Tiếng chó tru trong đêm

Perry Mason #4

by Erle Stanley Gardner, Trần Nguyên (Translator)

Authur Cartright đến văn phòng thám tử của Pery Mason phàn nàn về việc con chó bên nhà hàng xóm luôn tru vào lúc nửa đêm. Nhưng khi đến gặp chủ của con chó, ông Clinton Foley, thì Mason nhận được câu trả lời bất ngờ rằng, con chó ở nhà không hề tru một tiếng nào. Ngược lại, ông Foley nghi ngờ Cartright cố tình gây thù oán cá nhân với ông.

Trong lúc thám tử Mason đang bị đặt vào thế khó khi không biết nên tin ai thì Cartright lập di chúc để lại mọi thứ cho vợ của người hàng xóm của mình. Thế nhưng, khi đến nhà Foley, thám tử Mason phát hiện ra bà Foley đã mất tích, chỉ còn lại một con chó bị đầu độc cùng một xác chết trong nhà.

Vụ án tiếp tục với hàng loạt những tình tiết bất ngờ, lỳ kì, rùng rợn… Liệu với tài trí của Mason, sự thật có được làm sáng tỏ?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Audiobook

296 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1934

About the author

Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories who also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J. Kenny, Les Tillray, and Robert Parr.

Innovative and restless in his nature, he was bored by the routine of legal practice, the only part of which he enjoyed was trial work and the development of trial strategy. In his spare time, he began to write for pulp magazines, which also fostered the early careers of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. He created many different series characters for the pulps, including the ingenious Lester Leith, a "gentleman thief" in the tradition of Raffles, and Ken Corning, a crusading lawyer who was the archetype of his most successful creation, the fictional lawyer and crime-solver Perry Mason, about whom he wrote more than eighty novels. With the success of Perry Mason, he gradually reduced his contributions to the pulp magazines, eventually withdrawing from the medium entirely, except for non-fiction articles on travel, Western history, and forensic science.

See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erle_Sta...

Reviews

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We’re a dramatic people,” Perry Mason said slowly. “We’re not like the English. The English want dignity and order. We want the dramatic and the spectacular. It’s a national craving. We’re geared to a rapid rate of thought. We want to have things move in a spectacular manner.”

4.5 Stars

A little confusing at times, or else it would be in 5 star territory.

I read on a forum the other day that the early books are strong with Perry Mason doing a lot of investigating and even crossing into the illegal territory but that the author calms down later - what a shame to hear as I love the way the early books are set up. Plenty of investigation, and the book closes with extensive and detailed court drama. Perry discusses a surprisingly layered, intelligent lecture on human psychology with juries and audiences in a realistic way with a young law clerk - intriguing stuff.

I read on the author's life a bit online and would be curious to know more about him. It's clear these cases are inspired from experience more than only thoughts on these matters. He was a lawyer who got a bit bored with the legalities other than trials, which fits Mason a bit as well since he likes the daring and twisted cases.

He is always shown to be protective of his clients, but the opening was especially - shall I say sweet? - with his worry about a first-time client being mentally ill and needing extra help. The clients don't stay the same necessarily as the game changes the more players are added and more twists that pop up.

We get a nod back to the book as Della tells him she's learned her lesson to trust him ultimately and that she will never doubt him again, but the same can't be said for Paul Drake who keeps telling him he's crossing too many lines - legally and questionably, in regards to not only the law but the media - and his young lawyer in training who's fascinated by Perry but uncertain that the case is falling sour.

I don't fully get everything, unfortunately, but it was still twisted good and my favorite so far. The audiobook if this is highly recommended.



The story gets much more complicated than I pictured, twists and turns I didn't guess, with a grand finale of a court ending. Full review to come.

[H (no longer expecting notifications) Balikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perry Mason has never met Arthur Cartright before the haggard fellow’s stint in Mason’s visitor’s chair. Cartright says that Mason is just the attorney to help him out with two projects: making a will; and, finding a way to stop a nasty neighbor’s dog from howling all night long. Mason isn’t sure he’s the right guy for Cartright but this story is set in L.A. during The Great Depression and Cartright puts $300 on the table as a retainer. As expected, things go downhill from there.

