Erle Stanley Gardner (1889 - 1970) was an American lawyer and author of detective stories, best known for the Perry Mason series, he also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray and Robert Parr.Innovative and restless in his nature, Gardner was bored by the routine of legal practice, the only part of which he enjoyed was trial work and the development of trial strategy. In his spare time, he began to write for pulp magazines, which also fostered the early careers of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. His first story was published in 1923. He created many different series characters for the pulps, including the ingenious Lester Leith, a "gentleman thief" in the tradition of Raffles, and Ken Corning, a crusading lawyer who was the archetype of his most successful creation, the fictional lawyer and crime-solver Perry Mason, about whom he wrote more than eighty novels. With the success of Perry Mason, he gradually reduced his contributions to the pulp magazines, eventually withdrawing from the medium entirely, except for non-fiction articles on travel, Western history, and forensic science.
Gardner also devoted thousands of hours to a project called "The Court of Last Resort", which he undertook with his many friends in the forensic, legal and investigative communities. The project sought to review and, if appropriate, to reverse, miscarriages of justice against possibly innocent criminal defendants who were convicted owing to poor original legal representation or to the inadequate, careless or malicious actions of police and prosecutors and most especially, with regard to the abuse or misinterpretation of medical and other forensic evidence. The resulting 1952 book earned Gardner his only Edgar Award, in the Best Fact Crime category
The Case of the Substitute Face
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless book,
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,
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",
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.
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