Note: We true fans of the Perry Mason novels have always known Lt. Tragg as the honest cop who plays fair with Mason, while Sgt. Holcomb and D.A. Hamilton Burger are charter members of the “Burn Mason’s Briefs” club. In the case of this 1952 novel Tragg is never more likable and we even feel a pang of sympathy for him. He’s working overtime in a finale where he shows grit and attitude.
The Case of the Moth-Eaten Mink – Erle Stanley Gardner
More than a few Perry Mason mysteries kick off in restaurants. Mason and his confidential assistant, Della Street, are relaxing after a long day when trouble breaks up a quiet dinner.
Waitress Dixie Dayton vanishes mid-shift, leaving behind a paycheck and a shabby mink coat. Soon, someone tries to run her down, then another villain takes a shot at her. She lands in the hospital, only to disappear again.
Her jittery boss, Morris Alburg, hires Mason to find out why Dixie bolted. Mason inspects the mink and discovers a pawn ticket from a Seattle shop. The police learn Dixie pawned a diamond ring and, more ominously for her, a gun. Ballistics tie the weapon to the killing of a police officer. Dixie’s boyfriend, Thomas E. Sedgwick, becomes suspect number one. Unusually for a Mason novel, the body count rises: Dixie and Moe are linked to the murder of George Fayette, a hardcase with plenty of enemies. Mason, of course, takes Tom and Dixie on as clients.
This case brims with oddities. Two lipstick messages scrawled in a seedy hotel room. Mason serving as both defense counsel and prosecution witness. A Paul Drake operative with a shady streak. Two witnesses boasting exceptional memory skills. The solution withheld until the last page. Dixie Dayton revealed as an alias - her real name never disclosed, a mystery forever.
Gardner’s formula is unmistakable: rapid tempo,
dialogue-driven scenes, and faith that forensic science will overcome police
blunders born of corner-cutting and mental shortcuts. Readers craving lush
descriptions or deep character studies should look elsewhere. Gardner’s style
was narrow, but within those limits, he was inventive at plotting and superb at setting a pace.
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