This is an early and very interesting volume in the Perry Mason series. Mason seems in his early to mid-30s and Della Street is noted to be 27 years old. Mason seems knowledgeable about all areas of a legal practice from commercial and mining to wills, contracts and estate planning. He says that he loves “excitement” and that means trial work. Della cautions him that this search for “exciting cases” is what worries her.

Perry: “I don’t like routine. I want excitement. I want to work on matters of life and death, where minutes count. I want the bizarre and the unusual.” She looked at him with eyes that held a tender solicitude. “You take too many chances, Chief,” she protested. “Your love of excitement is going to get you into trouble some day.” And that’s the underlying theme of this story as Mason seems to believe that the result can justify almost anything used to achieve it.

Plenty of questions for Perry to work through:
Who is the mysterious “woman next door?”
Is she the beneficiary of Cartright’s will?
What is her relationship to the howling dog?
Is there actually a howling dog?

The characters are interesting, and Gardner has a plot with exciting twists and turns. We know that Perry will find that one element that justice turns upon, but it is almost impossible for the reader to anticipate the resolution. There is a bit of a “cringe factor” with some of the cultural tropes but that is to be expected in something almost 100 years old. This Perry Mason is more action than the calculating Perry Mason we know from later works and dramatic interpretations. The teamwork of Mason, Street and Drake isn’t quite in place, yet.

Very enjoyable!
3.5*
Caution: What was said about TBS (The Big Sleep, below) could be said about this novel -
"TBS was written at a time in American history when open racial and ethnic bias was acceptable. Slurs occur throughout Chandler’s work, as throughout the pulps, denigrating the various ethnic groups populating urban areas at the time (specifically, in Chandler’s LA, Mexican-, Chinese-, African-, Japanese-, Filipino-, and Native Americans). It is certain that Chandler was, in part, capturing the vernacular of the period: in order to be realistic, his characters needed to use the vocabulary that was spoken at the time."

[James Thane · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 1934, The Case of the Howling Dog was the fourth entry in Erle Stanley Gardner's long-running series featuring Perry Mason.

At this point, Gardner was still in the process of establishing the formula that he would adhere to once the series hit its stride. Lieutenant Tragg, the intelligent and sympathetic homicide detective, and Hamilton Burger, the D.A. who would become Mason's principal adversary had not yet been introduced. The police department is still represented by the oafish Sergeant Holcomb, who wouldn't recognize a clue if it bit him in the backside. The D.A.'s office is represented by an assistant D.A., Claude Drumm who immediately falls into every trap that Mason so cleverly baits for him.

Della Street, the faithful and adoring secretary, Paul Drake, the reliable detective, and Perry Mason himself are still evolving into the characters they would ultimately become. Mason is a bit rougher around the edges than the suave attorney that most crime fiction readers would recognize, and at this stage of the game he's much more willing to severely bend, if not actually break the law in the interest of serving what he sees as the greater good.

As is often the case in this series, the plot becomes almost hopelessly convoluted: A man comes to see Mason about his neighbor's howling dog and about writing a will. Complications ensue.

Suffice it to say that there will be a murder. Inevitably, Mason's client will be the prime suspect, and inevitably the case against the client will appear to be open and shut. As always, the D. A.'s office will be salivating at the chance to finally beat Mason after suffering so many ignominious defeats at his hands. And of course, as always Perry will pull the rabbit out of the hat and save the day at the very end.

Obviously, this story is a bit dated and is clearly a product of its times, but it's still a fun read and an opportunity to see Perry Mason and these other characters in their formative stages.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a stack of books/audiobooks on my desk all in the 800 plus pages/40 plus hours range. Before I started reading/listening I was looking for something a bit different to end the year with. I came across this radio dramatization of a Perry Mason Radio Show. I remember listening to Perry Mason on the radio when I was young. I thought this might be just the change I was seeking.

Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970) was an attorney. He passed the Bar in 1911. He practiced in Southern California for many years. He had a large Chinese clientele and he spoke fluent Chinese. Using information from his practice, he wrote magazine stories for pulp magazines in the 1920s and 30s. He primarily wrote mysteries and westerns. When the pulps declined he went on to write novels. He wrote about 150 Perry Mason novels.

