Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: The D. A. Breaks a Seal by Erle Stanley Gardner

 Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: The D. A. Breaks a Seal by Erle Stanley Gardner

Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Case of the Duplicate Daughter by Erle Stanley Gardner

 Happiness Is A Book: Friday’s Forgotten Book: The Case of the Duplicate Daughter by Erle Stanley Gardner

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE MONKEY MURDER

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE MONKEY MURDER:  "The Monkey Murder" by Erle Stanley Gardner  (first published in  Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine , January 193...

Happiness Is A Book: FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE CASE OF THE TERRIFIED TYPIST BY ERLE STANLEY GARDNER

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Barry Ergang's FFB Review: THE CASE OF THE SLEEPWALKER’S NIECE (1936) by Erle Stanley Gardner

From the massive archive….

 

Before I ever read my first Perry Mason novel, I was familiar with the character from the TV series and from advertisements for The Detective Book Club on the back covers of some of the mystery magazines my father read.

 

 

There was a neighborhood sundries store my father, brother and I would occasionally go to after dinner a couple times a week if the weather were conducive, where we’d buy ice cream and/or candy, and where my father would purchase a paperback or two and I’d pick up some comic books. (I don’t recall what my brother bought.) As I mentioned in my review of a modern Hardy Boys book, Secret of the Red Arrow, I had begun at age 11 to read mystery fiction aimed at adults. So one evening at the aforementioned store, at the age of 12, I noticed a paperback copy of Erle Stanley Gardner’s The Case of the Vagabond Virgin and handed it to my father to pay for. Thus began my Perry Mason obsession, which resulted in my reading another dozen titles one after the other. It was a good lesson about the pitfalls of binge-reading a particular author and series, because I became so oversaturated with Gardner’s style and approach in the Mason novels that it was years before I could read another one.

 

Eventually I read quite a few more--spreading them out over time. When I recently came upon an electronic copy of The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, I realized that it had been at least 20 years, probably more, since I’d read a Perry Mason mystery, so I decided to reestablish my acquaintance.

The eighth title in the series, it begins when Mason is hired by Edna Hammer to speed up the divorce of her wealthy uncle, Peter Kent. His estranged wife Doris has suddenly tried to demonstrate a kind of renewed affection for Kent, who wants the divorce so he can marry Lucille Mays. Because Kent once picked up a butcher knife while sleepwalking, Doris was certain he wanted to kill her.

 

Adding to the story’s complications are the presences in the Kent mansion of, among others, Kent’s shady business partner, Frank Maddox; Maddox’s pettifogging lawyer, John Duncan; Philip Rease, Kent’s hypochondriacal half-brother; Gerald Harris, Edna’s fiancé; and Helen Warrington, Kent’s secretary.

 

When sometime around midnight--or was it later in the morning?--a figure is seen walking across a patio toward another entrance to the house where people are sleeping, and said figure appears to be holding a knife, and still later someone is found dead in bed, having been stabbed to death, the most likely suspect, and the party arrested, is Mason’s client. The questions confronting the lawyer: was Kent actually sleepwalking, was he pretending somnambulism to commit a murder, or was he framed by someone else? And if he was actually walking in his sleep, how to prove it.

 

Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Perry Mason knows the answer to some of those questions. I’m not going to answer them lest I spoil some of the book’s surprises, of which there are several. Having said so, I must also admit I found this one to be among the weaker entries in this classic series. Erle Stanley Gardner’s style in the Mason novels relies on lean narrative and an extensive use of dialogue to move the story along. But in The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, there is too much talk and not enough action. It isn’t until Mason finally gets into the courtroom that the pace quickens a bit.

 

If you’re a Mason fan and have missed this one, you might want to read it for the sake of completeness. If you aren’t a completist, pass on it in favor of better entries in the series.

The Amazon Associate Link: https://amzn.to/3u5U7cM  

 

 

Barry Ergang ©2018, 2024

 

Some of Derringer Award winner Barry Ergang’s work can be found at Amazon and Smashwords.

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Six Degrees of Separation: From I Capture the Castle to The Six Iron Spiders

Bitter Tea and Mystery: Six Degrees of Separation: From I Capture the Cast...:   The Six Degrees of Separation meme is hosted by Kate at booksaremyfavoriteandbest . The idea behind the meme is to start with a book and ...

