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Rating: 
Summary: A quick and entertaining read
Review: I'm not going to give away the plot like eveyone else does in their reviews. I'll just tell you that the way this book is plotted is awesome. Gardner's Perry Mason novels are almost entirely plot driven. This story moves fast, gets complicated without becoming sloppy, and then is resolved when Mason amazingly figures it all out. This book is better than some of the others I've read in the series because in this one you don't doubt his logic as much as in some of the others. You find yourself surprised but not in disbelief about how Mason puts it all together. In some of the other books it's simply a leap of faith to believe that he was able to solve the mystery from the information given. This one is seamlessly put together. If your looking for sex and violence, don't bother, but if your looking for a well-plotted mystery this book will not dissappoint. My only criticism is that Gardner absolutely refuses to hit pause long enough to give good descriptions of the characters and scenery.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Replace Oneself With a Stranger
Review: Mildred, a heart-broken girl, wants to run away from everything. When a hitchhiking girl killed herself, Mildred takes her identity to live a completely new life.It is crazy to replace oneself with a complete stranger. It would be an artificial story if Mildred's despair were not convincingly described. And it would be tiresome if her misery were tediously described. Gardner describes her hopeless feeling concisely but convincingly. He is an excellent writer. No more explanation will be needed. Please enjoy how Mason brilliantly rescues Mildred from predicament. This book is written in 1958. The general public is so strict to an unmarried pregnant woman that she will be driven to suicide. It is interesting how times has changed.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Replace Oneself With a Stranger
Review: Mildred, a heart-broken girl, wants to run away from everything. When a hitchhiking girl killed herself, Mildred takes her identity to live a completely new life. It is crazy to replace oneself with a complete stranger. It would be an artificial story if Mildred's despair were not convincingly described. And it would be tiresome if her misery were tediously described. Gardner describes her hopeless feeling concisely but convincingly. He is an excellent writer. No more explanation will be needed. Please enjoy how Mason brilliantly rescues Mildred from predicament. This book is written in 1958. The general public is so strict to an unmarried pregnant woman that she will be driven to suicide. It is interesting how times has changed.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Perry Mason Mystery
Review: This is my favorite Perry Mason Mystery. It has the feel of an Alfred Hitchcock mystery. A woman who is running away from life is in a one car accident in which her passenger, a hitchhiker, is killed and mutilated beyond recognition. So she begins a new life, assuming the identity of the hitchhiker. All goes well until an insurance adjuster figures out her secret and tries to blackmail her.
Rating:
Summary: Distinguishing the Real from the Imitation
Review: This story is about Mildred Crest, whose world collapses when her boyfriend breaks their engagement, and confesses to embezzlement from the company they work for. Mildred goes for a ride, and picks up a hitchhiker. The car crashes and burns, but Mildred decides to assume the hitchhiker;s identity - Fern Driscoll. She finds a new job and apartment, and lives a more reclusive life. But an insurance investigator shows up, and asks "Fern Driscoll" to write a statement about the accident. Mildred went from the frying pan into the fire! So now she consults with Perry Mason about a "personal matter". "Fern" tells about the crash from her point of view (Chapter Three); but Mason knows she didn't tell the whole truth. A stranger shows up, tells "Fern" a story, and Mildred confesses she isn't Fern! And this is just the beginning of this story. Then the insurance investigator is stabbed, and the police investigate this murder.
Circumstantial evidence is the best evidence, unless it is misinterpreted. Eyewitness evidence can be deadly and dangerous because there is often no corroboration for this testimony (Chapter Twelve). Whenever a person was unjustly convicted, it is usually on eyewitness evidence. Most people cannot recognize a stranger seen for a few seconds (Chapter Thirteen). Would a prosecution witness who testified falsely be liable for perjury (Chapter Fifteen)? [NO!] Chapter Seventeen has the last day of the preliminary hearing. Mason's cross-examination brings out the hidden facts that will clear his client. It wasn't just the ice picks that were duplicated! There is another shocking surprise, and a happy ending. Mildred Crest has all charges dismissed, current and potential. [Does part of this story remind you of "The Talented Mr. Ripley"?]
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