Book Review: The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom by Erle Stanley Gardner (1949)

Synopsis: The first time Perry Mason meets Virginia Colfax, she is climbing down the fire escape leading to the Garvin Mining, Exploration and Development Company one floor above his office and he is certain she was carrying a gun. When that gun is later used to murder Ethel Garvin, Mason must defend her husband, Edward, against the charges.



Review: I had some free time on Sunday and was able to plod through the rest of this book, which I started a few days earlier. Unfortunately, while I've enjoyed most Perry Mason books lately, this one fell a little short of expectations.

On the surface, the book does have an intriguing plot. Even though the actual evidence against him is limited at best, Mason's client, Edward Garvin, does seem like the most obvious suspect, both because his estranged wife seemed to be making an effort to take over his business and because she was accusing him of bigamy after confusion regarding their divorce.

My biggest problem with the book is it winds up being a bit too predictable. For example, the second Garvin decided to hold onto his car keys rather than check them in at the hotel Mason found for him, I knew it was only a matter of time before the book revealed a secret car trip. I also correctly suspected the alibi given by another possible suspect was fabricated, despite having an eye witness. This, in turn, made it easy to figure out who the killer was.

Another disappointing part of the book was the anti-climatic way Mason handled a grievance filed with the Bar Association. Instead of being able to read about him successfully defending himself with a surprise piece of evidence or interpretation of the law, the book lets him clear his name relatively quickly and resolve the entire issue with a phone call. It just seemed like a waste of one of the most intriguing things about this case.

Final Opinion: I think this murder mystery had potential, but it just fell short of the standard set by other Perry Mason novels. It is among my least favorites as a result.

My Grade: C

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review: Mean Girls (2024)

Image
Synopsis: After being raised in Kenya and homeschooled by her mother, high school junior Cady Heron is given the opportunity to attend classes at an American public school. As she tries to adjust, she is invited to join the Plastics, a girl clique headed up by the beautiful but vicious Regina George. Despite her friends, Janis and Damian, warning her about Regina and her fellow clique members, Karen and Gretchen, Cady tries to see the good in Regina. That changes when she falls in love with Regina's ex-boyfriend, Aaron, and sees just how cruel Regina can be. Her acts of revenge, however, result in Cady assuming many of Regina's less-than-desirable traits and ultimately becoming a pariah. All while breaking out into song and dance because this is a musical. Who's in it? The movie stars  Angourie Rice ,  Reneé Rapp ,  Bebe Wood ,  Tim Meadows and Tina Fey . Review: I've seen the original Mean Girls multiple times, first when it originally came out then again with eac
Read more

Movie Review: Upgraded (2024)

Image
Synopsis: After running up a ton of student loan debt as an art history major, Ana's dreams of owning her own gallery hinge on being able to make an impression with her new boss, Claire, at a prestigious auction house. She gets that opportunity when she's invited to serve as an assistant on a trip to London, where a rare collection is about to be auctioned off. After receiving a surprise upgrade to first class, Ana meets William, the son of a British actress, and when he mistakenly believes she has her boss' job, she doesn't correct him. This creates complications as she begins to fall for William and learns his mother is the one selling the art collection. Who's in it? The movie stars Camila Mendes , Archie Renaux , Marisa Tomei , Lena Olin and Anthony Head. Review: I came across this movie on Amazon Prime yesterday and since it sounded like something my wife and I would both like, I added it to my list. We watched it tonight and, overall, I thought it wound up
Read more

Kwik Trip Kitchen Cravings Tailgater Pizza

Image
  When my wife and I decided on pizza for dinner last night, I stopped at Kwik Trip with the intention of just buying a cheap, frozen, cheese pizza for our daughters since we already had another pizza in our freezer. However, as I was walking up to the checkout counter, this particular pizza caught my eye and, even though I wasn't crazy about spending $8.99 when I already had another option at home, I was intrigued enough to make the purchase anyway. We ended up making the pizza in the oven when I got home. After trying it, I have to say it is one of my favorites. One of the things, in particular, that really stood out for me when it came to this pizza was the toppings. The combination of sausage and cheese curds was both unique and delicious, especially since the curds were fresh enough to still squeak when we were eating them. The pizza also proved to be surprisingly filling, both because of the thicker crust and the generous amounts of toppings and cheese.  Normally, when my wi
Read more