Perry Mason takes on a real pip of a client. Steffanie Malden shows up at Mason's office with a strange story. Her husband has not been dead twenty-four hour and she is looking for Mason's help to settle the estate fast. Supposedly the tax men are looking at her husband in regards to $100,000 that he has stashed in cash. Monies he skimmed from cash payments received from his patients. She wants Mason to find the monies, hide it till the dust clears and then split it with her. He doesn't realize it is the real plan until she has rushed out of his office.

Something about the whole case makes him decide to see it through...except for the hiding of the monies. He won't go that far. What he does find is a private plane crash with a dead body burnt beyond recognition. There is a question if dental records can even help in the identity/confirmation of who it is. Also where did the money go, if it really existed. Also what part did Dr. Malden's nurse play in the whole thing and where has she disappeared to.

It seemed that the main focus was in the court room during the preliminary hearing for show why Steffanie Malden should be charged and tried for murder. This happened twice! Mason used technicalities to negate the charges, causing Burger, the D.A., to become frustrated and out to get Mason dis-barred. Sometimes I had to re-read parts to understand or follow the logic. This was one of the drier reads from Gardner's series. Still I do enjoy Perry Mason. ( )

This is my token book by a white guy for the year. Picked this up from the returns bin at work while on a restbreak from my keyboard, kept reading to distract myself from being stuck on the story I'm writing.

It's nicely convoluted while being an easy read. Della Street gets a reasonable amount to do though of course Perry Mason's the star of the show and monologues from time to time to remind us of the fact.

Charmingly, sigh, the Gordian knot of the mystery is cut by the simple expedient of having it be the shifty Latino who did it. ( )