This story was made into a movie in 1934. It starred Warren Williams and Mary Aster. Williams played Mason in four movies. In this story, Perry writes a Will for Arthur Cartwright. Arthur believed a howling dog in his neighborhood indicated that someone had been murdered. Cartwright’s next-door neighbor is found murdered and Cartwright is missing.

I sort of wished that this was a replay of the original radio show rather than a dramatization by the Colonial Radio Players. But I guess sound quality would be much better in the dramatization. It was great to listen to many people playing parts rather than a single narrator reading the story. This book does make for a nice change of pace. This brought back memories of listening to plays and programs on the radio.

I downloaded this audiobook from Audible. The book is one hour and eighteen minutes long. The performers were Jerry Robbins and the Colonial Radio Players.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first time reading a Perry Mason novel. Nothing very surprising here, except perhaps the extent to which Mason is prepared to "skate on thin ice" by employing sketchy tactics to manipulate circumstances and witnesses to his client's benefit. Not technically illegal, but not entirely ethical either.

"'You', said Della Street staring at him, 'are a cross between a saint and a devil.' 'All men are' said Perry Mason, unperturbed."

[James Hold · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perry Mason stood with his legs wide apart, his shoulders squared, his jaw thrust forward.

Not a bad description, but did ESG have to repeat it in every chapter?

Repetition is what ESG excels at. Mason breaks the case down for us every other chapter. Perhaps he thinks we'll forget the plot. He also delivers the same lecture on the job of a lawyer to every new face that comes along. It's overkill.

He also spends an inordinate amount of time drumming his fingers on the table, another thing ESG mentions every chapter.

297 pages that could have been trimmed to 150.

[Jack Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars. Here are the last three lines of this mid 1930s, part-detective, part-courtroom drama. Don't worry, I'm not giving it away: "You," said Della Street, staring at him, "are a cross between a saint and a devil." "All men are," said Perry Mason, unperturbed." I won't venture a comment on Mason's opinion, but Della's observation on how her boss practices law is astute. One more quote. The resourceful Paul Drake is head of a detective agency in Mason's building - often employed for the tricky work. The two are discussing developments in the case of Perry's client, Arthur Cartright, who is trying to get back with his wife now living with Clinton Foley. Mason says to Drake, "Were you going to tell me how to practice law?" "I might tell you," said Paul Drake," how to keep out of jail. I don't know law, but I know thin ice when I see it." Thin ice? Too late. It has melted under Mason and he now needs flippers rather than skates! He appears to contravene legal ethics several times. Back to the case. Foley soon turns up dead, and the future looks bleak for Mason's client. That's when I began to understand his very original defence tactics. Exciting. (Ja2023/Fe2024)

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Case of the Howling Dog by Erle Stanley Gardner is the 4th book in the Perry Mason Mystery series. Perry Mason is hired by a man being kept awake by a howling dog but soon finds that his client goes missing and the owner of the dog is found shot dead and Perry Mason finds himself in the middle of a murder case once again. A typical Perry Mason with plenty of twists and dubious antics. Fast paced and very entertaining.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gardner’s “The Case of the Howling Dog,” fourth in his line of Perry Mason novels, first published in 1934, and made into a major motion picture starring Warren William and Mary Astor, is one of the wildest of these novels and paints a picture of attorneys as connivers and tricksters, or at least Perry Mason as such. It all begins with a client (Arthur Cartwright) who solicits Mason’s help when a neighbor (Clinton Foley) has a dog that won’t stop howling. Cartwright wants his neighbor (Foley) arrested “On the grounds that he is driving me crazy. A man can’t keep a dog like that. It’s part of a plan of persecution. He knows how I feel about that dog. He’s got that dog, and he’s taught it to howl.”

Cartwright also asks Mason questions about a will and says he is intending to leave his worldly possessions to Mrs. Clinton Foley. Cartwright also inquires about what would happen if Mrs. Clinton Foley was only posing as Mrs. Clinton Foley.

Mason tells his secretary Della Street that he is not sure if Cartwright is “cuckoo,” but phones ahead to the DA’s office for the possibility of having Cartwright medically examined.

Mason, in bits and pieces throughout this novel, offers his philosophy on life and law practice, quipping to Della, “I don’t like routine. I want to work on matters of life and death, where minutes count. I want the bizarre and the unusual.” That’s certainly what he gets in this case as he gets an overnight letter with ten thousand in cash as a retainer from Cartwright who says he wants Mason to represent the beneficiary of the will and fight for her interests. The will left everything to “Mrs. Clinton Foley, said Clinton Foley residing at [the address].”

