While The Case of the Howling Dog was the first published novel for Gardner (in 1934), it was not the first time he had been published, as he had many stories published in many magazines of the time. This was the first of the Perry Mason novels.
Perry Mason is a lawyer who gets involved in the investigation of crimes to protect his clients, and has an adversarial relationship with the police. He comes close to the line between legal and illegal, and may have even crossed it. The discussions he has with secretary Della Street and his assistant, Jackson, reveal the reasoning for his actions.
His courtroom actions are well written and exciting. He makes several assumptions based on his knowledge of human nature, and his masterful manipulation of the courtroom proves his assumptions to be correct.
I had read some of the later Mason novels, and was surprised at how different he was portrayed in this first one, compared to the ones I had read. He was a lot more rough around the edges, and seemed to find the police an enemy, rather than the arm of the law. This book is definitely a story of the time, as his attitude towards the police is an indication of how the police were often corrupt at that time, and he also uses a racial slur when talking about the Chinese cook which really gets your attention and makes you realize how times have changed and how much attitudes have progressed since the 1930s.
Even with its faults, I enjoyed this and would recommend it keeping in mind that it was written in a different time.
This is the 12th book I've read for the Vintage Mystery Challenge 2013
This book fulfills requirement #8. Dangerous Beasts of the Vintage Mystery Challenge 2013
This also fulfills a requirement in the 2013 A to Z challenge. Title--C and Author--G
Read March 16-17, 2013.
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