Case Black Eyed Blonde [Mass Market Paperback]

Erle Stanley Gardner (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (May 12, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345323114
• ISBN-13: 978-0345323118
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,764,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The obvious suspect turns out to be innocent, July 16, 2004

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Case Black Eyed Blonde (Mass Market Paperback)

This story starts simple enough. A woman (Diana Regis) walks into Perry Mason's office fighting mad. The stepson of her employer made unwanted advances to her and when she resisted, he punched her in the eye. Since the stepfather is a wealthy man and has no illusions about the character of his stepson, he immediately pays $2000, of which $500 is Perry Mason's fee. Of course, no story involving Perry Mason is ever that simple.
Shortly after the settlement, Diana's roommate is found murdered from a bullet wound in the back of the head and the murder weapon is found in Diana's room with only her fingerprints on it. This involves Perry, secretary Della Street and detective Paul Drake on a hunt for vital clues as to what really happened. Since circumstances caused Della and Perry to be at the murder scene shortly after it happened, they saw a vital clue that allows for the possibility that Diana is innocent.
In this episode, everything hinges on timing. Two vitals clues concerning when things happened and how much time elapsed are given. The first deals with the time of the murder being established as after it began raining and the second and most critical deals with the precise time the spoiled stepson threw the punch. The reader is tipped off concerning the discrepancies, although it is not easy to catch them. There is a strong and dramatic ending, where the murderer is revealed. It was not the person that I suspected. I fell for thinking it was the stepson. Perry Mason also locks horns with Sergeant Holcomb, who is basically an idiot, thinking that Mason is only trying to make the police look bad.
This story has two ingredients that make a good murder mystery, discrepancies that seem impossible to resolve and an obvious suspect that turns out to be innocent. Together, they kept me riveted for the last thirty pages

5.0 out of 5 stars The Detective in the Courtroom, March 3, 2006

By 

Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Case Black Eyed Blonde (Mass Market Paperback)

PM 2 in 1 Black-Eyed Blonde & Singing Skirt

These "2 in 1" Perry Mason novels were published in the mid-1970s. They had two novels combined in one paperback at a bargain price. Erle Stanley Gardner was "the World's Greatest Author" in his time, his novels outsold the combined totals of his rivals. Gardner wrote the "Perry Mason" novels from 1933 to 1970, and other works. Gardner, and others, formed "The Court of Last Resort" in the 1940s to investigate the wrongfully convicted. The background of the stories tell of the era. Gardner never put dates in his novels, but the monetary figures date these stories.

"The Case of the Black-Eyed Blonde" (1944) begins with a visitor. Diana Regis is young, beautiful, well-mannered, and has a black-eye! Diana was hired to read to Jason Bartsler from articles printed years earlier. Bartsler claimed Americans have become too credulous, and blames the media for false news. Bartsler's stepson Carl Fretch went out with Diana, their argument became physical; Carl accused her of theft! Diana fled from that home and came to see Perry Mason. Perry visits the Bartslers, questions Carl and Mrs. Bartsler, then settles the case out of court. Jason Bartsler visits Perry, we learn the true reason for Diana's hiring. Perry thinks of a legal theory to handle this problem. Perry gets a call from Diana: her purse and her money are missing. A phone call from her room mate solves the problem. Perry and Della arrive for a meeting, but no one is home. The police show up and find a dead body. Diana's purse with her money is nearby. When Perry takes Della home they get a surprise. Diana is there waiting for them! Her room mate had taken her purse and driver's license. Mildred Danville looks a lot like Diane. Perry uses a ruse to get the truth from Diana. But Della explains how this can backfire! The police show up, and take Diana in for questioning. Perry gets a writ of habeas corpus to get Diana out on bail. Following a lead, Perry and Della return to a house and find a young woman stuck in her car; it is the widow of Robert Bartsler, Jason's son! Sergeant Holcomb arrests Perry and Della on a charge of burglary! Perry explains how the police will feed a smear to the newspapers so the jurors will prejudge a defendant. Paul Drake tells Perry about activity at the Bartslers. The murder weapon is found in Diana's apartment. There is a discrepancy in Diana's story, but Perry thinks it can be resolved. The preliminary hearing begins as the prosecution builds their case. A policeman balks when he sees the picture of Mildred Danville. Helen Bartsler testifies, Perry thinks she is hiding something. Perry uses a ruse to get information from Diana's apartment. They find surprising news. This leads to another person who is involved in this case. Paul traces this person, Perry and Della visit her. Next Perry, Della, and Paul race back to see Jason Bartsler. The police arrive, and an ambulance too. Perry surmises what happened to Mildred Danville and explains the events. Robert Bartsler Jr. is now the heir.

"The Case of the Singing Skirt" (1960) is about the bathing-beauty contest racket. Beautiful girls win a free trip to Hollywood. Then they are discarded and stranded, forced to seek a living anyway they can. Ellen Robb consults Perry Mason to complain about her firing from a gambling casino after she refused to spy on the cards held by a sucker. Rowena is a small town with a sleazy reputation. There was an alleged shortage after Ellen worked as the cashier. The owner of the gambling casino owns the justice of the peace, the chief of police, and has friends in high places. Perry Mason calls George Anclitas and will defend Ellen Robb against defamation of character. Mrs. Helman Ellis shows up to complain about her husband's losses at gambling, and ask for a return of the money. Perry Mason cites California's community property law to recover money lost at gambling. Perry Mason explains how to date a gun to determine when a bullet was fired by it. Ellen Robb found a pistol planted in her belongings, and brought it to Perry. He inspected it, then returned a pistol to Ellen Robb. Is there something being planned? There is more conflict between Helman Ellis and his wife due to Ellen Robb. Do gamblers have a need to lose? We find out why Mrs. Ellis couldn't be found. The police arrive to question Ellen Robb about her whereabouts. The facts and problems in this case are reviewed. Perry learns some shocking news! The Preliminary Hearing discusses the two bullets found in the victim. Did they both come from the same gun? One gun was traced back to Perry Mason, the second gun was not the one given to Helman Ellis. Questioning a witness, there is an outburst and confession in court. Perry's client is freed, Perry won't face any charges. Note the significance of eyewitness testimony that can't be corroborated.