Maxima Library

A spoiled woman is keen to keep news of her affairs from her powerful husband, even if it costs Perry his freedom when she swears he was on the murder scene.

A bratty heiress wants to keep the news of her marriage a secret from the guardian who controls her purse strings, but when he's murdered, her groom is accused.

A mistake at a murder scene dogs Perry while he tries to represent a woman taken in by a con man.

"When a potential client wants to see Perry Mason about a howling dog and a will, the attorney is not interested. He does not enjoy drawing wills, and wonders if the man shouldn't see a veterinarian. However, when the man asks whether a will is legal if the person who made it had been executed for murder, immediately Mason becomes interested. He finds, in addition to the will and the dog, a man who had run away with the wife of another, and a sexy housekeeper."

A woman claiming not to be a bride consults Mason about her 'friend' whose husband, long thought to have died in a plane crash, turns up alive.

After his employer dies in a fire, a caretaker hires Mason to allow him to keep his cat against the wishes of the men who inherit. When the caretaker is killed, Mason defends the woman accused of his murder.

"Peter Brunold has a bloodshot glass eye to use the "morning after". It is distinctive, closely identified with him, and thus quite a handicap when a corpse is found clutching a bloodshot glass eye. Later, another corpse is found, with another bloodshot glass eye in hand. Perry Mason is in almost as much jeopardy as his client: the lawyer's fingerprints have been found on one of the alleged murder weapons."

When two men change bedrooms at a house-party, everyone thinks that the sleepwalker with the carving knife killed the wrong man.

When a murdered man is found in the home of shady insurance adjuster Walter Prescott, a simple divorce case turns into a courtroom puzzler, as Perry Mason follows the clues to catch a killer.

Perry Mason has been batting around the Orient, taking a well-earned vacation. (Yes, Della Street is along.) We pick up on his way to the roar of the city, the jangle of telephones, the blast of automobile horns, to clients who lie to him and yet expect him to stand behind them. And Perry can hardly wait to get back!

He doesn’t have to wait to get home, however, for excitement to start. Just out of Honolulu, a fellow passenger comes to him with a very strange story.

Mason has already noticed the party of three: the middle-aged man with the piercing gray eyes, the slender, graceful woman, and the daughter who looks so much like a famous movie actress. Now beside the ship’s rail, he listens to the queer tale a woman tells in a voice of nervous hysteria. Until two months before she was known as Mrs. Moar. But overnight her husband — and so we have: The Case of the Substitute Face.

It all began enough when, to get out of a shower, Della — Perry Mason’s “girl Friday” — dragger the lawyer-sleuth into a department store restaurant for tea.

That was where they first saw Mrs. Sarah Breel and her niece, Virginia Trent. They where in a spot too, with the store detective on Mrs. Breel’s trail, and even Virginia admitting her aunt was a kleptomaniac. It all seemed so strange, naturally Mason got interested. And Della Street, trained by years of experience to read the how’s moods, realized he didn’t go far just on theory... that if he appeared to see more than met the eye, his perception was based on scene point in practical psychology.

From this odd beginning, the vagaries of a whimsical fate catapult Perry mason into the case of the missing diamonds, the homey woman who didn’t look like a shoplifter, the methodical drunk, the thick reddish stain on a woman’s kid shoe, and beautiful Lone Bedford. No one knew much about her, but all the men wanted to know more — including Perry Mason!

An exceedingly profane green parrot, with wicked glittering eyes and a genius for saying the wrong thing...

A pretty (if rather prim) young librarian with a curious interest in dangerous weapons...

An eccentric multi-millionaire, with a penchant for books, trailers and birds...

An apparently un-traceable murder, committed with a double-barreled derringer, obsolete in design but deadly in efficiency... These, and some other bizarre details, which we won’t reveal, plunge Perry Mason and Della Street up to their necks in one of the most exciting mysteries that Erie Stanley Gardner has ever written!

Here’s a PERRY MASON story, with a murder hinging on as ingenious a trick as has appeared in a mystery in a long time, and containing some of the most exiting courtroom scenes Erle Stanley Gardner has even written.

It’s about:

Alden E. Leeds, millionaire and black sheep of the family, about to the torn limb from limb by a pack of gold-greedy relatives; Phyllis, old man Leeds’s niece and business manager; Ned Barkler, once his partner in Klondike days; L. C. Conway, who sold dice almost anyone could roll; blonde, hard Marcia Whittaker, who seemed to have said that all she wanted was a cozy little home; and, of course, wily Perry Mason, Della Street, his secretary, and lanky Paul Drake, the detective.

Readers will find here the usual swift pace and ingenuity, the unexpected twists and surprises that have made Erle Stanley Gardner the most popular detective-store writer in America.

