The Case of the Glamorous Ghost (Gardner, Erle Stanley, Perry Mason Mystery.)

Rating:
Summary: Dancing in the Moonlight
Review: A young woman was seen in the park late at night, nearly nude. The police were called, and find the woman, an apparent amnesia victim. Della shows Perry this news article, then tells him the half-sister wants Perry to represent Eleanor Corbin, the subject of that story. The half-sister warns Perry that Eleanor must be in another jam, after taking off with Douglas Hepner two weeks ago. We learn that Eleanor met Douglas on a return cruise from Europe, and their family is wealthy.

Eleanor tells Perry that she married Douglas, they were in an automobile accident, and she remembers nothing. But Douglas has disappeared and can't be found. The investigation finds out a number of hidden facts in the background of this newly married couple. But were they in fact married? Other statements don't check out, and lead to new people who are connected to this pair. Soon a dead body shows up, and the found evidence points to Eleanor. Her story sounds incriminating, and her only witness is the murder victim! But Perry figures out where the loose ends are, and unravels the cloak over the mystery in order to free his client. Like other stories, one fact leads to another until the case is closed. The innocent is cleared, the guilty are revealed in another dramatic court trial. Another example where murder is used to try to hide other crimes. Note how Perry draws the right conclusion from the contents of the dead man's pockets.


Rating:
Summary: Perry Lights the Way!
Review: One of Earl Stanley Gardner's less formulaic efforts in the Perry Mason series, this one has an ending that should surprise TV fans who think the killer always confesses in the end. The story features diamond smugglers, a con artist, a voyeur hiding in closets watching beautiful women bathe, and of course, Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake forming an unbeatable trio.

Rating:
Summary: Better than t.v.
Review: This book, like all of the other Perry Mason books, far succeed their t.v. counterpart. This book was very good and surprising. It's always interesting to find out whodunit. It's never the one you think it is. Great read. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Better than t.v.
Review: This book, like all of the other Perry Mason books, far succeed their t.v. counterpart. This book was very good and surprising. It's always interesting to find out whodunit. It's never the one you think it is. Great read. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good whodunnit.
Review: This one isn't Perry Mason's most riveting case, but the unlikely opening gambit of an [unclothed] ghost in the park hooks the reader quickly, and as with most of Gardner's books the surprises come fast and furious. I figured out most of the case (for a change) before Perry unraveled the rest of it for me. If you have an hour to while away on a plane or a beach or just over lunch, this book is an enjoyable, though not brilliant, companion.

Rating:
Summary: The Glamorous Ghost is a Liar
Review: Very well plotted mystery. The Glamorous Ghost is trapped by a deadly web of circumstantial evidence. It is partly her fault; she piles up so many lies that even Mason can't believe her. But, as Mason points out, Hamilton Burger, the rival District Attoney, is not a thorough thinker. He often overlooks and/or deliberately ignores some evidence "to keep from confusing the issues". It is superb how Mason digs out such buried evidence through the persistent cross-examination.

Rating:
Summary: The Glamorous Ghost is a Liar
Review: Very well plotted mystery. The Glamorous Ghost is trapped by a deadly web of circumstantial evidence. It is partly her fault; she piles up so many lies that even Mason can't believe her. But, as Mason points out, Hamilton Burger, the rival District Attoney, is not a thorough thinker. He often overlooks and/or deliberately ignores some evidence "to keep from confusing the issues". It is superb how Mason digs out such buried evidence through the persistent cross-examination.