We live in the times of the antihero. Grey is the new white now and it has become increasingly cool for our protagonists to repeatedly toe the line between good and bad. Nobody stands for anything anymore which makes it all the more difficult to root for such characters. That's probably the reason why I had to go back to Perry Mason. Mason, his confidante Della Street and the ever dependable Paul Drake are a crimefighting unit whom you can get behind in their pursuit of justice. A Perry Mason book comes with the guarantee of justice being served at the end, I just had to find out how the justice was meted out to the perpetrators.
Plot: John Witherspoon, the wealthy rancher doesn't think too much of his daughter Lois' love interest, Marvin Adams, a science student with no discernible family lineage. When Witherspoon digs into the past of his daughter's suitor, he finds that Marvin's father was convicted of murdering his business partner. Unable to come to terms with this discovery, Witherspoon seeks the help of the one and only Perry Mason to save his family name and also his daughter's future.
Mason straightaway identifies several loopholes with the way the old case was handled and entrusts his detective aide, Paul Drake with pulling out all the facts that were glossed over previously. One major point which was overlooked at that time was the statement from Marvin's father where he reported that his partner was having an illicit affair. Unveiling the identity of the woman becomes crucial for establishing the veracity of the claims made by Marvin's father but before they get somewhere they are confronted with the murder of Leslie Milter, the private detective whom Witherspoon had hired to rake up Marvin's past. At the scene of the crime is a duck which could implicate Marvin Adams who is quite well known for a scientific experiment involving ducks. There's also an eyewitness who vouches that she has seen a man flee the scene of the crime.
Mason first has to decide whether there's a dark heart behind Marvin's easygoing exterior while contending with the possibility that Leslie was silenced in order to permanently halt certain facts associated with the old case from coming out into the open.
Then there's the mysterious Mrs. Burr, who is staying along with her husband at Witherspoon's house and is displaying an inordinate amount of interest in him. Mason also has to ascertain whether she has something to do with what happened all those years ago. Things get further complicated when the contentious relationship between Mason and Witherspoon reaches a head when Witherspoon alleges Marvin's hand in Leslie's murder. Before he makes good on his accusation, he himself is accused of another crime which he vehemently denies. Mason can only be a bystander in the court proceedings as Witherspoon hires another legal counsel for his defense. Can Mason save the day and resolve not one, not two but three crimes which could all be interlinked?
Conclusion
If you are a fan of deductive reasoning then you shouldn't miss out on reading this piece. More than the mystery, I was drawn into how Mason comes up with his premises and then goes about validating them. What's also fascinating is the way Mason assembles disparate pieces of information to paint a conclusive sketch of what might have happened. The logic which was employed coupled with the twists kept me engrossed. If you haven't touched a book in a while and are looking to get back to your book reading habit, then you should pick this one. It harkens back to the good old days of morally upright characters doing their utmost to keep others out of trouble.
Rated: Time Pass
Until Next Time,
Your Mystery Book Lover.
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