When Mason goes to visit Foley, he finds (and Foley finds) that his wife has left him and run off with the neighbor (Cartwright). Foley assumes that Cartwright created the whole hullabaloo about the howling dog to steal Foley’s wife away when Foley went to the DA to sort it all out.

Mason thinks the whole thing is fishy and wonders if Cartwright and Foley knew each other in the past. Little did he know that they were all neighbors in Santa Barbara and one man absconded with the other man’s wife. It all makes for some bizarre shell game until Mason walks into one of the houses and finds a dead dog and a dead man and the fun and games are suddenly over because Mason has to suddenly start acting like a lawyer and protect his client’s interests.

Mason deals some double-handed poker to the DA and the media in advance of trial, setting up several unlikely situations to prove certain points about eyewitness certainty and about what really happened. He is skating on thin ice, as Della points out, and he may have not broken any laws, but ethically he is cutting out damn close, too close for comfort.

The novel concludes with a trial, Perry Mason-style. Along the way, Mason educates the rubes by explaining that whenever a person can show an ironclad alibi, it’s usually a sign they’ve taken a great deal of care to perfect an alibi. And, he tells us that you should not ever fool yourself that the facts don’t fit. “They’re just like jigsaw puzzles – when you get them right, they’re all going to fit together.” Also interesting is how Mason describes his opponent, DA Claude Drumm, as someone who “is a logical fighter; a dangerous, dogged adversary, but he has no subtlety about him. He has no sense of relative values. He isn’t intuitive. He can’t ‘feel’ the mental state of the jury.” Mason, thus, admires his opponent, but sees him as stuck in a rut, stuck in specific steps, and unable to take the crazy jumps in logic that take Mason to the finish line.

Don’t dare think though that the dog and its perpetual howling are unimportant as they will resurface once more toward the end of the story and be quite critical. Indeed, by the end of the novel, Mason pulls so many rabbits out of his hat that even loyal Della Street tells him that he is “a cross between a saint and a devil,” but Mason responds, “All men are.”

[Gary Sundell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally Perry Mason wraps up the mystery in Court. In the prior 3 books the books do not have the final court resolution. Claude Drumm is the Prosecutor. In the tv series Drumm is a police detective.
One caution there is some objectionable language with respect to an oriental cook.

[Jan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

4th entry for Perry Mason. Gardner spends much of the time explaining what the trial lawyer's job is and isn't. And one phrase is echoed time and again: "I am not the judge and I am not the jury." But he is a lawyer who skates very close to the line.

A man comes in to his office and complains about the howling dog next door. Everyone else says I didn't hear any dog howling. The neighbor with the dog is wealthy and wants to counter-file. Says that Arthur (the first man) is always spying on him with binoculars.

I was up until 3 a.m. finishing this book last night. It was my first time reading this one, I think, although I have seen the episode on the long-running tv show more than once. But the book is different. And I had apparently forgotten a lot of the story. Because I was stunned by the ending although, in retrospect, every clue is there for the attentive reader.

Apparently I wasn't so attentive this time because I only realized what those things meant when I though back in time to what those clues had meant.

Perry refuses to let his client tell him her story.

[Harold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perry finally gets into the courtroom in this one. There were no courtroom scenes in the previous (first)three although the lack of a courtroom didn't prevent Perry from cross examining everyone in site. Perry is still in tough guy mode but he's smoothing out a bit. Della is obviously smitten with her boss and Paul Drake is in character from the first book on.

I loved it! The howling dog fits nicely into the mystery and plays an unexpected part in the final twist, which tidily tops off a good mystery.

[4cats · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what you are going to get with a Perry Mason novel, a crime, an investigation and a trial. They are entertaining, easy to read and of the time. In this story, a man comes to Mason complaining about a howling dog, which in turn leads to murder!

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always fun to see how some of the shows were adapted from the books. Often two book plots could be two different shows.