It was beautiful bait: two lovely thousand-dollar bills and a torn half of a ten-thousand-dollar note. Perry Mason swallowed it, hook, line, and sinker.

They had gone to a lot of trouble. They had Mason’s private number, woke him up and persuaded him to meet them at his office in the middle of the night. There he found a man and a girl; a man who knew exactly what he wanted but wouldn’t explain; a girl who wore a man’s overcoat, a mask — and wouldn’t speak. It was the girl who kept the other half of the ten-grand note. When and if they needed Perry Mason he’d get her half. Not until then would he know who his client was. Perry suspected he was being played for a sucker, but he was too interested to swim away.

The next morning, he felt the hook. It was murder, a murder obviously linked to his mysterious visitors. And the barb on the hook was that Perry couldn’t discover who his client was or what he was supposed to do. Della Street’s mocking jibes were hard to take.

A racing Gardner story full of action, suspense and one of the most original plots Gardner has ever created.

Successful florist Mildreth Faulkner finds that the flower business is no bed of roses when her arch-competitor, Harry Peavis, secretly buys stock in her small, family-owned corporation.

It started as the case of the disappearing driver. Stephane Olger was hitchhiking to Los Angeles when the accident happened. When it was over she was found unconscious behind the wheel — alone. There was a manslaughter charge against her…

A bright, shiny tin can in a dark, cobwebby corner of the cellar preserve shelf — unlabelled and empty!

Mrs. Gentrie, the meticulous hose-wife, was annoyed but not too upset. Her sister-in-law Rebecca was exited and suspicious. Delman Steele, their new young boarder, was quietly interested...

Then things began to happen. A man and his housekeeper were found missing from the house next door. Willful old Elston Karr, who used to run guns up the Yangtze and was now confined to a Wheel-chair in the flat above the missing man’s apartment, retained Mason to protect him from — well, Mason wasn’t quite sure himself. But his mind began to work fast.

Then Mason heard about the empty tin can. It interested him — a lot.

All our old friends are here, Della Street, Paul Drake, Lieutenant Tragg, in a mystery so fast and exiting that it has been called “even better than Gardner.”

A dead man in the kitchen, gas fumes permeates the house, a duck seem to be drowning in the fishbowl, but it didn't die. Maybe that fact has something to do with murder?

Mason defends Della Street, who is accused of helping a material witness or possible murder suspect vanish from a crime scene.

Mason (with Della Street and Paul Drake, of course) takes on a super-baffling case involving — among other strange things: A shattering car wreck in which apparently no one was injured… A glamorous widow who should have had a husband but didn’t… An alarm clock that ticked away cheerfully under ground… A bank clerk who boasted brazenly about a $90,000 embezzlement… A girl who was always on hand when Perry Mason wanted her miles away, but was always missing when he needed her most… A client on trial for murder who wouldn’t even talk to Mason… A blood-stained bullet about which there was something very phoney… A photographer who could make a camera do everything but climb a tree… A gold mine without any gold… AND, last but not least — Perry Mason, all but hoist with his own petard.

The receptionist told Perry Mason there were two men waiting in the outer office; one of them looked like a prosperous banker, the other a tramp. One wanted to see him about some corporation law, and the other had a damage claim. So Mason said, «I’ll see the tramp. Tell the banker I can’t be bothered with corporation law.» But it turned out it was the tramp who wanted to see him about corporation law. And that, in turn, merged into the story of one of the famous Lost Mines of the desert region of Southern California; of a sinewy little desert prospector and his partner, who had struck it rich, «housed-up» and, losing his health, had forsaken the big red-tiled mansion in the fashionable district of San Roberto to spread his sleeping bag out in the cactus garden at the far corner of the grounds. And finally there was the mysterious drowsy mosquito — was it a harbinger of death?

Arthur Bickler was mad. The truck marked Skinner Hills Karakul Company was responsible for the accident. What’s more, the driver unceremoniously had snatched away his notebook in which he had written down the license number of the truck. He certainly thought he was entitled to $750 damages. Jackson thought he might get $500. Perry Mason compromised for $2000… He smelled more than sheep in them that hills… The first person Perry Mason ferreted out was Daphne Milfield, obviously a blonde bomber in spire of the swollen eyes. Then there was suave Harry Van Nuys — a bit too solicitous about his friend’s wife. And Carol Burbank, a streamlined beauty who knew she had brains — and used them. From then on it’s a matter of ships and shoes and candlewax — and for a time Della Street, Paul Drake, and Perry Mason wished they had left their clothes on the hickory limb and not gone near the water…

When beautiful blonde Diana Regis appears at Perry Mason's office with a nasty black eye, the lawyer agrees to investigate. What does he find? A spoiled young man whining about a diamond theft, a rich old man looking for a missing grandson, a pretty young woman desperate for a driver's license--and a rain-soaked corpse. Only Perry Mason, with the quick-thinking help of Della Street and Paul Drake, can crack the case of the black-eyed blonde.

