Book Review: ‘Perry Mason: The Case of the Stepdaughter’s Secret’ by Erle Stanley Gardner
by Rob Smith, Jr. on Jul.08, 2021, under Books
Perry Mason: The Case of the Stepdaughter’s Secret by Erle Stanley Gardner
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Just before this read a Gardner ‘Cool and Lam’ entry. That was light stuff in plotting compared to #70. Yet, #70 is very light where the Cool and Lam book was meatier. Gardner handles Mason, Street as assumed cardboard cut-outs and the rest of the cast are mere tissue. Whereas the Cool and Lam book (#27) illustrates the strong characters of the duo.
Somehow I’ve managed to read a series of books with blackmail in them. The last few get into the mechanics of the blackmail. This one is mostly about playing against the scheme and around it. A lot of shell games. That would be neat if not for, to me, the obvious conclusion.
Too bad Gardner didn’t invest more time into something else left fallow, the settings. a critical part of how Gardner writes the tale. It’s so loosey goosey, the settings could’ve been anywhere. Especially Mason’s office.
I’ve usually been left guessing who-dun-it. This one was too easy and poorly written.
Bottom line: i don’t recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.
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