Search - The Case of the Counterfeit Eye (Perry Mason, Bk 6)

Written in 1935, the 6th Perry Mason mystery betrays PM's pulpy origins. Perry is tough, almost hard-boiled. He orders Paul around like he's a go-fer. Despite the brain-aching intricacy of too many guns by the corpse, the mystery is a bit "eh." A couple of scenes make it worth reading for those of us who just like PM, Della, and Paul. PM pulls off courtroom hocus-pocus, the past haunts two lovers, and in a hilarious scene Mason and Drake go to unusual lengths to interview a witness. This book features the first appearance of Hamilton Burger, the highly strung DA. For all his implied criticism of the police and DAs, Gardner makes the bully Sgt Holcomb a hero and gives Burger a horror of railroading an innocent person. You'd think that if Perry was right so many times, The Law would think he was on to something, but noooooooo.

First published in 1935

classic Perry Mason