This Perry mason is distinctly, and frequently unpleasantly, unlike the TV one. Read anyway. ( )

Written in 1933, this first novel of the Perry Mason series is a wonderfully fun read/listen. ( )

Perry Mason & the Treacherous Client
Review of the Della Street Press Kindle eBook (September 17, 2011) of the William Morrow & Company hardcover original (1933)

“People that come to me don’t come to me because they like the looks of my eyes, or the way my office is furnished, or because they’ve known me at a club. They come to me because they need me. They come to me because they want to hire me for what I can do.”
She looked up at him then. “Just what is it that you do, Mr. Mason?” she asked.
He snapped out two words at her. “I fight!”
She nodded vigorously. “That’s exactly what I want you to do for me.”

I recently enjoyed The Case of the Baited Hook (Perry Mason #16, 1940) from a Kindle Deal of the Day and realized that I had never previously read the classic lawyer-detective series. I now went back to the very first book to see how the origin story was told. It turned out that The Case of the Velvet Claws wasn't an origin story at all as Perry Mason is already running a law practice with Della Street as his secretary and the Paul Drake Detective Agency as his go-to investigators.

Mason takes on the case of Eva Griffin which begins as an effort to avoid blackmail from a scandal sheet. Della Street takes an immediate dislike to the client and warns Mason off, but Mason perseveres regardless. Street's instinct proves correct as when a murder occurs further into the story, Griffin threatens to report that Mason himself may have been the killer. Despite the treachery of the client, Mason still works to solve the case and save her from a murder accusation and conviction.

On the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® this was a fairly easy solve, a 2 out of 10, as the most likely culprit proves to be the villain in the end. That was after all the confusion of the client's apparent involvement had been explained away by Mason.

I'll probably still pick up a few further Perry Masons when I'm looking for a read in a light hard-boiled vein. Gardner is definitely reliable for that. None of the writing approaches the poetic metaphors of Raymond Chandler though, so it isn't quite top drawer.

See dust cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/The_Case_of_the_Velvet_Claws.jpg
The spine and front cover of the original 1933 William Morrow & Company hardcover. Image sourced from Wikipedia by Facsimile Dustjackets LLC — William Morrow & Co. first edition, Fair use, Link.

Soundtrack
The Opening and Closing Themes for the original Perry Mason TV series were composed by Fred Steiner and you can hear them at this YouTube clip. The composition was actually called Park Avenue Beat and you can read about it further at Wikipedia.

Trivia and Links
Make a note about the website of Facsimile Dust Jackets LLC in case you ever have an older plain volume in your home library which you'd like to display on your shelves with the equivalent of its original dust jacket. I've used them in the past so can definitely recommend the high quality of their work. The price is relatively high considering it is only the dust cover and not the book itself, but in the case of a well-loved older volume you likely won't begrudge the price.

The Case of the Velvet Claws was adapted as a movie in 1936 which starred Warren William in his 4th and final appearance as the lawyer/detective. The major change from the novel is that Perry Mason is married to his secretary Della Street. You can see a trailer for the film on YouTube here.

The Case of the Velvet Claws was adapted for television in the original Perry Mason TV series (1957-1966) which starred Raymond Burr as the lawyer/detective. The adaptation was broadcast as Season 6 Episode 22 in 1963. ( )

I decided to read this book because of the new series. I am glad I did but I probably won’t read anymore. Perry Mason is a dick. I mean a really big one. It clashes so greatly from my memories of the tv series I couldn’t get past it. More like 2.5 stars for me. ( )

4,0 ( )