The Case of the Stepdaughter's Secret

The 'Foreword' is dedicated to James Davis, the District Attorney of Siskiyou County who refused to prosecute two men on a murder charge. This meant the end of his career, and a special prosecutor who found them guilty. Later the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. When a group investigated the facts, the defendants were released on parole. But James Davis had died before this vindication. Perry Mason and Della Street await a visit from Harlow Bissinger Bancroft, a wealthy industrialist. He has a secret past that could embarass him, and has a letter from a blackmailer. Perry offers advice, and a plan to foil the blackmailers (Chapter 1). Paul Drake and his operatives will effect Perry's plan for the money. This plan works, but there is a glitch. Then more complications arise. Bancroft's step-daughter Rosena Andrews also has a secret that she wants kept hidden. That person has a connection to a blackmailer. A blackmailer meets Mrs. Bancroft on their yacht, a gun is fired, a body goes into the water. Now Perry has a difficult case on his hands. This story has advice on handling blackmail that is still valid (Chapter 14). The police find the missing yacht, and the body. The Bancrofts keep their lips zipped until their attorney is present. The rest of the book explains how Perry deals with the red-hot potato dropped on his plate. It has the fast-paced twists and surprises expected in a Perry Mason case. It also tells of the hidden flaws in the lives of the rich. The surprise ending follows the convention that a guilty person was known for doing wrong earlier. The question here is which one. This story has examples of the unreliability of an eye-witness when the testimony can't be corroborated. Or how undiscovered evidence can alter assumptions. This story, and other events was followed by a more thorough search of crime scenes.