Stanley Books

The Case of the Lonely Heiress

Perry Mason gets a visit from Robert Caddo, the publisher of "Lonely Lovers Publications". Caddo has run an ad from an heiress. The authorities suspect some sort of fraud and are investigating. But since the advertisers are anonymous, Caddo wants Perry Mason to verify this item. Caddo explains the market for this publication, and how it works (Chapter 1). Perry explains how his letters will try for a response from than anonymous heiress. Perry wonders if that ad is part of a scheme (Chapter 2). One letter draws a reply, and Perry will have detectives who can spot and follow "MM" (Chapter 3). In Chapter 4 Perry and Della visit Union Depot to watch the meeting. The next morning Perry reports the facts to Caddo. Later that day Perry gets a report from the young detective who met "MM"; was there a trick? An errand brings Perry and Della back to Union Depot, and they see familiar faces (Chapter 6). Later Marilyn Marlow visits Perry to ask for help with the problem about a will. She explains the purpose of her ad (Chapter 7).

In Chapter 8 Perry gets a visit from Mrs. Dolores Caddo, who is upset by her husband's involvement with "MM"; she's not so dumb even if she is a big blonde. Perry tries to calm her and fails, so he calls Marilyn Marlow to warn her. After this Bob Caddo shows up. [This is one funny scene!] Marilyn Marlow calls with terrible news: Rose Keeling has been murdered! Rose's prior testimony will stand. Perry and Della arrive, question Marilyn, and Perry decides to take a chance with his client (Chapter 9). Lt. Tragg arrives, and holds Perry and Della for a while [another funny scene]. When they are released they try to visit the other witness, Ethel Furlong. But Perry is fooled by appearances (Chapter 11). In Chapter 12 Perry meets the Endicott family: Ralph, Palmer, and Lorraine. [The new ballpoint pen is mentioned here.] The Endicotts will benefit if George Endicott's will is broken. Ralph had seen Rose Keeling a few hours before her murder. Next Marilyn Marlow is intensively questioned and she blurts out some facts to Sergeant Holcomb. Next Lt. Tragg takes her to his office. It is an example of a police interrogation using `bad cop, good cop' (Chapter 13). Perry sums up the known facts in Chapter 14.

When Perry visits Mr. & Mrs. Caddo he learns that Dolores Caddo met Rose Keeling after 11 am. But Mr. & Mrs. Caddo deny everything to Lt. Tragg. Did they outsmart Perry (Chapter 15)? No one seems to have a motive for Rose Keeling's murder except Perry's client (Chapter 16). Perry and Della return to take another look at Rose Keeling's apartment. Della tells the difference between packing and unpacking. But they get a big surprise when they leave (Chapter 17). The Preliminary Hearing starts in Chapter 18. A bloody knife was found hidden in Marilyn's car, wiped clean of any fingerprints. On their return Perry and Della see Robert Caddo with the Endicott brothers (Chapter 19). The cross-examination of Lt. Tragg involves the difference between packing and unpacking clothes (Chapter 20). Perry sends Paul Drake to get more information. An important and new fact arises from the use of the then new and rare ballpoint pen (Chapter 21). The case against Marilyn Marlow is dismissed, and Perry explains the solution (Chapter 22). "Once you get the correct solution all of the evidence fits into place." [You need to multiply the dollar amounts by 20 to adjust for today's values.]

Perry Mason mysteries are always dependably interesting and fast moving, and "The Case of the Lonely Heiress" is no exception. As per usual, Perry is defending a client who has been framed, and Perry engages in a few unorthodox practices to protect his client. The client anticipates inheriting wealth from her mother who had nursed a sick man. The man wrote a will to her, leaving the bulk of his fortune. Needless to say, his family did not appreciate the bequest, and one of the witnesses to the will is considering changing her testimony to the effect she did not witness the signing. Murder enters within the confines of this thick plot.

It is not easy to figure out "who done it," but Perry, assisted by Della Street and with minimal help from Paul Drake, manages to frustrate Lieu. Tragg once again. You can't go wrong with any Perry Mason mystery, but this one had an extra touch of human interest.

Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970) wrote more than one hundred novels over the course of his long career. A trial lawyer himself, Gardner's best known creation was Perry Mason, a flamboyant criminal defense attorney who earns his large fees by virtue of a remarkable talent for using the law to uncover the truth on the witness stand.

