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Series: Perry Mason #2
About the author: Erle Stanley Gardner (1889 – 1970) was an American lawyer and author. He is best known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories. The best-selling American author of the 20th century at the time of his death, Gardner also published under numerous pseudonyms, including A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray and Robert Parr. (wikipedia)
Major characters:
- Frances Celane, the sulky girl
- Rob Gleason, her husband
- Edward Norton, her uncle
- Arthur Crinston, Norton's business partner
- Don Graves, Norton's secretary
- Edna Mayfield, Norton's housekeeper
- Pete Devoe, Norton's chauffeur
- George Blackman, Devoe's attorney
Locale: Los Angeles
Synopsis: Frances Celane consults attorney Perry Mason regarding conditions of her late father's will. His estate was left in a 'spendthrift trust', in which a trustee has control of the funds and provides an allowance as he sees fit. By the terms of the trust, she would forfeit most of the estate if she marries before age 25. She is 23 now, wants marry Rob Gleason, and wants Mason to find a loophole to allow her to marry without losing her interest in the estate.
The trustee is her uncle, Edward Norton. Mason first meets with Norton's business partner, Arthur Crinston, to learn how to best approach Norton. Norton turns out to be a tough customer, and tells Mason he does not want to turn the estate over to her; as he suspects she is being blackmailed. Mason then learns Celane and Gleason are already married.
Norton is found dead, and circumstantial evidence initially points to his chauffeur, Pete Devoe. Then secretary Don Graves turns out to be a witness to the murder, having seen it occur through a window. Now Frances Celane and Rob Gleason are implicated.
Review: This is one of the first Masons, and I do like the early ones. There are some aspects which are left off the later ones, such as keeping the whiskey bottle in the desk drawer to share with the newspaper reporters. I do like the thorough physical description of Mason as well as the instances when he paces the carpet with his thumbs hooked in the armholes of his vest.
The witness episode is interesting, although I found it thin that a glance from a moving car 275 feet away could reveal anything at all, much less identify people and their clothing through a window. My driveway is a comparable length - 300 feet - and I can tell if there is a person at the other end, but that's about all!
Other than that point, this is an engaging story, and has a small cast, so it was easy to remember who's who. It also lacks the confusing Mason stunts of switching things around found in later stories.
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