This is another of the Perry Mason mysteries by Erle Stanley Gardner. It was first published in 1953, so it is a little more polished than some of his much earlier works, and Perry is not quite so rough around the edges--although he hasn't quite smoothed out all of the rough edges yet.
In this story Perry is appointed a lawyer to penniless Albert Brogram, who is charged with armed robbery, and when nightclub hostess Inez Kaylor is found by Paul Drake, he knows his case is won. But during the court proceedings Inez disappears, which threatens Perry's case. He just has a couple of days to find Inez, or Albert will be spending time in prison.
But before the case is over, Albert is also charged with a murder. If he is found guilty of the armed robbery, he will no doubt be found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death. Perry gets a lot of help from Della Street and Paul Drake, and finds out what really happened.
I enjoyed this story quite a bit, even though it is a bit old fashioned. I actually like the later stories better than the earlier ones, as Perry seems more like a lawyer, and not so ready to break laws.
This is part of my 2014 Vintage Bingo Challenge--Golden--D--already read by a fellow challenger--Major in July.
I've got several Perry Mason books siting on the pile waiting to be read...I have to take him in small doses, though. He's good once in a while, but if I read too many too close together I get a bit tired of him.
ReplyDeleteI've got several more Perry Mason's to read, too. I try to have at least a week or two between books in the same series, or I sometimes get a little confused as to who did what when.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, I read anywhere between 3 and 5 different books at the same time and don't usually get them mixed up.
Of course, usually I read a mixture of book types at one time so there isn't much chance of confusion.