Gardner was at the peak of his talents during the 1950s, and THE CASE OF THE LUCKY LOSER, published in 1956, is among the best of his works. Mason is retained to attend a trial by a mysterious client--not as counsel for the defense, but to give an opinion about a particular witness. The case concerns Ted Balfour, a wealthy young man who has been accused of drunk driving that has resulted in a death. It all seems very open and shut, but Mason spots a few unlikely details, and when the case suddenly takes a very unexpected turn he finds himself acting as counsel for the defense indeed, and the charge is murder one.

With plot details that range from a huge inheritance to a lovelorn secretary to an unexpected twist on the nature of double jeopardy, THE CASE OF THE LUCKY LOSER is quite complicated, but it never becomes disorganized, and when the truth is revealed it proves one of Gardner's most satisfying solutions. Although laws--and certainly police procedure and forensics--have changed a great deal since this novel was first published, it is a tremendous amount of fun from start to finish. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

The case is solidly plotted and masterfully suspenseful.The most dazzling case in Perry Mason's career where he has to solve the case of the corpse dying twice. Gardner smoothly mixes the ingredients like rivalry,betrayal,love,family honour and prepares a dish that was hard to resist for me. so, i strongly recommend this book!

Typical Perry Mason mystery with the speedy and thrilling development and the superb revelation of the real murderer at the trial. And Mason's character as "a cross between a saint and a devil" is well described in this book. He does everything he can to save the poor redhead girl who can't pay the fee at all. On the other hand, he uses a devilish tactics and stirs up the trial into a complete mess. D.A. Burger get furious as always. Even the judge loses his temper and they accuse each other. That's unusual and very amusing.

This book is exciting. It was just as exciting as tha tv show. Evelyn Bagby is accused of killing Harry Marow. She asks Perry Mason to defend her. I would recommend this book.

The Case of the Rolling Bones, by Erle Stanley Gardner

One morning Perry Mason is visited by three people. Phyllis Leeds is the niece and secretary of Alden Leeds. Emily Milicant is the girlfriend of Alden Leeds. Ned Barkler is a friend and fellow Klondike prospector. Phyllis Leeds thinks Uncle Alden wrote out a big check, and this could be used to have Alden declared incompetent by the other relatives who want to get their hands on his fortune. They want Perry Mason to investigate this financial transaction. Paul Drake found the name of the girl who cashed that check, but she left town in a hurry. Drake traced Maria Whittaker to L. C. Conway, who also moved away. But Phyllis Leeds calls with a crisis: one relative has taken Uncle Alden for a ride and put him in a sanitarium! Perry will serve a writ of habeas corpus on Jason Carrel, the nephew. Perry and Drake talk to Marcia Whittaker, who was used to cash that big check.

Chapter 4 has the habeas corpus hearing. The other side of the family has their lawyer. Alden Leeds was hospitalized against his will. Judge Treadwell goes to make a personal examination, but they find Alden Leeds has fled! When Perry is stopped for speeding, he tells the cops he's going to a fire - in his office! It's true (Chapter 5). They learn that Emily Milicant had been a Klondike dance hall girl 30 years earlier. Alden Leeds isn't at home, but knows how to take care of himself. In Chapter 7 Drake's operatives are watching L. C. Conway's apartment, and they note who showed up, and the time they left. Perry gets a call from Marcia Whittaker, and the identity of L. C. Conway is revealed. Her boyfriend, John Milicant, will never be angry again.

Chapter 8 presents the facts and clues behind the murder. [I noticed the innocuous statement that seemed to point to the guilty person here.] Other facts are given about the backgrounds of the people involved. A handwriting expert gives his opinion about two samples. Perry's conversation with Guy T. Serle brings out facts about L. C. Conway and the events of that night (Chapter 9). Chapter 10 has the Klondike history of Alden Leeds, and Bill Hogarty. Perry moves fast to guard his client and obtain more information.

Chapter 11 has the preliminary hearing, where all the witnesses testify and are examined. This is where Perry Mason demonstrates his knowledge, and where his client is usually freed after the testimony and evidence point to the guilty person. There is a recess, and Perry Mason gathers more information about the murder, and the events that occurred decades earlier in the Klondike. But the police quickly find the missing witnesses, as they are wire-tapping Paul Drake's telephone as well as Perry Mason's!

