Book Review: The Case of the Fabulous Fake by Erle Stanley Gardner (1969)

Synopsis: Perry Mason doesn't make a lot of mistakes but when Diana Douglas comes into his office with $300 to retain his services but refusing to give him any information about why or even her name, just her inaccurate measurements, he realizes he should have been a bit more insistent about getting the details, especially since Diana had a travel bag full of money. Originally believing he will need to defend his young client against embezzlement charges, he soon learns he will need to defend her against murder charges when a blackmailer is found dead, and Diana's card is found at the crime scene.

Review: I am still waiting for some books I have on hold at the library and, while waiting for those, continued with the Perry Mason series by checking out The Case of the Fabulous Fake. At first, I wasn't sure what to expect but it turned out to be a good choice.

I think the thing I liked best about this book is the mystery surrounding Mason's client. Diana had a problem with the truth, reluctant to give Mason any details about why she was in Los Angeles, especially with her brother hospitalized and dying in a San Francisco hospital. As a result of that, every theory Mason had about Diana's reasons were just that, theories.

While I didn't think Diana was a killer, the case against her was pretty solid as well. Even Mason was technically a witness against her since, if he hadn't been her lawyer, could have easily testified to motive and opportunity. The fact his client wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the box also didn't help. I'm not sure why she would think picking up a gun then trying to hide it on a plane was a good idea.

Another thing working against Diana was the only other obvious suspect was her brother, the one she was trying to help out in the first place. However, he was hospitalized from a car accident and died before regaining consciousness.  So, unless he was very good at faking an injury and death, it was easy to rule him out.

Mason catching a not-so-obvious clue in the victim's apartment and figuring out who the killer was from that was pretty impressive. I especially loved how he tricked the killer into coming into the courtroom as well, something only Mason could pull off.

Final Opinion: This is a clever murder mystery with a primary suspect that seemed to go out of her way to make things more difficult for her attorney. I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

My Grade: A

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