[Ges · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Cảm_nhận_linh_tinh_nhưng_không_spoil
#Tiếng_chó_tru_trong_đêm
#Erle_Stanley_Gardner
Trước hết, tôi xin phép tạm chưa nói đến “Tiếng chó tru trong đêm”, mà xin nói về nhân vật chính của truyện trước: Luật sư Perry Mason. Bởi vì, nếu có nhân vật trong tiểu thuyết trinh thám nào mà vừa mới được debut đã tạo ra hảo cảm cho độc giả (cụ thể là tôi) thì Perry Mason chính là 1 nhân vật như thế! Tay luật sư láu cá và bản lĩnh này không phải là 1 dạng anh hùng điển hình, không hành động theo lý tưởng công lý tuyệt đối, cũng không tuân theo 1 quy tắc hành xử của 1 anh hùng toàn thiện mà nhiều khi còn đi ngược lại với quy tắc đó cơ. Nhưng 1 hình tượng như thế mới là 1 hình tượng mà theo cá nhân tôi – sẽ dễ khiến độc giả yêu thích hơn!
Perry Mason là 1 luật sư – theo lẽ thường thì là người làm công việc liên quan đến luật pháp, dựa vào luật để kiếm cơm – nhưng bản thân Perry Mason nhiều khi lại hành động không theo khuôn khổ cố định và cứng nhắc của luật pháp. Để bảo vệ thân chủ của mình (điều mà bất cứ luật sư nào cũng phải làm khi nhận lời bào chữa), Mason luôn tự đẩy mình đến lằn ranh giữa việc tuân thủ và vi phạm luật, với việc tự lý giải là miễn không bước qua lằn ranh thì vẫn có thể làm. Thói quen làm việc phiêu lưu và liều lĩnh đó không ít lần khiến cộng sự của Mason toát mồ hôi hột lo lắng cho ông, nhưng ông thì lại hoàn toàn thoải mái và yêu thích điều đó – theo như Mason nói, là vì “mọi người ở xứ sở này đều thích sự kịch tính” – còn theo tôi đó là vì con người Mason là như vậy! Quan điểm của Mason về công lý nó không chính thống mà mang tính cá nhân cao, kiểu như Mason cảm nhận thế nào là đúng thì ông sẽ tìm mọi cách có thể để đi theo con đường đó (thật may là Mason cảm nhận đúng!). Tuy nhiên, thứ công lý mà Mason theo đuổi không đơn thuần chỉ dựa vào cảm tính, vì nếu thế thì rất có thể nhân vật này sẽ bị sa đà vào kẻ thực thi công lý kiểu đạo tặc, “thay trời hành đạo” bất chấp luật pháp – 1 motif quen thuộc đến nhàm chán và cũng khó để có thể khiến độc giả của những nền chính thể pháp trị đồng cảm mãi được hết lần này đến lần khác. Công lý của Mason khác hơn thế - nó là thứ lửng lơ giữa cảm tính và lý tính – ông đủ bản lĩnh để dấn thân vào trò chơi mạo hiểm đánh đu với luật pháp, nhưng cũng đủ tỉnh táo để nhìn nhận ra các mặt đúng/sai của vấn đề qua thông tin thu nhận được, và đủ tinh ranh để đưa ra những phương án hành động sao cho giảm thiểu rủi ro và mang lại kết quả như ý muốn. Và để làm được tất cả những điều trên thì Mason phải có 1 đầu óc thật sự thông minh nhạy bén, ít nhất là thông minh hơn tất thảy những nhân vật khác trong truyện! À, còn thêm 1 điểm khiến cho Mason thực sự là 1 kẻ ranh ma đầy sức hấp dẫn, đó là ông chửi như hát hay, bất cứ khi nào có cơ hội!
Tóm lại, ngoài việc am tường luật pháp (đến độ sẵn sàng chơi đùa với luật như chơi dao), 1 tinh thần bảo vệ hết mình cho thân chủ, cùng với 1 cái miệng giảo hoạt ra thì Perry Mason hoàn toàn khác so với tưởng tượng của tôi về hình ảnh của 1 luật sư chính thống (tất nhiên đây chỉ là cảm nhận chủ quan, vì tôi không phải là luật sư – biết đâu mọi luật sư đều như vậy cả. Và xét cho cùng thì Perry Mason là nhân vật được xây dựng bởi 1 người đã từng là luật sư cơ mà). Con người, tính cách và phương thức hành động của Perry Mason khiến tôi nhớ đến 1 nhân vật khác, đó là “thanh tra Barlach” trong “Thẩm phán và đao phủ” của Friedrich Durrenmatt – họ cùng là những người hành pháp, đều sử dụng những thủ đoạn lọc lõi để thực thi công lý của bản thân – và họ đều là những người có sức hấp dẫn với tôi hơn là những anh hùng chính nghĩa tuyệt đối!
Quay trở lại với “Tiếng chó tru trong đêm”, đây hình như là phần 4 trong series về Perry Mason, không biết có phải là phần hay nhất, đặc sắc nhất không mà được Phúc Minh cho ra mắt đầu tiên để giới thiệu cho độc giả. Nếu quả là như vậy thì tôi sẽ thấy vừa vui vừa buồn, vui vì mình đã được biết đến thêm 1 nhân vật thú vị mà tôi chắc là mình sẽ đọc tiếp các phần tiếp sau (nếu có ra), và buồn vì tôi vốn hi vọng các tập khác cũng sẽ hay như thế, hoặc hay hơn cũng được! Như đã nói thì trí tuệ của Mason khá là out trình so với các đối thủ của ông trong truyện, điều này có thể khiến cho độc giả nhanh chóng ngưỡng mộ ông, nhưng cá nhân tôi vẫn mong muốn có sự cân bằng hơn, khó khăn hơn cho Mason khi ông phải đối đầu với những kẻ cứng cựa ngang sức, để những lời đối đáp, những màn đấu trí thêm căng thẳng và kịch tính (ai chả thích kịch tính!). Riêng phần chửi, tôi hi vọng Mason sẽ tiếp tục chửi hay hơn nữa, ngoa hơn nữa!
Đây thực sự là 1 cuốn truyện hay, và nếu đó là 1 màn thử nghiệm phản ứng của độc giả từ phía Phúc Minh thì tôi mong là phản ứng của độc giả đủ tích cực để Phúc Minh có thể làm tiếp series này – ít nhất là thêm 2, 3 tập nữa để tôi có thể có cái nhìn chính xác hơn về cảm nhận của mình với Perry Mason cũng như series về vị luật sư này của tác giả Erle Stanley Gardner! Đặc biệt recommend cuốn này cho bạn nào học luật hoặc đang làm trong ngành luật – nhất là luật sư nhé!
À quên, truyện này cũng thuộc loại cũ lắm rồi, và nó là minh chứng cho việc các tác phẩm cũ rồi vẫn có thể được khen vì sự độc đáo và xuất sắc của nó – ngay cả trong thời điểm hiện tại!
Chấm điểm: 4,5/5*

