Book Review: The Case of the Crying Swallow by Erle Stanley Gardner (1947)

Synopsis: When Major Claude Winnett's new bride, Marcia, goes missing, he hires Perry Mason to help find her. Suspecting the disappearance has something to do with the theft of jewelry around the same time, Mason investigates and eventually discovers a murder scene involving Marcia's blackmailing ex-husband.


Review: Much like The Case of the Crimson Kiss, this book was included when I checked out The Case of the Curious Coquette. I had an opportunity to read it over the weekend and, while I liked it better than the Crimson Kiss, did find it was still somewhat lacking.

I actually don't have any real issue with the case itself. I actually enjoyed that part of it. There was a missing wife who apparently had some sort of sordid past and, more importantly, missing jewelry that the husband seemed not to think was important even though the theft and disappearance happened at right around the same time. It made me wonder if he was hiding something.

When Mason eventually finds the body, it only makes the case that much more interesting because the list of suspects seemed to be limited to Marcia and Major Winnett. The fact the former was willing to confess only added to the mystery.

I think the main problem with this book is it is just too short. It was an intriguing case, but Perry Mason had too easy of a time solving it. Heck, he even found the missing jewelry in a matter of a couple chapters. I'm not a big fan of unnecessary filler, but this book could have used a little more substance, even if it was adding a bit more depth to some of the characters and/or having him battle it out with the police and district attorney's office.

Final Opinion: It's actually an OK mystery. I just think it would have been better if there was a little more added to it and it wasn't so easy for Perry Mason to solve.

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