The Case of the Gilded Lily

I rate this is as one of the best Perry Mason stories. It's rather unusual in that Perry doesn't appear until a quarter of the way through the book, and the courtroom drama doesn't start until almost three quarters of the way through. But the plot draws you in, holds together well, and is clever without being over-complex.

Erle Stanley Gardner wrote over eighty Perry Mason books, and I’ve read about three quarters of them. They are amongst my favourites when it comes to a bit of light, escapist reading. I have found that most are very good, a few are really excellent, and just a few are disappointing. If you are not already familiar with them, this one is certainly a good place to start. You might end up as addicted to them as I show more am!

Critics have said – rightly, I suppose – that these books are not great literature. There is not much depth of characterisation; sometimes the plots have weaknesses or are too complex; and Gardner certainly does not waste any time on the sort of long, descriptive passages that you get in Raymond Chandler’s writing.

But if you want briskly-paced page-turners, these are the books for you. They do not feature the grim blood, gore and “darkness” of so much modern crime fiction. Instead they grab our attention and give us enjoyment through Perry Mason’s quick-wittedness and the brilliant and fast-paced dialogues, especially the courtroom dialogues.

Incidentally, although Chandler’s Philip Marlowe books are rated as better literature than the Perry Mason novels, I now prefer the latter. On recently re-reading Chandler’s stuff, I have found that the long descriptions and Marlowe’s constant smart-aleck comments can become rather tiresome. And despite the alleged lack of depth of characterisation in the Perry Mason stories, I feel that I “know” the central characters - Mason, Paul Drake, Della Street, Lieutenant Tragg and Hamilton Burger - well. show less

Very enjoyable read. The courtroom scenes were shorter than usual, but it was fun throughout.

Fairly simplistic plot for a Mason book, and a fairly easy solution given the set-up.

A man attempts to pay off a person blackmailing his wife; the blackmailer ends up dead, and the nan is charged with murder. Perry Mason defends him.

"Well," he said, "let's get on some ground we can talk about. What did you do before you met that character?"
"Corespondent," she said.
"You mean, a professional corespondent?"
"That's right. Go to a hotel with a man, take my clothes off wait for the raiding party."

PERRY MASON TAKES ON A GLAMOROUS CASE INVOLVING HOLLYWOOD INTRIGUE, HIDDEN MOTIVES, AND A GLITTERING FAÇADE HIDING DANGER.