Case of the Cautious Coquette

The `Foreword' dedicates this book to parole boards, the perennial underdog in the field of public relations. When a prisoner is released on parole he has to follow rules: reporting to a parole officer, remaining gainfully employed, etc. If he serves his full sentence there is no control over his activities. Failures are publicized, successes are not. Yet increasing inmates without facilities means no space for new inmates. Parole is the reward for any prisoner who shows signs of rehabilitation. Perry Mason is a lawyer for plaintiffs in a hit-and-run accident case. They post an advertisement for any witness who can identify the speeding black sedan. Perry receives an anonymous typed letter with an address and a key; this letter tells where to look for a description of the license plate. It appears to be a trap. Perry goes to this address, knocks on Lucille Barton's door, and is received by a young woman who disavows all knowledge of the accident. She has been recently with a large alimony, and wants a lawyer who can figure out how she can keep this alimony when she remarries. Perry notes that her stationary and typewriter match the anonymous letter. Later, Perry returns to find a license number in the notebook, and a .38 revolver. He notes the serial number, then traces the license number. Perry then goes to visit the owner of that car, a big black sedan which has recent repairs and repainting. The owner, Stephen Argyle, said his car was stolen earlier that day, but quickly found by the police just about the time he reported it! Now Perry has enough to start his investigation, but Paul Drake must work fast (Chapter 6). Carlotta Boone was in to pick up the reward money, but she had a different story and license number! Could this be a red herring? Perry and Della find the black Packard sedan which has been in a recent accident. The owner confesses to the hit-and-run, then writes out a large check for the injured youth (Chapter 7). Could there be two guilty parties to the same crime? Perry goes back to question the first source, Lucille Barton. He finds a connection to Stephen Argyle via Lucille's first husband. Perry asks Lucille to leave with him, then they find the body of Hartwell Pitkin, Stephen Argyle's chauffeur and her first husband, shot dead in her garage! Perry tells Lucille to call the police, but she doesn't do it until later. Chapter 12 explains why an accident victim should never sign anything without first checking with their lawyer. When Perry does not get a call from the police, he drives by Lucille's place, and discovers Lucille's double-cross (Chapter 14). Did she outsmart Perry Mason? Did Perry make a mistaken assumption (Chapter 15)? Paul Drake reports about his investigation, and that the police figured out the shooting was a murder. They traced the gun even after serial numbers were ground off. Is Perry Mason involved over his head? Can he save his client as well as himself? This story has the early version of Perry Mas

34th Perry Mason Mystery written in 1949. Openings of Mason Mysteries are always strange, and this book's opening may be one of the strangest. Mason investigates a hit-and-run case. An anonymous letter comes to him, which encloses a key of an apartment and invites him to trespass. Mason feels it a trap, but he visits the apartment. And incidents happen after that are so rapid, strange and unexpected. Even Mason gets a little dizzy and incautious, and he makes a serious mistake and gets into a jam worse than ever.But Mason wouldn't waste time to being depressed. He instantly takes a bold and clever action to upset the triumphant authorities. That IS Perry Mason! That makes me laugh and applaud heartily. And the mystery is very tightly plotted. It is superb all strange incidents in the early stage are solved neatly and logically like jigsaw puzzle pieces fit in. Highly recommended.

In this case, Perry Mason starts out looking for a witness to a hit-and-run car accident, meets a divorcee who tries to hire him in an alimony suit, eventually unearths two men who admit to being the driver of the car that hit and ran. Then he comes across a body, obviously murdered, lying in the divorcees garage and things start to get really interesting.Mason has to set up a couple of brilliant deceptions to avoid being implicated in the murder when it looks as though the evidence is beginning to stack up against him - evidence such as his fingerprint on the murder weapon and an eyewitness who saw him at the garage around the time of the murder. Once again, the courtroom scenes are very entertaining as Perry Mason weaves his usual magic, trying to prove himself innocent as well as his client.