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth book in the Perry Mason series, it was made into a film starring Warren William as Mason in 1934.

Decent mystery, but Gardner hadn't fully developed his characters as yet. Della Street and Paul drake doubt him more than once in the novel. He was just beginning to get his reputation as a master criminal lawyer.

Perry is hired by a man to handle his will - and do something about a howling dog at his neighbor's home!

Questioned extensively about preparing wills, the man wanted to leave his estate to the woman living next door as the wife of the man there, not the man's real wife. However, when the will arrives the next day, with ten thousand in cash as a retainer, it's specifically left to the real wife of the man next door. Perry is instructed to look after the wife's affairs.

As Perry begins looking into things, the man, and the woman living next door, disappear. Perry goes for a meeting and finds the man, and his dog, shot to death. he traces down the real wife, one step ahead of the police, and pulls some of his just barely legal moves to cloud the issue as he looks for evidence to clear the wife. She doesn't help by neglecting to mention buying a gun, which turns out to be the murder weapon.

Interesting, if not among the best entries in the series.

[Carol Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, an admission. I never watched the Perry Mason TV series. I know who he was and the general idea of the shows, but this book is my first true meeting with Perry Mason, and I have to say I'm impressed. As a lawyer, he's all for representing his client, even if his actions are sometimes skirting the edge of legal.

The story starts with a client coming to Perry Mason's office to discuss a will and a complaint about a howling dog, but a seemingly simple case leads to murder and it's up to Perry Mason to protect his client.