In order to help her seriously ill boyfriend, gorgeous Sally Madison sets out to separate wealthy Harrington Faulkner from some of his money by offering him a cure for his ailing exotic fish, but her plan goes awry when the fish mysteriously vanish and Faulkner turns up dead.

A shot… A splash… A shout… and Perry Mason finds himself treading the deepest water of his career. This time, he nearly goes wider… Things were tense aboard Parker Benton’s yacht. About the only thing the group had in common was the bad weather and a highly controversial business proposition.

A classified ad finds Perry Mason's client drawn into a murder plot, and only the sleuthing attorney can save her.

Perry Mason novelette «The Case of the Crying Swallow» (published in 1947), with three other short stories.

It all begins with the fan-dancer's "costume" — what there is of it. When Perry Mason stumbles upon the barely there accessories of an exotic performer, he sets out to do a good turn by returning the lost glad rags. But the attorney's discreet good deed brings more than one delectable dancer — and more than a little trouble — waltzing into his office.

When Perry Mason receives two mysterious checks from Lola Allred, a woman he's never heard of, he smells trouble. A visit from Lola's husband reveals that she has run away with her daughter's boyfriend--a key witness in an ongoing lawsuit. The mystery deepens when the bank finds that one of the checks is forged. Yet when homicide finally does rear its head, even the unexpected victim isn't as surprised as Perry Mason.

Perry Mason and Della Street are writing love letters this time—to a girl they've never seen. In fact they don't even know her name. But they've seen a letter she wrote to a Lonely Hearts Magazine. According to her she's both attractive and an heiress, an heiress who's tired of people who love her for her money ... According to Perry Mason, she's lying. And there's something phony about the Lonely Hearts business—including Mr. Robert Caddo who runs it. But there's nothing phony about the beautiful corpse that almost puts Perry behind bars for life

Platinum blonde, Veronica Dale, is arrested on a charge of vagrancy, yet she has a hotel reservation in her name. Addison, head of a department store, booked the room for her and is now being blackmailed. Perry Mason can’t decide who is hiding what and then comes murder and one of Mason’s toughest trial scenes.

Perry Mason novelette «The Case of the Crimson Kiss» (published in 1948), with four other short stories.

«What prominent lawyer received the mitten in front of his office building last night? Who was the mysterious blonde spitfire who swung one from the hip and left him groggy…?» That gossip columnist knew that Perry Mason was the lawyer. But Mason himself didn’t know who the girl was… and he wanted to. She had climbed down the fire escape from the Garvin Mining, Exploration and Development Company — right into Mason’s office on the floor below. After a story which neither believed, she ran away. And the next day Ed Garvin came to see the lawyer. Garvin said he didn’t know the girl. He was just crazy about his new bride… but he did want Mason to find out whether or not he had two wives. He, himself, didn’t quite know. Perry Mason takes the case that soon involves murder and reaches a climax in one of the most brilliant courtroom scenes of Mason’s career.

Perry Mason knew it was murder. But when the police got there it looked like suicide — except for the tall man in the tan-colored topcoat… and a most interesting fingerprint on the gun. Mason was after a hit-and-run driver and he set a trap. Into the trap walked a girl with innocent blue eyes and wheat-colored hair. Then, within twenty-four hours, Mason realized that someone was after him, and that he was holding a great big bag. At first Della Street and Paul Drake ribbed him about the girl, but it wasn’t funny when the police started building up a case not against the murderer, but against Perry Mason himself. The D.A. was licking his chops. But Mason had other ideas. With a few breaks he could rip the D.A.’s case wide open — he hoped!

She pulled herself out of the water into a canoe, tried to do something with her sopping wet evening gown, and gasped, "I don't know who you are ... but you'd better paddle like hell!" Flashlights appeared on the shore. Someone shouted, "There she is!" But Perry Mason was doing as directed for a change - paddling into the night with a strange girl, towards the hottest water he had ever been in. By morning Mason was in all the papers - wanted for robbery. By afternoon he had a second client - in jail. Then, swiftly, murder arrived, and Mason was precipitated into the tensest battle of his career.

Perry Mason is dining peacefully at the Golden Goose cafe when he receives a mysterious phone call. The frantic woman on the other end of the line is desperate to retain Mason's services, but suddenly vanishes during their cryptic phone conversation.

One dollar bill paid to Perry Mason for services about-to-be-rendered. One husband with an invalid wife. One nurse accused of robbery by the husband. One husband accused of murderous intent--by the nurse. One glamorous mistress with some glamorous gems. One planeload of irate relatives. One flying trip to New Orleans. One charge of vagrancy--against Perry Mason. Plus two dramatic courtroom scenes climaxed by one of the most spectacular grandstand plays of Mason's distinguished career--add up to Grade-A mystery fare...

