Case of the Angry Mourner, The (Perry Mason Series) MP3 CD – Unabridged, May 9, 2017

I never for a minute anticipated who the murderer would be, yet there were several indications. I missed them one by one, and so did everybody else in court.An anxious mother is accused of murdering a rich young man who attempted to rape her daughter. The preliminary hearing is wildly challenging because all the local lawyers band together to gang up on the hotshot outsider (Perry Mason) and put him in his place. Mason’s strategies are dramatic and his cross-examinations riveting. Fortunately the judge is a reasonable man with a logical mind.So this is the usual fun courtroom thriller. It follows the Perry Mason formula — but contains enough twists and turns to give it plenty of excitement.

Hmm, as of this writing (September 2014), the “book description” on Amazon (regarding a Rita Swaine character) bears no resemblance to the actual book I received. That was a bit of a surprise when I started reading it as I instantly, from the opening lines, remembered the episode from the TV series, and it was very different from the description. Still, it was a very interesting and enjoyable book.This book involved a mother and young adult daughter, each suspected of murdering a rather nasty playboy who attacked the daughter. Unfortunately, since each is trying to protect the other, both lie to Mason. In fact, it seems that no one is capable of telling the truth. Mason has to defend his client (while indirectly protecting the other woman), despite a wealth of circumstantial evidence proclaiming guilt.This was my first Perry Mason book, although I’ve seen the 1930’s movies with Warren William and Ricardo Cortez several times, and I’ve probably seen each of the TV episodes even more times. I immediately read another book in the series after this one, so some of my impressions were formed from reading them both.The things that surprised me most included the fact that the Perry Mason character was a little different from the TV series, a little more edgy, occasionally irritable. The opposing counsel was also a bit nastier and more competitive, with a more realistic antagonism toward Mason (I worked with lawyers for years, and most tend to view a lawsuit as a war that must be won at any cost).And, of course the biggest difference was that in the two I read, the guilty party does not suddenly jump up in court and confess (sometimes with very little provocation). As much as we all love those “Perry Mason moments,” they really weren’t that realistic. The books don’t need to end in 60 minutes, minus commercials, so there is much more time to develop a plot and come to a conclusion. I found that more satisfying.

Small, resort town murder. Mason just happens to be there fishing and ends up neck deep in the case.Particularly nasty, personal courtroom scenes with the local prosecutor who is no Hamilton Burger but carrying a huge chip on his shoulder.Mason runs a dangerous bluff and wins the hand again.A cautionary tale; be wary when a neighbor is toooo friendly and tooooo neighborly.

The great Perry Mason TV show follows the original stories closely. The characters are about the same. Perry in the book is more sophisticated and likes the ladies more. Of course Raymond Burr was gay so we barely saw a hint that he liked women on the show.

This is fast-paced, engrossing murder mystery at just about its finest. The plot is credible, and Mason acts with his usual quick wits and risk-taking nerves.There are some minor defects, the result of hasty writing and editing: a few phrases are repeated too often and too close together. But these don't seriously affect the overall Gardner style.

An excellent story. The circumstances give some insight into the mindset of the 50's with its obsession with scandal. The story moves along nicely as the facts surrounding the crime are discovered. Tension is maintained throughout. The ending is somewhat unsatisfying, though. I don't want to give it away, but there is no grand denouement, just an explanation.

Gardner must have eaten some pretty funny stuff when he was a kid. I don't know how he wiggles through such a mess.

I read lots of Gardner's PM novels and can't think of one that I hadn't liked. I wasn't so sure about this one at first, but it got really good and I very much liked it by the end. At this point in my readership, one of the things I like is to watch Gardner work on the reader. In this story, he was throwing clues to entice "smart" guys like me to create my short list of suspects. In the end, I didn't have a clue!

Pirated book with terrible print quality

As good as the other Perry mason novels. may be I am partial since am a fan of Gardner.

ok

Completely unsatisfactory.