I don’t recall which Perry Mason novel was the first in the series I read, but there’s a good chance it was in one of the short Pocket Books editions with Robert McGinnis covers, since they were all over during the early Sixties when I discovered Erle Stanley Gardner’s work. (The first thing I read by him was one of the Donald Lam/Bertha Cool books, but that’s neither here nor there—although I love that series, too.)
Anyway, I’ve been reading Perry Mason novels off and on for nearly 60 years
now, and I always enjoy them. I don’t always remember whether I’ve read one or
not since the plots tend not to stick with me, but I’m reasonably sure I hadn’t
read THE CASE OF THE CARETAKER’S CAT until now, in the 27th printing
from November 1962. That’s my copy in the scan.
Originally published by William Morrow in 1935, this is the seventh novel in
the series. It opens with Perry Mason deciding to take on a case where he’ll be
representing a cat. You see, a wealthy man has died and left a will insuring
that the caretaker of his estate will always have a job, but the caretaker has
a cat and the heirs are demanding that he get rid of it. The caretaker hires
Mason to prevent that from happening.
But of course, as it turns out there’s a lot more to it than that. There are
multiple murders, a hurry-up marriage, a phony honeymoon, a fortune in missing
diamonds, a lengthy courtroom scene in which Mason sorts everything out and
exposes the real killer in highly entertaining fashion, and a final twist which
(he said modestly) I figured out as soon as Gardner laid the groundwork for it.
Trust me, figuring out anything ahead of time in an Erle Stanley Gardner novel
is a rarity for me. But just as with the Mike Shayne novels, I enjoy knowing
that Mason is three steps ahead of everybody else in the book and that far out
in front of me, too.
I’m sure some people read the Perry Mason books for the plots. I read them to
watch Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake interact with each other. By now they’re
like very old friends to me and I thoroughly enjoy watching them at work. One
thing I didn’t realize when reading Mason novels as a kid was how funny many of
them are. They’re full of colorful, eccentric characters and great banter and
some very dry humor here and there.
Mason also says something in this one that strikes me as important: He declares
that he only practices law as a sideline. His real profession is that of
adventurer. I think that really sums up the appeal of this series, especially
the books from the Thirties and Forties where Mason has a slightly rougher edge.
He’s always pushing the boundaries to protect his clients, but also—and equally
important to him—to have fun.
And by doing that, Gardner makes sure that the reader has fun, too. I certainly
do. THE CASE OF THE CARETAKER’S CAT is one of the best Perry Mason novels I’ve
read. Highly recommended.
2 comments:
Great review that gives a real sense of the fun of the novel. Will look for it. I too prefer anything from the 30's and 40's--not just from Gardner--as I feel like the 'zeitgeist' was generally more hardboiled than what came later.
The cover selection there suggests someone wasn't doing a very good job of communicating the cat's description to their art staff over the years. At least the eye candy is a little more consistent - blonde three times out of four. :)
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