The first woman wouldn’t even give her name. But the clear, feminine voice faltered considerably over the question of what Perry Mason’s charges would be for a day in court – a day doing nothing but listening.
The second woman gave a good deal more – but the question was, what did she expect to get? Dorla Balfour, lethally lovely and dangerously rich, forced a $1,000 retainer on Mason to deal with a case already tried and decided.
The offense involved appeared to be manslaughter, hit-and-run, but it soon became murder … with the corpse killed twice.
The second woman gave a good deal more – but the question was, what did she expect to get? Dorla Balfour, lethally lovely and dangerously rich, forced a $1,000 retainer on Mason to deal with a case already tried and decided.
The offense involved appeared to be manslaughter, hit-and-run, but it soon became murder … with the corpse killed twice.
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Reviews
Kingpin among the mystery writers
tantalising on every page and brilliant
A master storyteller
For fans of classic hard-boiled whodunits, this is a time machine back to an exuberant era of snappy patter, stakeouts, and double-crosses
Another slick job of rationalisation, smart guessing, and fast footwork
Gardner has a way of moving the story forward that is almost a lost art: great stretches of dialogue alternate with lively chunks of exposition, and the two work together perfectly, without sacrificing momentum