A badly frightened woman pounded on the door of the cabin where Perry Mason was vacationing. The woman said, 'I'm in trouble, in terrible trouble. I have to talk with you... everything depends on it.' Those words launch Mason on a bewildering murder case in which the resources of an entire community are leveled against him... and a massive weight of circumstantial evidence points to his client. But Mason acts quickly, deftly needling an angry woman into a startling admission. In the end he stakes his reputation on a brilliant coup that results in another smashing success for the famous lawyer and his associates, Paul Drake and Della Street

Perry Mason orders a double serving of trouble the night he and Della Street dine at an intimate restaurant after a hard day at law. In the middle of their steaks a waitress flees the premises in terror, leaving the puzzled proprietor holding her mink coat. Why a humble working girl abandons such a pricey wrap is only the first question in a cop-killer case that traps Mason's client with both an impossible story and the murder weapon, makes Perry himself a prime suspect, and blazes a gunpowder trail that leads straight to the heart of the police department itself.

Mason buys the diary of a drowned woman at an auction, and after a murder he finds himself confronted by a hypnotized gorilla.

Perry Mason had no hesitation in defending Albert Brogan, a broke ex-salesman against a charge of robbery. He’s counting on the testimony of the nightclub hostess Martha Lavina to clear him. She had most of the requirements for a good professional hostess, and one was an innocent face. That, plus various other attractions, made her a formidable challenge as she faced Perry Mason on the witness stand. She was also deadly clever and she held the jury spellbound. When Mason sprang his bombshell they stayed that way, for the hoped-for explosion was a dud. That was just the beginning of a smashing, freewheeling attack with no holds barred on either side. Then another hostess, his key witness, fled. Failure to find the missing witness in forty-eight hours could cost an innocent man his liberty and his life, when the prosecution serves up a shocking new charge of murder. But the high-tailing hostess has a host of her own secrets, and a cast of shady characters from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. She seems determined to keep them and herself hidden. It all leads Perry Mason down the trail of an amazing crime that might have gone undetected.

Beautiful Sylvia Bain Atwood is overseeing her ailing father's estate while her sister serves as his caregiver. But their father's fortune has shadowy roots--and now one of his creditors is blackmailing the family.

Perry Mason novelette «The Case of the Irate Witness» (published in 1953), with three other short stories.

Aspiring actress Stephane Olger just wants to be in pictures. But she may end up in mug shots instead when she gets herself caught up in a crime. Shortly after quitting her job and moving to Hollywood, she is picked up by a well-dressed man while hitchhiking. The man loses control of the car and they end up in a horrible accident. Both Stephane and the driver escape unscathed but the strange man flees the scene leaving Stephane to face a charge of manslaughter. Stephane’s rich uncle hires Perry Mason to defend her and he and the private detective, Paul Drake, immediately start gathering evidence. It turns out that the car, of course, was stolen, and belongs to a Hollywood producer who has been in contact with the mystery man who is from San Francisco. A woman has been promised a job by him, but is given one by Perry Mason instead. She, too, disappears, and in another room of the hotel her luggage is found with a man who has been shot. In the courtroom Perry Mason discovers many other facts, but in the meantime the film producer’s chauffeur is murdered, making his task much harder.

The two ladies in Perry Mason's office were a cat-and-mouse combination. And at first glance, little Mrs. Davenport seemed to be the mouse. But her husband insisted that she was trying to kill him... that she had already murdered one person and would undoubtedly strike again. Question: Was Myra Davenport the timid little soul she appeared to be on the surface? Or was she, in fact a cold-blooded murderess?

Evelyn Bagby said she was innocent, but she had been seen stealing from the suitcase, the missing diamond necklace was found in her room, she had the best of motives for killing the two-timing actor, the victim's head was covered by a pillow slip taken from her bed, and the murder weapon was in her possession.

The naked and the very dead… The blonde wandering nude at the Remuda Gold Club tells Perry Mason a strange story. She says that while she peacefully sun-bathed near the course, someone made off with her Cadillac, her trailer, and all of her belongings–including her precious diary. The woman blames the police who suspect her of having stashed away nearly half a million dollars allegedly stolen by her father, who is now in prison. She swears that both she and her father are innocent. So who is bankrolling her leisurely lifestyle? Why is she so desperate to find her diary? And who, if not Mason’s beautiful client, would murder a key witness? In a virtuoso courtroom performance, Mason exposes the staggering truth.

Eleanor Corbin has a taste for trouble. Now her half-sister, Olga, fears Eleanor may be using her scandalous antics to disguise more larcenous acts. Enter Perry Mason, retained by Olga to keep the press at bay while discovering from Eleanor the sordid details of her last escapade.