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The Case of the Long-Legged Models

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Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970) wrote more than one hundred novels over the course of his long career. A trial lawyer himself, Gardner's best known creation was Perry Mason, a flamboyant criminal defense attorney who earns his large fees by virtue of a remarkable talent for using the law to uncover the truth on the witness stand.

Stephanie Falkner's father was murdered and the crime was never solved. She has inherited the forty percent interest he owned in a small Las Vegas casino and hotel--and now someone is buying up the remaining interest and seems determined to have her share no matter what. It isn't long before murder enters the scene, and once again Perry Mason has to earn his fee the hard way.

Like all the Mason novels, THE CASE OF THE LONG-LEGGED MODELS is essentially genre fiction pure and simple, written in a workman-like manner with an emphasis on staccato dialogue. But Gardner was the peak of his powers in the 1950s, and in this 1957 title he has added a certain sparkle that raises the book above the pack: a combination of twisty plot and twisty legal angles that mix to create a fast and furious read. This one is easily among his best!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Erle Stanley Gardner has a way of keeping you guessing up until the very end, and this Perry Mason novel is no exception. Even when you think you know "whodunit," you probably don't. A fun, fast read, and one of Gardner's better ones -- although they're all great!

Perry Mason is first consulted by a young woman whose father was apparently murdered by the mob because of his stake in a Las Vegas property. Now, the woman, Stephanie Falkner, wants Mason's help negotiating her share of the same property, having inherited it from her father. Before agreeing, Mason must check with a longstanding client, with whom there might be a conflict of interest. The client wants Mason on the case, and thus begins the trouble.

Soon, a body turns up, and it appears Falkner has killed the man who may have murdered her father. She even has a gun that's been fired once. What happens next might be called "musical guns." In an attempt to protect his client, Mason arranges for another gun to be delivered to her. Now there are two guns. Soon, a third gun turns up. (There are shades of The Case of the Demure Defendant, another Perry Mason mystery, here.) And no matter how many switches are made, it seems Mason's client is cooked. And, of course, Mason's longstanding nemesis, District Attorney Hamilton Burger, thinks he can get not only Mason's client but also Mason himself, this time as an accessory.

The Perry Mason novels are all solid mysteries/courtroom dramas. Each is an excellent example of the genre and thoroughly readable. This one is no exception.

The Case of the Long-legged Models, by Erle Stanley Gardner

This book is dedicated to Michael Anthony Luongo, M.D. who is a senior member of the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard Medical School, an associate pathologist for the Massachusetts State Police, and certified by the American Board of Pathology. Dr. Luongo is famous of his desires for Truth and Justice.

A young lady inherits shares in a gambling place at Las Vegas. Her father had refused to sell out, and was murdered. Now the daughter is asked to sell her shares to a stranger. She seeks help and advice from Perry Mason. Perry has another client who also owns a part of this gambling place, and begins to investigate. But his client went out of town and can't be found. Perry locates him by telephone, and carries on a secure conversation; the result is that Perry will protect the young heiress. Perry meets the potential buyer to discusses the price, but nothing is resolved. While sitting outside in his car, he sees his client enter this apartment house, and then leave. Then the young heiress enters, and rushes from the house; Perry picks her up and discusses her visit. The next morning the would-be buyer is found murdered in his apartment.

Read this novel to learn why Erle Stanley Gardner was such a popular author; it is a good example of his work. Gardner was a lawyer who found fame and fortune writing about a heroic lawyer roughly based on the life of Earl Rogers. You will learn a few things about law and lawyers as part of this story. Could these tactics be possible today? The fact of blood clotting after a murder is still relevant today. "The police rarely solve gangster killings" (Chapter 1). The story follows the convention of denoting the villain as one guilty of some other crime.

Perry Mason is first consulted by a young woman whose father was apparently murdered by the mob because of his stake in a Las Vegas property. Now, the woman, Stephanie Falkner, wants Mason's help negotiating her share of the same property, having inherited it from her father. Before agreeing, Mason must check with a longstanding client, with whom there might be a conflict of interest. The client wants Mason on the case, and thus begins the trouble.

Soon, a body turns up, and it appears Falkner has killed the man who may have murdered her father. She even has a gun that's been fired once. What happens next might be called "musical guns." In an attempt to protect his client, Mason arranges for another gun to be delivered to her. Now there are two guns. Soon, a third gun turns up. (There are shades of The Case of the Demure Defendant, another Perry Mason mystery, here.) And no matter how many switches are made, it seems Mason's client is cooked. And, of course, Mason's longstanding nemesis, District Attorney Hamilton Burger, thinks he can get not only Mason's client but also Mason himself, this time as an accessory.

The Perry Mason novels are all solid mysteries/courtroom dramas. Each is an excellent example of the genre and thoroughly readable. This one is no exception.

Perry Mason is first consulted by a young woman whose father was apparently murdered by the mob because of his stake in a Las Vegas property. Now, the woman, Stephanie Falkner, wants Mason's help negotiating her share of the same property, having inherited it from her father. Before agreeing, Mason must check with a longstanding client, with whom there might be a conflict of interest. The client wants Mason on the case, and thus begins the trouble.

