The Case of the Lonely Heiress

The Case of the Lonely Heiress Perry Mason gets a visit from Robert Caddo, the publisher of "Lonely Lovers Publications". Caddo has run an ad from an heiress. The authorities suspect some sort of fraud and are investigating. But since the advertisers are anonymous, Caddo wants Perry Mason to verify this item. Caddo explains the market for this publication, and how it works (Chapter 1). Perry explains how his letters will try for a response from than anonymous heiress. Perry wonders if that ad is part of a scheme (Chapter 2). One letter draws a reply, and Perry will have detectives who can spot and follow "MM" (Chapter 3). In Chapter 4 Perry and Della visit Union Depot to watch the meeting. The next morning Perry reports the facts to Caddo. Later that day Perry gets a report from the young detective who met "MM"; was there a trick? An errand brings Perry and Della back to Union Depot, and they see familiar faces (Chapter 6). Later Marilyn Marlow visits Perry to ask for help with the problem about a will. She explains the purpose of her ad (Chapter 7). In Chapter 8 Perry gets a visit from Mrs. Dolores Caddo, who is upset by her husband's involvement with "MM"; she's not so dumb even if she is a big blonde. Perry tries to calm her and fails, so he calls Marilyn Marlow to warn her. After this Bob Caddo shows up. [This is one funny scene!] Marilyn Marlow calls with terrible news: Rose Keeling has been murdered! Rose's prior testimony will stand. Perry and Della arrive, question Marilyn, and Perry decides to take a chance with his client (Chapter 9). Lt. Tragg arrives, and holds Perry and Della for a while [another funny scene]. When they are released they try to visit the other witness, Ethel Furlong. But Perry is fooled by appearances (Chapter 11). In Chapter 12 Perry meets the Endicott family: Ralph, Palmer, and Lorraine. [The new ballpoint pen is mentioned here.] The Endicotts will benefit if George Endicott's will is broken. Ralph had seen Rose Keeling a few hours before her murder. Next Marilyn Marlow is intensively questioned and she blurts out some facts to Sergeant Holcomb. Next Lt. Tragg takes her to his office. It is an example of a police interrogation using `bad cop, good cop' (Chapter 13). Perry sums up the known facts in Chapter 14. When Perry visits Mr. & Mrs. Caddo he learns that Dolores Caddo met Rose Keeling after 11 am. But Mr. & Mrs. Caddo deny everything to Lt. Tragg. Did they outsmart Perry (Chapter 15)? No one seems to have a motive for Rose Keeling's murder except Perry's client (Chapter 16). Perry and Della return to take another look at Rose Keeling's apartment. Della tells the difference between packing and unpacking. But they get a big surprise when they leave (Chapter 17). The Preliminary Hearing starts in Chapter 18. A bloody knife was found hidden in Marilyn's car, wiped clean of any fingerprints. On their return Perry and Della see Robert Caddo with the Endicott brothers (Chapter 19). The cross-examination of Lt

A young woman (Marilyn Marlow) slated to inherit a substantial amount of money from an elderly man (George Endicott) who was not a relative, placed an anonymous ad in a magazine for lonely hearts. The publisher of the magazine (Robert Caddo) then consults Perry Mason when he faces a legal challenge to prove that the ad is genuine. Even though Mason dislikes Caddo at first sight, he assists him and it proves easy to identify who placed the ad. That is nothing more than a lead in as a friend of Marilyn's (Rose Kelling) is murdered. Rose was one of the witnesses when George Endicott signed the will that made Marilyn the primary beneficiary. The remaining Endicotts are contesting the will and Rose has been spouting two different stories as to whether she actually witnessed George's signing of the will. Marilyn is the primary suspect to Rose's murder and of course Perry Mason, Della Street and Paul Drake are all in the middle of the action. There is also a secondary suspect, Dolores Caddo, the wife of Robert. She regularly throws violent fits with women she thinks her husband is involved with. Since Dolores found the names of Marilyn Marlow and Rose Kelling in Robert's book, she planned on visiting them both and making the biggest possible scene. She was very outspoken about this, but when Mason confronts her about it after the murder, she lies and says she never met Rose, much less generated a violent confrontation. Since Robert also appears to be involved in an attempt to attract Marilyn, and does not hesitate to support his wife's lie, there is no shortage of prime suspects. As is the case in the best Mason stories, the guilty party is not the primary suspect, but you were given some clues along the way as to the identity of the murderer. The large number of suspects makes this a very interesting story, I stopped right before the end, tallied the clues and reached a conclusion that identified the guilty party. I was completely wrong in my selection. In my opinion, this is conclusive evidence of a book worth reading.

Perry Mason mysteries are always dependably interesting and fast moving, and "The Case of the Lonely Heiress" is no exception. As per usual, Perry is defending a client who has been framed, and Perry engages in a few unorthodox practices to protect his client. The client anticipates inheriting wealth from her mother who had nursed a sick man. The man wrote a will to her, leaving the bulk of his fortune. Needless to say, his family did not appreciate the bequest, and one of the witnesses to the will is considering changing her testimony to the effect she did not witness the signing. Murder enters within the confines of this thick plot.It is not easy to figure out "who done it," but Perry, assisted by Della Street and with minimal help from Paul Drake, manages to frustrate Lieu. Tragg once again. You can't go wrong with any Perry Mason mystery, but this one had an extra touch of human interest.