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Perry Mason in the Case of Too Many Murders

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In Chapter 1 Gil Adrian walks into the Oaks Restaurant. Gil has been accused of bribing city and state politicians, and being connected to organized crime. A stranger joins him, and they begin to leave. Suddenly, Gil shoots this stranger and takes off in his black Mercedes. The police are called, and go to Adrian's house. They find Gil's wife outside, enter the house, and find Gil dead in the den from two shots to his head! [Gardner always played down the background corruption in his stories. The idea of a double murder popped into to my mind.] Chapter 2 provides an example of wrongful conviction, which happens more often than the dramas on TV would suggest. This is an omen for Chapter 3, where Mrs. Gil Adrian, the trophy wife, retains Perry Mason. Laurel doesn't know much about Gil's business, or of any powerful enemies. Does the political establishment want to hang the murder on Laurel and thus bury the scandal? Mason learns the stranger Gil shot was unidentified; all he had was cash, a phony driver's license, and a .22 pistol strapped to his ankle. Wasn't a .22 pistol the weapon of choice for hit men asks Mason? Mason contacts David Niles, a Federal prosecutor, and suggests an alliance. [This never happened in the original series, to my recollection.]

Chapter 8 tells of the beating that was given to Paul Drake Jr. after he questions Anselmo Costa in Las Vegas. Perry Mason also visits Las Vegas to ask questions, but learns little more. The preliminary hearing in Chapter 19 is as good as Gardner's best. It tells why a defendant shouldn't wear sunglasses. Chapter 20 explains why getting testimony about 'Karl Braundorff' was important. This led to Janet Coleman, a 'roper' (like Raymond Schindler), who told of Gil Adrian's visit to Las Vegas. Then Anselmo Costa is summoned to the witness stand, but he asserts his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Perry Mason gets a clue from the artist drawings on TV. The bank is subpoenaed to find the last check written by Ralph Adrian, Gil's son, before Ralph was murdered. These clues help to solve the puzzle, and Laurel Adrian is freed.

This story brings in updated procedures (the defense gets a list of the prosecutor's witnesses), and mentions the terrible traffic in Los Angeles since the 1960s. But the flavor of the original stories has been lost. Paul Drake has retired, and Perry Mason would be an octogenarian, if still alive. What is missing is a younger lawyer, Perry Jr. or Della Mason, to carry on the father's work. This story is like a good reproduction of an old master like Rembrandt, but in a modern setting. It lacks the dedications that were part of the original series.

The Perry Mason stories by Erle Stanley Gardner were written in such a distinctive style that it is easy to recognize and hard to mimic. Therefore, any fan of Perry Mason will have to accept the disappointment of reading this Mason book by another author of another time. Gardner's style and tone very much that of the thirties and forties, with different terminology and a different level of acceptance regarding how men looked at women.
If you are capable of accepting the significant difference in style, then this book can be enjoyed. Some of the characters are changed, for example it is now Paul Drake Jr. doing the investigations and Ray Dallas has replaced Lieutenant Tragg. The hostility between Mason and the police has been replaced by a relationship of mutual respect, within the bounds of their professional rivalry; Ray Dallas and Mason are friends.
The story is formulaic of the Mason stories, a man is murdered and his estranged wife is falsely accused of the murder. Mason must piece together a series of sometimes-contradictory clues in order to unmask the guilty and free his client. In true Mason fashion, his questioning of a witness leads to a dramatic courtroom event where the murderer is revealed.
Although Gardner wrote many Perry Mason stories and they follow a pattern, there are reasons to always want additional stories. Chastain's effort is a worthy addition to this set, while naturally different, it is still within the bounds of what a Perry Mason story should be.