THE FACE OF DEATH. Perry Mason and his secretary, Della Street climbed the stairs to the second floor of the silent house. "You search the bedroom on the left, Della. I'll take the one on the right." Mason opened the door, switched on the lights, then suddenly stood stock still. "What is it, chief?" Della asked. Mason motioned her back, "Don't come in." But she looked over his shoulder. A man's body lay sprawled half on and half off the bed. From a bullet hole in his chest, blood had welled out to soak the bedspread and form a scarlet pool on the floor
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kaleidoscopic Mystery,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Case of the Empty Tin (Mass Market Paperback)
This novel was very unordinary as a Mason mystery; no trials, no clients charged with murder and Mason acted not as a lawyer but as a detective. The novel showed me various pictures like a kaleidoscope page by page; a mysterious empty tin, gunshot and bloodstrain but no corpse, another corpse in another house, secret smuggling business, domestic disputes between sisters-in-law and so on.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good the Second Time Through,
This review is from: The Case of the Empty Tin (Mass Market Paperback)
From early in the top decade for Perry Mason mysteries, the 1940s, this book offers a plot so complicated it took me two readings to sort it all out. Several plot threads, of the kind that in later books would have been followed up, are simply dropped here. For example, at one point, and after a long argument with her, Mason agrees not to tell the police about a woman he has just discovered at the scene of a murder -- and the woman never appears in the book again! The overall effect is good, though, sort of like a stew so rich you can't identify all the ingredients. A reader willing to draw maps and make character lists could get quite a lot of fun out of this one even on her first time through.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Political Intrigue and Murder,
By Acute Observer (N. Jersey Shore) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Case of the Empty Tin (Hardcover)
The Case of the Empty TinChapter 1 tells about the Gentrie family who rent out a room and their garage. Why was an empty tin among the preserves? Florence Gentrie heard a noise in the night. Her husband Arthursaid the wind blew a door shut (Chapter 2). Rodney Wenston visits Perry Mason because of a nearby gunshot (Chapter 3). His stepfather Elston Karr wants an attorney because of the murder downstairs. Karr was an importer in China and now keeps out of sight for fear of murder. Hocksley the downstairs tenant had some kind of phoney exporting business. Perry goes to question the neighbors, the Gentries (Chapter 4). Perry learns about the empty tin and goes to look at Hocksley's garage. Perry looks at the cover of that tin can and finds a coded message on the inside lid. That coded message is a book code (Chapter 7). Hocksley's housekeeper Sarah Perlin calls Perry with information (Chapter 8). Could it be a trap? Perry keeps the appointment but Sarah Perlin will not talk. A woman also called Opal Sunley to the same house at the same hour. Perry questions her. Paul Drake tells what happened (Chapter 9). Both Hocksley and Karr seem mysterious (Chapter 10). Chapter 13 has a meeting where historical facts emerge. Perry and Della fly to San Francisco to investigate (Chapter 14). Perry shows his driving skills. Perry and Della go to inspect the Luceman home (Chapter 15). There is suspense and humor there. Then they find the Gentrie's roomer, but he will not talk. Perry and Della return to the Gentrie home to look around (Chapter 17). Perry gets an early telephone call with a surprise (Chapter 18)! He calls Lt. Tragg and they rush to the Gentrie's house. The trap springs shut on the guilty party. The last chapter ties up the loose ends. This is a very complicated story that requires acceptance of its premises. Would someone who does business in San Francisco hide out in Los Angeles? Does the story seem reasonable? This story seems more political (past foreign involvement) than other stories in this series. Some of the facts in the background are now quite dated. War-time shortages put an end to tin cans for home canning; glass jars replaced them. The early "Perry Mason" was more of a private detective than a courtroom wizard.
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