The Case of the Substitute Face [Mass Market Paperback]

Erle Stanley Gardner (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345343778
• ISBN-13: 978-0345343772
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,196,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless book, January 25, 1999

By 

Mike Osburn (Emporia, kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Case of the Substitute Face (Hardcover)

Although written in 1938, this book comes across as fresh and exciting as anything written today. Perry Mason, although watered down in the Raymond Burr television version,is a robust man that will go to extreme measures to prove the innocense of his client. He often does this by showing the dishonesty and coercive tactics of the police, a fact still prevalent today.Gardner knew the law well and this book, as every book of his I've had the pleasure to read, has two or three wonderful episodes in which Mason uses his legal genius to further his cause. As a reader I had no idea of who actually committed the crime until the next to last page. Gardner intertwines all the facts masterfully and lets Perry Mason use his command for logic to show us the answers. Great book, and extremely entertaining. Don't let the age of Gardners books dissaude you from reading them. Like fine wine and law books; they get better with age

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE best Perry Mason mystery, November 26, 2000

By 

Valter M. Hilden (Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Case of the Substitute Face (Mass Market Paperback)

So, you've heard about Perry Mason and would like to read one of his books? If you were to read one and only one of the dozens of books Erle Stanley Gardner wrote, "The Case of the Substitute Face" should be it. This book, written in 1938, shows Gardner at the top of his form, after he had fully developed his formula, but before it truly became a formula.

Gardner himself was a top lawyer. "The Case of the Chinese Shopkeepers" could have been one of Gardner's books if he hadn't done it himself. When Gardner heard the DA was going to subpoena one of his clients, a chinese shopkeeper in Oxnard CA, Gardner put another chinese man, who didn't speak English, in his client's store. The court officer then brought the wrong witness to court and, after much confusion, the case was dismissed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Importance of "Corpus Delicti", August 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Case of the Substitute Face (Mass Market Paperback)

Perry Mason often uses unorthodox (even illegal sometimes) methods to find out what really happened. His attitude is described metaphorically as "skating on thin ice". In this novel, Mason did not only skate but made several somersaults on thin ice. I just applauded that. But Mason's spectacular stunt is not limited to this novel. The distinctive feature of this novel will be the importance of "corpus delicti", the proof that the victim is really dead and that the death is caused by another people's criminal act. If you want to know what I mean, just read the book.