The Case of the Screaming Woman (Perry Mason Mysteries (House of Stratus))

Rating:
Summary: Otherwise strong novel marred by the courtroom scene
Review: Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason is faced with a peculiar request in "The Case of the Screaming Woman." Joan Kirby wants Mason to cross-examine her husband, who she says told her a cock-and-bull story about picking up a stranded woman in the middle of the night and dropping her off at a hotel. When Mason investigates, he finds that his new client is likely to be implicated in the murder of a doctor running a singular sort of clinic.

It should come as no surprise that the book ends with a dramatic courtroom confrontation. This time, though, the scene rings false. Mason confronts his D.A. nemesis, Hamilton Burger, but the D.A.'s actions seem unusually inept and cartoonish. Mason succeeds in making a fool of the man far too easily, and the book ends on an unimpressive note. This ending is especially unfortunate given the strong beginning. In setting up the preliminary hearing, Gardner does a wonderful job of presenting the lies of witnesses and suspects alike, leaving Mason with the difficult task of finding the truth in the pile of lies. In addition, the mystery here is one of Gardner's better ones. The clues are there, and the identity of the true culprit still comes as a surprise. The review, then, is mixed. Amid so many good things is the one false note, but the prominence of that note makes it a real clunker.

Rating:
Summary: Otherwise strong novel marred by the courtroom scene
Review: Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason is faced with a peculiar request in "The Case of the Screaming Woman." Joan Kirby wants Mason to cross-examine her husband, who she says told her a cock-and-bull story about picking up a stranded woman in the middle of the night and dropping her off at a hotel. When Mason investigates, he finds that his new client is likely to be implicated in the murder of a doctor running a singular sort of clinic.

It should come as no surprise that the book ends with a dramatic courtroom confrontation. This time, though, the scene rings false. Mason confronts his D.A. nemesis, Hamilton Burger, but the D.A.'s actions seem unusually inept and cartoonish. Mason succeeds in making a fool of the man far too easily, and the book ends on an unimpressive note. This ending is especially unfortunate given the strong beginning. In setting up the preliminary hearing, Gardner does a wonderful job of presenting the lies of witnesses and suspects alike, leaving Mason with the difficult task of finding the truth in the pile of lies. In addition, the mystery here is one of Gardner's better ones. The clues are there, and the identity of the true culprit still comes as a surprise. The review, then, is mixed. Amid so many good things is the one false note, but the prominence of that note makes it a real clunker.

Rating:
Summary: Another Complex Puzzle Solved
Review: Perry Mason gets a very unusual call: a woman wants him to cross-examine her husband to determine if his story will stand up. John Kirby shows up to say he was at a sales meeting that lasted to 11 pm at night. On the way home he saw a young woman carrying a one gallon gasoline can. He gave her a lift, but her car had disappeared. So he took her to a motel, registered as man and wife, then drove home. Kirby told his wife this story, and she insisted they drive to the motel
to help the young woman; but she had disappeared. And the one gallon can was no longer in Kirby's car. After Kirby leaves, Della Street now connects this to an attack on a Doctor Babb who lives in the suburbs. A young woman was seen running from the Doctor's house, and she fits the description of Kirby's rider. The name "Kirby" was found on the Doctor's appointment book. Paul Drake is called to investigate.

This is another story with numerous suspects. Perry Mason soon finds Kirby's story had left out quite a few details. Before the Doctor died he mentioned his attacker: "John Kirby", but witnesses say John Kirby did not leave his car. The name of the young woman was also in the Doctor's appointment book! John Kirby is arrested, and Perry defends him at the preliminary hearing. Doctor Babb had been running a baby mill. Young women would give up their babies so a married woman could present an heir. [The implications about society are not discussed.] The records of these adoptions could provide a blackmailer with lucrative opportunities. One unasked question: could a person taking a shower in his house hear a woman scream from the next house?