Soon, a body turns up, and it appears Falkner has killed the man who may have murdered her father. She even has a gun that's been fired once. What happens next might be called "musical guns." In an attempt to protect his client, Mason arranges for another gun to be delivered to her. Now there are two guns. Soon, a third gun turns up. (There are shades of The Case of the Demure Defendant, another Perry Mason mystery, here.) And no matter how many switches are made, it seems Mason's client is cooked. And, of course, Mason's longstanding nemesis, District Attorney Hamilton Burger, thinks he can get not only Mason's client but also Mason himself, this time as an accessory.

The Perry Mason novels are all solid mysteries/courtroom dramas. Each is an excellent example of the genre and thoroughly readable. This one is no exception.

Perry Mason is first consulted by a young woman whose father was apparently murdered by the mob because of his stake in a Las Vegas property. Now, the woman, Stephanie Falkner, wants Mason's help negotiating her share of the same property, having inherited it from her father. Before agreeing, Mason must check with a longstanding client, with whom there might be a conflict of interest. The client wants Mason on the case, and thus begins the trouble.

Soon, a body turns up, and it appears Falkner has killed the man who may have murdered her father. She even has a gun that's been fired once. What happens next might be called "musical guns." In an attempt to protect his client, Mason arranges for another gun to be delivered to her. Now there are two guns. Soon, a third gun turns up. (There are shades of The Case of the Demure Defendant, another Perry Mason mystery, here.) And no matter how many switches are made, it seems Mason's client is cooked. And, of course, Mason's longstanding nemesis, District Attorney Hamilton Burger, thinks he can get not only Mason's client but also Mason himself, this time as an accessory.

The Perry Mason novels are all solid mysteries/courtroom dramas. Each is an excellent example of the genre and thoroughly readable. This one is no exception.

Perry Mason is first consulted by a young woman whose father was apparently murdered by the mob because of his stake in a Las Vegas property. Now, the woman, Stephanie Falkner, wants Mason's help negotiating her share of the same property, having inherited it from her father. Before agreeing, Mason must check with a longstanding client, with whom there might be a conflict of interest. The client wants Mason on the case, and thus begins the trouble.

Soon, a body turns up, and it appears Falkner has killed the man who may have murdered her father. She even has a gun that's been fired once. What happens next might be called "musical guns." In an attempt to protect his client, Mason arranges for another gun to be delivered to her. Now there are two guns. Soon, a third gun turns up. (There are shades of The Case of the Demure Defendant, another Perry Mason mystery, here.) And no matter how many switches are made, it seems Mason's client is cooked. And, of course, Mason's longstanding nemesis, District Attorney Hamilton Burger, thinks he can get not only Mason's client but also Mason himself, this time as an accessory.

The Perry Mason novels are all solid mysteries/courtroom dramas. Each is an excellent example of the genre and thoroughly readable. This one is no exception.

Perry Mason is first consulted by a young woman whose father was apparently murdered by the mob because of his stake in a Las Vegas property. Now, the woman, Stephanie Falkner, wants Mason's help negotiating her share of the same property, having inherited it from her father. Before agreeing, Mason must check with a longstanding client, with whom there might be a conflict of interest. The client wants Mason on the case, and thus begins the trouble.

Soon, a body turns up, and it appears Falkner has killed the man who may have murdered her father. She even has a gun that's been fired once. What happens next might be called "musical guns." In an attempt to protect his client, Mason arranges for another gun to be delivered to her. Now there are two guns. Soon, a third gun turns up. (There are shades of The Case of the Demure Defendant, another Perry Mason mystery, here.) And no matter how many switches are made, it seems Mason's client is cooked. And, of course, Mason's longstanding nemesis, District Attorney Hamilton Burger, thinks he can get not only Mason's client but also Mason himself, this time as an accessory.

The Perry Mason novels are all solid mysteries/courtroom dramas. Each is an excellent example of the genre and thoroughly readable. This one is no exception.

Perry Mason is first consulted by a young woman whose father was apparently murdered by the mob because of his stake in a Las Vegas property. Now, the woman, Stephanie Falkner, wants Mason's help negotiating her share of the same property, having inherited it from her father. Before agreeing, Mason must check with a longstanding client, with whom there might be a conflict of interest. The client wants Mason on the case, and thus begins the trouble.

Soon, a body turns up, and it appears Falkner has killed the man who may have murdered her father. She even has a gun that's been fired once. What happens next might be called "musical guns." In an attempt to protect his client, Mason arranges for another gun to be delivered to her. Now there are two guns. Soon, a third gun turns up. (There are shades of The Case of the Demure Defendant, another Perry Mason mystery, here.) And no matter how many switches are made, it seems Mason's client is cooked. And, of course, Mason's longstanding nemesis, District Attorney Hamilton Burger, thinks he can get not only Mason's client but also Mason himself, this time as an accessory.

The Perry Mason novels are all solid mysteries/courtroom dramas. Each is an excellent example of the genre and thoroughly readable. This one is no exception.