In Reference To Murder: Friday's "Forgotten" Books: Widows Wear Weeds

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Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: MONKEY EYES

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: MONKEY EYES:  "Monkey Eyes" by Erle Stanley Gardner  (first published as a two-part novelette in Argosy Allstory Weekly , July 27-August 3, 192...

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE D.A. GOES TO TRIAL

Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: THE D.A. GOES TO TRIAL:   The D.A. Goes to Trial  by Erle Stanley Gardner (1940) Gardner (1889-1970) is best known for his series of 82 novels featuring criminal de...

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE CASE OF THE MURDERER'S BRIDE

Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: THE CASE OF THE MURDERER'S...:  "The Case of the Murderer's Bride" by Erle Stanley Gardner (first published in Look , October 15, 1957; reprinted in Ellery Q...

Lesa's Book Critiques: Winners and Give Me a "G" Giveaway

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Lesa's Book Critiques: The Knife Slipped by Erle Stanley Gardner, writing as A.A. Fair

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Bitter Tea and Mystery: 20 Books of Summer 2018

Bitter Tea and Mystery: 20 Books of Summer 2018: A few days ago I was wondering if the 20 Books of Summer challenge would return in 2018. Then I saw Jean's list at Howling Frog Books ,...

FFB Review: THE CASE OF THE SLEEPWALKER’S NIECE (1936) by Erle Stanley Gardner (Reviewed by Barry Ergang)

After taking last week off for obvious reasons and thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, condolences, and messages, FFB returns today with another all new review from Barry Ergang. This week he considers a piece of the Perry mason canon. After you read Barry’s review, head over to Todd Mason's blog for other reading suggestions. 

THE CASE OF THE SLEEPWALKER’S NIECE (1936) by Erle Stanley Gardner

Reviewed by Barry Ergang

Before I ever read my first Perry Mason novel, I was familiar with the character from the TV series and from advertisements for The Detective Book Club on the back covers of some of the mystery magazines my father read.

There was a neighborhood sundries store my father, brother and I would occasionally go to after dinner a couple times a week if the weather were conducive, where we’d buy ice cream and/or candy, and where my father would purchase a paperback or two and I’d pick up some comic books. (I don’t recall what my brother bought.) As I mentioned in my review of a modern Hardy Boys book, Secret of the Red Arrow, I had begun at age 11 to read mystery fiction aimed at adults. So one evening at the aforementioned store, at the age of 12, I noticed a paperback copy of Erle Stanley Gardner’s The Case of the Vagabond Virgin and handed it to my father to pay for. Thus began my Perry Mason obsession, which resulted in my reading another dozen titles one after the other. It was a good lesson about the pitfalls of binge-reading a particular author and series, because I became so oversaturated with Gardner’s style and approach in the Mason novels that it was years before I could read another one.

Eventually I read quite a few more--spreading them out over time. When I recently came upon an electronic copy of The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, I realized that it had been at least 20 years, probably more, since I’d read a Perry Mason mystery, so I decided to reestablish my acquaintance.

The eighth title in the series, it begins when Mason is hired by Edna Hammer to speed up the divorce of her wealthy uncle, Peter Kent. His estranged wife Doris has suddenly tried to demonstrate a kind of renewed affection for Kent, who wants the divorce so he can marry Lucille Mays. Because Kent once picked up a butcher knife while sleepwalking, Doris was certain he wanted to kill her.

Adding to the story’s complications are the presences in the Kent mansion of, among others, Kent’s shady business partner, Frank Maddox; Maddox’s pettifogging lawyer, John Duncan; Philip Rease, Kent’s hypochondriacal half-brother; Gerald Harris, Edna’s fiancé; and Helen Warrington, Kent’s secretary.

When sometime around midnight--or was it later in the morning?--a figure is seen walking across a patio toward another entrance to the house where people are sleeping, and said figure appears to be holding a knife, and still later someone is found dead in bed, having been stabbed to death, the most likely suspect, and the party arrested, is Mason’s client. The questions confronting the lawyer: was Kent actually sleepwalking, was he pretending somnambulism to commit a murder, or was he framed by someone else? And if he was actually walking in his sleep, how to prove it.

Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Perry Mason knows the answer to some of those questions. I’m not going to answer them lest I spoil some of the book’s surprises, of which there are several. Having said so, I must also admit I found this one to be among the weaker entries in this classic series. Erle Stanley Gardner’s style in the Mason novels relies on lean narrative and an extensive use of dialogue to move the story along. But in The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece, there is too much talk and not enough action. It isn’t until Mason finally gets into the courtroom that the pace quickens a bit.

