The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece by Erle Stanley Gardner

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was the first of the Gardner books that I wasn’t crazy about. Seems to me that Gardner had the ending more in focus than building the rest of the book in a coherent manner. A lot of stretches of the imagination, especially involving plane flight schedules (recognizing this was written in the 1930s).

Also the characters weren’t as sharp as in other Gardner books. There are a number of twists that could leave a reader confused as to who is who.

The idea of the conclusion is sharp, but wonder if it could’ve been better presented for a dramatic touch.

Still this book is better than most and certainly better than the bulk of books written today. Though, I’d point to other Mason stories than this.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book.

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