When court resumes the next morning, Perry cross-examines a prosecution witness to reveal the truth. Perry says any iron-clad alibi in a murder case should be inspected closely since they should never be taken at their face value (Chapter 14). The loose ends of this story are connected in Chapter 15. Some of the things mentioned in this story stick out because of changes in style and culture from over seventy years ago. [Does the existence of great fortunes point to great crimes?]

You may be able to guess the truth (what really happened and who the real murderer is) without much difficulty. However, guessing is one thing, proving it is another,especially when the one-track-minded authorities (police and prosecution) firmly believe that they are absolutely right. Mason uses a risky, but very splendid court tactics to prove the truth. It is one of THE MOST SPLENDID tactics in all Mason stories. Highly recommended.

The Case of the Shapely Shadow
Erle Stanley Gardner has tried to emphasize the importance of legal medicine by dedicating his Forewords to outstanding specialists in forensic pathology. Marshall Houts has worked for years in the Court of Last Resort, to educate attorneys in the importance of medical facts, and physicians about courtroom procedure (the tricks and traps of shrewd attorneys). Houts has been an FBI agent, WW II government investigator, college professor of criminal law, and author of several books.

Janice Wainwright visits Perry Mason's office without an appointment for confidential advice. Her employer has given her a suitcase to deliver to a locker. Janice believes this is blackmail money. Perry takes her as a client, and gives her legal advice. Della Street will accompany her when she makes a delivery (Chapter 1). Perry calls Paul Drake to have an operative follow the man who picks up the letter with the key to the locker (Chapter 2). The next morning Janice calls with the news that her employer Morley Theilman has gone missing, and a detective has been there to look for him. They find that the suitcase has gone missing from the locker (Chapter 3). Perry explains how this trick works (duplicated keys). The police are investigating Theilman's disappearance, and question Paul Drake and Perry Mason, who know little (Chapter 4). So Perry Mason now begins to investigate this event with the help of Paul Drake. Perry talks to the current Mrs. Theilman, and gains information (Chapter 5). Now Janice Wainwright can't be found, and they discover the real name of the second Mrs. Theilman (Chapter 6). Perry discusses and summarizes the problem with Della (Chapter 7).

Perry and Della fly to Las Vegas to surprise Janice; Paul Drake tracked her down. Now a shocking surprise occurs at the train station (Chapter 8). Janice apologizes to Perry and explains what she did. Then Lt. Tragg shows up to question Janice about the murder of Mr. Theilman (Chapter 9). When Perry tries to find Mrs. Theilman he finds that she was led away by a police officer. Perry then finds Mrs. Theilman and tries to question her, but the police show up and order him to leave the state (Chapter 10). Chapter 12 instructs the reader on the techniques used to match tires to tire treads. It shows the cross-examination of a medical examiner. Chapter 14 has another important cross-examination that negates some of the circumstantial evidence against Perry's client. This dramatic story continues to its conclusion by Chapter 17.

A "shadow" is the term for a person who follows another. Like his other books, there is a description and implied criticism of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Parts of this story read like they came from a gossip column. This is about as close as Perry Mason came to losing a case. One problem with a lone eyewitness is that they may be mistaken or lying and there is no corroboration for their statement.

When Janice Wainwright shows up in Perry Mason's office with a suitcase full of money and a story of her employer being blackmailed, Perry, Della, and Janice start recording the numbers of as many bills as possible. However, when her employer ends up murdered, the evidence points to Janice as a blackmailer and a killer. Even more surprising, Perry Mason puts on no defense evidence, effectively betting Janice's life on one small detail, a detail which sets off a firestorm of legal fireworks and has Hamilton Burger spitting nails.

This is a novel that defines Perry Mason; one where he goes up against a mountain of evidence, but finds a different analysis of it, combined with legal tactics which run circles around the district attorney. Highly recommended.

The Case of the Worried Waitress, by Erle Stanley Gardner

The 'Foreword' is dedicated to Marshall Houts, who gave up a lucrative law practice to become an investigator for the Court of Last Resort. Houts investigated several murder cases in which innocent men had been wrongfully convicted, and brought about a satisfactory conclusion. Houts created 'Trauma', a publication that deals with the field of legal medicine. Forensic medicine applies to many cases, from accidents to the more publicized murders.

