When I think of Erle Stanley Gardner, I first think of Perry Mason. And second I think of the pulps. He wrote over 1,000 stories for the pulp magazines, a huge number by anyone’s count. So writing about Perry Mason, a non-pulp character, in a blog that’s mostly aimed at pulp-style entertainment doesn’t seem much of a transgression. The author certainly seems to fit here, even if the character might not be the best fit.
I’ve enjoyed reading every single one of the 86 Perry Mason novels. Not a dud in the bunch. And I’ve read them in order. I saw the early days when in Perry’s courtroom battles he first encountered his ultimate foe, district attorney Hamilton Burger. I was there when telephone operator Gertie didn’t even have a name, yet. I remember when he first met curmudgeonly Lt. Tragg of Homicide. I’ve seen laws affecting the accused metamorphose over time. I’ve seen scientific methods of crime detection blossom from the primitive 1930s to the technologies of the 1970s. And through it all, there were secretary Della Street and detective Paul Drake.
Let’s take a closer look at the seventh and eighth of the books. What’s in store for Perry in these cases?
Seventh in the series
The Case of the Caretaker’s Cat was the seventh Perry Mason mystery that Erle Stanley Gardener wrote. It was published in 1935, and as our story opens, Charles Ashton seeks the advice of Perry Mason. His previous employer, Peter Laxter, now deceased, left a provision in his will that Ashton, a faithful caretaker, would always have a job with his heirs. But one of the heirs, the nasty Samuel C. Laxter, has decided that Ashton’s cat must go. Poor old Clinkers the cat must leave or Samuel Laxter threatens to poison him.
Perry takes the case, probably out of sheer boredom. He’s just finished a murder trial, and there’s nothing interesting on his desk. But before you know it, Ashton is dead; strangled. And then old Peter Laxter’s nurse turns up dead, too. Maybe Peter Laxter’s death wasn’t an accident, either! And just who is getting blamed for all these deaths? Young Douglas Keene, the fiance of beautiful, young Winifred Laxter, the only Laxter heir that didn’t inherit under the strange will.
Up steps Perry Mason to defend the innocent young man. And so he does in his usual flamboyant style. Perry appears along with Della Street his faithful secretary and Paul Drake, his detective friend. District Attorney Hamilton Burger shows up just long enough to speak a paragraph’s worth of dialog. But what a paragraph it is!
I guess when Perry Mason was turned into a television series starring Raymond Burr, just about all of the official novels were adapted to the medium. At least, I can’t think of a book which didn’t become a TV episode. This story was aired March 7, 1959, as part of the second season programming.
Eighth in the series
In The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, Perry Mason makes his eighth appearance in novel form. This one came out in 1936. Perry is engaged by beautiful young Edna Hammer who’s worried that her uncle, Peter B. Kent, is sleepwalking again. Last time he was sleepwalking, he carried a butcher knife, and his then-wife Doris Sully Kent felt he was trying to murder her. She since filed for divorce and left the household. But Peter Kent is up to his old tricks again, and young Edna is afraid that his business partner Frank B. Maddox is the new intended victim.
Perry agrees to expedite the divorce so Peter Kent can marry his nurse Lucille Mays. That should put his mind at rest, and end the sleepwalking. But before the plan can be executed, there’s murder in the Kent mansion. And you know who’s going to be blamed! Yup, Peter Kent is the obvious murderer. But did he do it intentionally or while sleepwalking? Or did he do it at all?
It’s another great Perry Mason mystery in which Perry pulls his usual courtroom tricks. Returning in their recurring roles are Della Street, Paul Drake, law clerk Jackson, and district attorney Hamilton Burger. There’s an unnamed receptionist on the telephones; could this be Gertie? I’m thinking it is, even though she wouldn’t be formally introduced until the 15th novel, The Case of the Rolling Bones, in 1939.
The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece was adapted for television and broadcast on Sep. 28, 1957. It was the second Perry Mason broadcast. You know the producers wanted to start off the television series strong, so that tells you something about the novel upon which that episode was based. They liked it, and so will you.
In fact, you’ll really enjoy either of these two stories. Each has plenty of twists that will keep you guessing, the hallmark of a good mystery.
