Erle Stanley Gardner is one of my favorite mystery writers. He is so clever when it comes to writing a unique mystery tale. In this one, a woman whose husband dies as a result of tainted crab salad is accused of poisoning her him with arsenic. She was a bird watcher who had progressed to trapping, killing and mounting species - a hobby she developed to fill her time because her husband was gone so often. The product she use was called Featherfirm and was loaded with arsenic. To complicate matters, she falls in love with the man at whose home her husband is poisoned. The man is wealthy, single, and lives with nieces and nephews, some of whom fear that he will marry the woman and leave his wealth to his new wife rather than to them. Did the woman murder her husband for his insurance or did someone else? The case against her looks rock solid but Perry Mason believes that she is innocent and is determined to help her.

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