The Case of the Velvet Claws/Erle Stanley Gardner

I belong to a Yahoo group called Vintage Mysteries that reads and discusses an older mystery novel each month. The book of the month for December is THE CASE OF THE VELVET CLAWS, the first Perry Mason novel by Erle Stanley Gardner, originally published in 1933. Well, I'm a huge Gardner fan, so I had to reread this one, which I last read probably 35 years ago. I wasn't sure if I owned a copy or not, but I went to my shelves and found this edition, which is the 23rd printing of the Pocket Books paperback, from November 1946. I finished reading it tonight and found it very entertaining.

The first thing you notice about this book is how many of the familiar elements from the series are in place right from the start. The relationships between Perry Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake are all there, and although they evolved a little over the years, they're immediately recognizable. The story opens, as so many do, with Della ushering a new client into Perry's office. From there the complicated plot is rapid-fire all the way, and since this is the Thirties, Mason actually throws a punch or two. There are a few things lacking: no big courtroom scene at the end, and no Hamilton Burger or Lt. Tragg. But that's okay. I think the Mason series peaks in the late Thirties/early Forties period, but the earlier ones are pretty darned good, too.

The cover of my copy is a little beat-up, but I like the art anyway. There's no signature and no credit inside the book, so I don't know who painted it. But I think it's interesting that the artist made Mason look a little like Humphrey Bogart. Bogart would have made a fine Perry Mason in the movies. I can easily see him delivering some of Mason's trademark lines about fighting for his clients. But of course, like most other mystery fans from my generation, when I read one of Gardner's books I can't help but see Raymond Burr and the other actors from the TV series. That image is locked in my head forever.