If you’re a Mason fan and have missed this one, you might want to read it for the sake of completeness. If you aren’t a completist, pass on it in favor of better entries in the series.

© 2018 Barry Ergang

Some of Derringer Award winner Barry Ergang’s work can be found at Amazon and Smashwords.

Via The Corpse Steps Out: My Top 5 Cool and Lam titles

The Corpse Steps Out: My Top 5 Cool and Lam titles: 5) Owls Don’t Blink - Gardner wrote Owls Don’t Blink while staying in New Orleans during January 1942. The start of World War II stifled ...

Via The Corpse Steps Out: Greener Pastures

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FFB Review: SHARKS NEVER SLEEP (1998) by William F. Nolan --Reviewed by Barry Ergang

Hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Barry is back with another excellent review for Friday’s Forgotten Books hosted by Patti Abbott.

SHARKS NEVER SLEEP (1998) by William F. Nolan

Reviewed by Barry Ergang

The third book about "the Black Mask Boys" (Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Erle Stanley Gardner), in what was originally planned as a series but wound up as a trilogy, Sharks Never Sleep is narrated by Gardner. The year is 1937, by which time he has stopped practicing law, still writes for the pulps, especially Black Mask, and has become hugely successful because his Perry Mason novels have taken off with both readers and Warner Brothers.   

Gardner and his wife Natalie have been separated for some time. They still care for one another, but realize that their marriage will never work. Before giving up his law practice, Gardner had gotten deeply involved with Amy Latimer, who worked as his partner's secretary. After Amy met film and radio star Lloyd Hadley "Tink" Thompson and Thompson made a big play for her, eventually asking her to marry him, Gardner,  knowing he couldn't give her the lavish lifestyle Thompson could and feeling too guilty to ask Natalie for a divorce, nobly let her go.

He's shocked when he reads a newspaper article that says the Thompsons' three-year-old son died after falling down a flight of stairs, and sends a condolence card to them. A week later he receives a call from Amy, who asks if they can meet at Gardner's home that night. He readily agrees, and when she arrives, Amy tells him about her married life. She maintains that Tink Thompson is a philanderer and monster and not at all the virtuous family man he likes to portray himself as. She insists that Thompson married her and fathered a child simply to project an image, and further that he was directly responsible for their son's death. She wants a divorce, and wants Gardner's help in obtaining it. He doesn't hesitate to agree.

A day or so later, he reads that Amy Thompson is dead, that Tink came home and found her lifeless body on the sofa in the living room. Although there is no evidence of foul play, Gardner is certain Tink murdered her and is determined to prove it. An autopsy subsequently reveals that Amy had been poisoned with an oleander extract. Gardner becomes the chief suspect, as a result of which he enlists the aid of friends Hammett and Chandler to nail the real killer. When yet another murder occurs, the frame gets tighter and Gardner becomes a man on the run. Readers familiar with his fiction shouldn't find it a surprise or a spoiler to learn that the novel culminates in a courtroom sequence worthy of a Perry Mason mystery. 

Sharks Never Sleep, like its predecessors, combines action and cerebration and appearances by famous personalities of the period. As I mentioned in my review of The Marble Orchard, some of these "guest star" moments serve only to add color to the narrative and to fix the story in time, but are not directly relevant to the mystery plot. Thus, in Sharks, we have "cameos" featuring Mae West, Gloria Swanson, Walter Winchell and John Barrymore. On the other hand, legendary auto racer Barney Oldfield has an important role as the driver who, to assist their murder investigation, takes Gardner and Hammett on a wild event-filled trip to Mexico.  

There are also a number of passages that should interest anyone fascinated by the pulp magazine era in general and Black Mask in particular, as author Nolan provides historical information and scenes about people who actually edited the magazine and their different takes on writing for it.

Like The Black Mask Murders and The Marble Orchard, Sharks Never Sleep is a briskly-paced whodunit featuring a cast of colorful characters from a colorful era, brought to life by a pro who knows his material and, most importantly, knows how to tell a story. It's an easy one to recommend.

Barry Ergang ©2012

Sharks Never Sleep, as well as the other two Black Mask Boys mysteries mentioned in the review, are among the many titles Barry Ergang has for sale at http://www.barryergangbooksforsale.yolasite.com/. A Derringer Award winner, some of his work is available at Smashwords and Amazon.com.