The Kalends of Perry Mason 73

Notes: In the ancient Roman calendar, the Kalends, Nones, and Ides were three special days that marked the beginning, middle, and end of a month's counting period. In hat tip to those Stoic Romans in late antiquity, on the first, fifth or seventh, and the fifteen of every month, we will run an article about Erle Stanley Gardner's various contributions to the mystery genre. Running pieces more often because many articles are in the can and it's not like I'm exempt from the universal experience of humankind.

The Case of the Black-eyed Blonde – Erle Stanley Gardner

“The lawyer is like a doctor,” says criminal lawyer Perry Mason to Della Street to open this 1944 mystery, “only for justice.”

Perry Mason sees a parade of iffy clients in his office - but Diana Regis is probably one of the iffiest. She arrives in Mason’s office clad only in a fur coat and a dressing gown, besides the shiner of the title. It turns out that she had been pressured into a date with her employer’s stepson. Not playing the game "put out or walk home" when she refused the stepson’s advances, in the tradition of many players at the time, he tossed her out of the car, forcing her to hike home. Meeting again at the house (she’d been living with her employer’s family), he smacked her when she called him out. On top of this abuse, he colluded with his mother to accuse Diana of theft.

Seeing herself in a vulnerable position, she hoofs it over to the office of Perry Mason. The casual brutality bothers Perry and Della. In court, Perry’s deft questioning shows the stepson to be a lieclops. Everything is quickly resolved – the alleged theft can be explained. Diana Regis receives handsome compensation.

And when - seemingly – the door can be shut on a nasty incident, the plot gets thicker. And poor Diana ends up in in the dock.

This is a good detective story. The twists are intricate, the action doesn’t let you to break away for dinner, and the dueling between the operators of the criminal justice mincing machine and Perry, Della Street and PI Paul Drake is played for high stakes.