Perry Mason and Della Street have lunch at a restaurant, and are served by a new waitress Katherine Ellis. The next morning Kit Ellis visits Mason for a consultation about her Aunt Sophia. Kit's parents were killed in an automobile accident, she was left penniless, and moved in with Aunt Sophia (who met a divorced man, and turned over her money to him). After he died of heat stroke, his first wife took everything (their divorce wasn't final). Perry Mason said this could be a partnership, and Sophia could claim half of the property. Kit says Aunt Sophia has a hatbox filled with cash, and she is afraid of burglars. Perry advises her to move out for her own safety. Soon Perry gets a phone call from Kit Ellis; she is being accused of theft by a Stuart Baxley. Baxley hired a private detective to get fingerprints from the hatbox. Paul Drake said this is difficult. But Perry Mason knows that Macdonell Associates of Corning NY have invented a method to do this with magnetic dust (Chapter 4).

They learn that Aunt Sophia Atwood is in the hospital, someone hit her on the head with a five-cell flashlight. Kit Ellis had gone back to the house by taxi at night to retrieve her shoes and clothing. Lt. Tragg arrests Kit Ellis at Perry's office (Chapter 9). Mason and Paul Drake visit another person who knows Sophia Atwood (Chapter 10). Perry bait a trap with a seemingly missing will (Chapter 11). Does golf get blamed for things that are the result of human carelessness, stupidity , and foolishness (Chapter 12)? Perry assigns an investigation to Paul Drake: put a female operative at the Gillco Company who can pose as a blind woman (Chapter 14).

The Preliminary Hearing begins with Stuart Baxley. Perry destroys his credibility in his cross-examination. The judge expresses doubt as well (Chapter 15). Then Stuart Baxley changes his story again! In Chapter 16 Perry thinks of a theory that can explain the strange events at that house. Perry and Paul find a cache of money, and are found out by Lt. Tragg (Chapter 17).

In Chapter 18 Perry brings in a surprise witness who reveals shocking secrets! Lt. Tragg admits fingerprints on the flashlight do not match Perry's client, and do match fingerprints on the water cooler, but are from an unknown person. Perry later hands Lt. Tragg some fingerprints to analyze. Kit Ellis is freed to rejoin her Aunt Sophia (Chapter 19). [This has one of the happiest endings in this series.] One point is how medicine has advanced so what could have killed in the past is now treatable. Another point is how a person's fortune can suddenly be changed due to circumstances beyond their control. There is a lesson here, but the young will not learn it.

We all know how brilliant Perry Mason is, and in 'Worried Waitress' he shows it off like never before. This time, he's up against impossible odds [not to mention Hamilton Burger] in a case that is virtually nailed shut. The mystery whirls through multiple case-changing revelations until it reaches the final court-room scene, in which Mason throws out an ace like you've never seen. This one is a fitting end to the 80+ series starring Perry Mason, and it's got to be read to be believed.

The Rosenbaums have written a book that will make you laugh, cry and understand that two people in love will build a stronger life supporting each other instead of compromising their beliefs. If you are considering an interfaith marriage or know someone who is, I highly recommend this book.

This is one of the few realistic books out there on this topic. Essential reading for people considering an interfaith marriage. Especially helpful for couples who are both observant of their differing faiths, like the authors are.

"China's Millions" is a wonderfully complex, colorful, scholarly, and objective portrait of the work of the China Inland Mission and its founder, Hudson Taylor, in the 19th century. The CIM was the largest Christian missionary organization in China. It was unique in many ways: the CIM didn't solicit contributions; its missionaries received no fixed salaries, subjected themselves to the tyrannical control of Taylor, and lived, dressed and traveled as Chinese. The majority of CIM missionaries were working class English laymen -- shopkeepers, blacksmiths in the like -- rather than members of the educated elite as were most missionaries from other organizations.

One book can not cover the thousand missionaries the CIM had in China in the 19th century. The author focuses on signal events, including the disastrous beginning of the CIM when Hudson Taylor led his first group of missionaries to China. Most died or defected. The author then turns to CIM operations in a single province, Shansi, with especial attention to a local Chinese Christian, Pastor Hsi, who brooked no interference by foreigners in his evangelical endeavors. Pastor Hsi ran his own show. Among the foreign missionaries in Shansi -- and the exceptions to the rule that CIM personnel were drawn from the working class -- were the famous Cambridge Seven, a group of upscale educated Englishmen who came to China as if on a lark, anticipating, for example, that God would teach them Chinese rather than them having to study the language. They learned a different and a harder lesson in China.

