one puzzling layer of the mystery - only to introduce another puzzling layer that conceals yet another puzzler that conceals.... Gardner is very adept at peeling away one layer at a time, carefully leading the reader through the logic that Perry Mason uses to get at the truth. And at the same time, preserving through each revelation the one tangled fabric of suspicion, of condemning evidence, that, as the story progresses, seems to be forming a tight noose that is a perfect fit for the neck of Perry's client.

Gardner uses this narrative approach a number of times in the early books, when his fertile imagination was generating innumerable puzzles and clues to their solutions. In "The Lame Canary", many little mysteries are cleared up as the evidence gets uncovered, holding the reader's interest and at the same time seeming to leave the final solution tantalizingly close at hand.

A solid mystery, from simple beginning through complex situations and conspiracies to the surprising yet plausible conclusion. A must-read for Gardner's Perry Mason fans who want to see their protagonist in top form.