For those of you with a shaky vocabulary, “coquette” is a French term for a flirty woman. That fits in perfectly with our ’26 Perry Mason theme of Les Femme! Les Femme! Les Femme! But before we get to it, I can’t help wondering what sort of mystery might have arisen if the title had been slightly altered … Continue reading “Un peu toujours la même chose . . .” The Case of the Cautious Coquette

We’re nearly halfway through our celebration into the Girls! Girls! Girls! of Perry Mason. The truth is that I selected a dozen novels that, title-wise, fit the thematic bill, but the titular ladies abound in the 82-novel canon that comprises Mason’s career. The feminine gender even seeps into the four novelettes that Erle Stanley Gardner … Continue reading BONUS GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!: The Case of the Crimson Kiss

Can we talk about titles for a minute? Who doesn’t feel comforted by the consistency found in the titles of 82 novels and four short tales that comprise the Perry Mason saga. Each begins with those pithy four words . . . The Case of the . . . and finishes with an adjectival modifier, followed by the … Continue reading NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY GIRL! The Case of the Vagabond Virgin

For me, part of the joy of reading classic detective fiction is stumbling across lines like this: “Go home and doll up in your soup and fish, Paul, and wipe that worried look off your map.” Naturally we wear our “soup and fish” when we’re heading to a fine dining establishment. I know that whenever … Continue reading OH, LADY, BE NO GOOD! The Case of the Dangerous Dowager

‘That’s what I get for trying to be ethical and prevent a murder – a divorce case, which I don’t like; conference with a pettifogging lawyer, which is a routine I despise, and an agreement of property settlement, which is a damned chore!’ “(Della Street), stretching forth a coolly, capable hand, picked up the check … Continue reading A GOOD NIGHT’S SLAYING: The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece

“’Chief,’ (Della) said, ‘why don’t you do like the other lawyers do?’ “’You mean plant evidence, and suborn perjury?’ “’No, I don’t mean that. I mean, why don’t you sit in your office and wait until the cases come to you? Let the police go out and work up the case, and then you walk … Continue reading GAMS AND PINS AND SHANKS, OH MY! The Case of the Lucky Legs

If the opening chapters of 1933’s The Case of the Sulky Girl emit for me a faint “been-there-read-that” whiff, I must remind myself that this was only Erle Stanley Gardner’s second Perry Mason adventure. That’s what comes of trying to read 80+ cases out of order. Fran Celane resembles half the female clients who will walk into Mason’s hallowed office … Continue reading NAUGHTY BUT NICE: The Case of the Sulky Girl

Yes! Yes! Yes!!! I confess it!! I love you, Perry Mason! More than that, I need you!! I need my monthly fix of history’s best defense attorney to cope with this life. Your formula works for me: take one downtrodden client and shove them through the doors of Mason’s office, where secretary Della Street and … Continue reading PERRY MASON ’26! The Case of the Unveiled Theme