There is much here about the anti-opium campaigns of Pastor Hsi and the CIM, the enormous famine of the late 1870s that killed one-third of the population of Shansi, and the mysterious and often violent cults and religions -- including Christianity -- that rose in the wake of the famine. The story culminates with the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 in which Shansi became the graveyard of dozens of Christian missionaries and thousands of Chinese Christian.

The half-forgotten story of missionaries in China was never better told than here. The author delves into the lives and work of dozens of adventurous, noble, eccentric, or foolish missionaries and leads us down innumerable pathways of Chinese and Western religious controversies and movements. "China's Millions" is a feast of a book.

Smallchief

CIM was not only the single most influential Christian missionary enterprise in the Chinese empire, it has been called one of the most influential forces in shaping modern Chinese culture. Alvyn Austin's study of CIM is quite simply the most sophisticated and scholarly study produced to date on this movement; it is also among the best studies of Christian mission to appear in recent years. Most works on CIM focus biographically on the famous founder, Hudson Taylor. Austin takes a different approach, looking at the varied different missionary encounters between CIM missionaries and local Chinese in different cultural contexts. His study demonstrates clearly the compexity of missionary encounters and shifts the focus away from hagiographical reflections upon missionary greatness to the social and cultural dynamics of the encounter between east and west. Perhaps most impressively, he for the first time brings to the forefront the role of the converts themselves.

Without losing any analytical depth, Alvyn Austin tells the story with real narrative flair. Any student of Chinese history, Colonial encounters, or History of Christianity will find this to be a worthwhile study. For any student of Christian mission, it is essential.

This book divides close to 5 thousand years of history into sections in order to be able to present it in an understandable manner. It starts with a general overview to give historical perspective, then moves onto the roles of the Emperor and his Mandarins, the philosophical and religious experience and then the economic and cultural achievements of the Chinese.

While there are many generalisations - given the number of different cultures in China this in unavoidable - you still get a rich and very interesting overview of one of the great continuous cultures of the planet. You will come away from this book with a better understanding of the sources of the strong family attachments, the rise and fall of dynasties and cultural chaos and superstition that rule much of Chinese culture even today.

One thing that struck me after reading this book is how frequently history repeats itself - even today - If you want to have a better understanding of Chinese history and culture, this book should be on your reading list - The lessons of Chinese culture and history are relevant for everyone, not just history lovers.

This book is an extremely well-written overview of the major distinctives of Chinese culture throughout the centuries. I didn't realize until I read this book why so many other Chinese history/culture books have not resonated well with me. It's because all the others have tried to tell the Chinese story linearly and chronologically, which is a good way of approaching Western Civilization (The Greek period, the Roman period, the Dark Ages, the Medieval Ages, the Rennaisance, etc) but not at ALL the way to look at Chinese history, where so many ideas have remained timeless from dynasty to dynasty, and progress is not measured from one epoch to the next. This book takes a more "horizontal" approach and zeroes in on various aspects of the culture, illuminating the Chinese presuppositions and where they differ from those of the Western mind. It's lucid, entertaining, and fascinating, neither insulting nor presumptious about what the reader knows.

Goldberg has a brilliant approach to speech-language pathology: since there is so little (and I mean very little) clinical research to support what we speech therapists do, why not utilize research from other fields that is very closely related to the clinical skills performed in speech therapy? This will reveal to us what works and what does not. This book is one of the most important which I have purchased. Goldberg's approach is so obvious once you read it-so why hasn't anyone else thought of this before? It helps if you also have degrees in other fields as Goldberg has (philosophy, political theory)-you are more likely to be able to think in novel ways than if you have confined yourself to the literature of only one field. Bravo to the author! If you want to improve your clinical skills, learn new ones, etc., get this book. It is well worth the purchase price. This is a book not just to read but to study in depth. One of the ten most important books on speech therapy which I have bought-and I have bought hundreds!

Clinical methods has been a "gray" area for most graduating master's students in speech-language pathology. It is often taught via the "memorize and regurgitate" method. Dr. Goldberg, however, gives a readable, practical guideline that is useful for training new clinicians, as well as for helping practicing clinician's answer the "why's" of what they are doing, an area that has desperately needed to be addressed in our profession. The content is applicable to all clinical settings, and draws heavily on related discipline's research to augment our practice patterns. Also helpful is a bibliography to guide those wishing to pursue research in the area of clinical methods. This book is truly a godsend to speech pathology!!