It's a quick read, mostly dialogue actually, but what descriptions there are well done and to the point. he plot moves quickly and the clues are there, but of course I missed them. We really get a feel for all the characters, what they think is important, where their loyalties lie. Perry Mason really is a great character, it's no wonder he's become part of American culture, more or less. He's brilliant, cynical, tenacious.

[Richa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. This book was a bit boring for me. Mason is a detective through most of it, happily, he does become a lawyer after the half-mark. Secondly, unlike most of the cases, it is unclear till the very end, whether Mason's client was really guilty or innocent. The case was inconclusive as far as I was concerned. It did not satisfy me. It lacked a closure, if I may use that term. Of course, there is no argument that Mason proved his mental agility and gets his client acquited, but the truth was never a part of this case all along. Too much jugglery, too much of managing here. Agreed, it is how real cases are, but one of the attractions of Mason's cases is the integrity and ingenuity that Mason has that saves the innocent against all odds.

[Emmy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apart from the casual racism/sexism (particularly the former) this was a really enjoyable read. It's very fast paced, so just the thing to take with you on a train or a plane: an intriguing set up, a clever mystery solver, and a dramatic denouement. Who could ask for more?

[Lawrence FitzGerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Archaic spelling, casual bigotry, legal shenanigans, a starry-eyed Della Street, and Paul Drake perpetually warning of thin ice. Was Perry's client guilty?

[Minh Hiền · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lâu rồi mới dám đọc trinh thám, nhức nhức cái đâu dưng mà siu thich:)) 4/5 sách chả hiểu gì, 1 loạt hướng đi, 1 đống thứ không liên quan tí gì với nhau, thế mà cuôi cùng ghép lại mà phải ngẫm ngẫm nhiều tí mới hiểu sao mà ghép đc lại hay vậy:))) Dưng mà thích hơn cả là lừa, lừa đền dòng cuối cùng. Tường xong rồi mà vẫn lừa wu waooo Giá thì rẻ, nhip độ nhanh, đọc 1 tối là okela, đúng định nghĩa trình thám-suy luận Chấm 8/10
ok lắm nhá các bảnk

[Lillelara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Thao Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiểu cho 1 góc nhìn mới về nghề luật sư luôn ó. Quá hay, quá đỉnh

[Chê Uôn · Rating 4 out of 5]

MANG NGAY SERIES PERRY MASON ĐẾN ĐÂYYY. MANG NGAY 83 TỰA SÁCH CÒN LẠI TRONG SERIES ĐẾN ĐÂYYYYYY

Review thì ít tào lao thì nhiều vì tui hong biết viết rv sao cho hay, tui mới đọc trinh thám cổ điển được vài cuốn thôi và thấy không hợp lắm ( ví dụ là 10 ng da đen nhỏ với Kẻ sát nhân số nhà 21 ), định là sẽ bỏ hẳn thể loại này nhưng tui quyết định đọc thêm cuốn này xem sao và ẻm không phụ lòng mong đợi của tuii.

Mở đầu là nhân vật chính của chúng ta : Perry Mason nhận được yêu cầu kỳ lạ đến từ một vị khách hàng cũng kỳ lạ nốt - Authur Cartright, anh ta cần tư vấn viết di chúc để lại toàn bộ tài sản cho vợ của người hàng xóm, Cartright còn yêu cầu vị luật sư của mình bắt bỏ tù ông hàng xóm với lý do là con chó của hàng xóm tru hàng đêm khiến anh ta không thể nào ngủ được, Perry Mason còn đương cảm thấy kỳ lạ thì vài hôm sau văn phòng luật sư của ông nhận được một bức thư, thù lao và di chúc đến từ vị thân chủ nọ với nội dung khác hoàn toàn ý định ban đầu của anh ta. Đến lượt ông hàng xóm - Clinton Foley phủ nhận toàn bộ cáo buộc của vị thân chủ nọ : con chó không hề tru, vợ ông bị bệnh nằm liệt giường và tố cáo Cartright là một tên thần kinh, anh ta dùng ống nhòm quan sát nhà Foley khiến ông cảm thấy bất an. Sau đó Perry đã cùng đồng nghiệp của mình đến xem xét nhà Foley và nhận ra nhiều điểm bất ổn rằng con chó đã bị đầu độc, vợ của Foley thì biến mất. Vị luật sư cảm nhận được có điều gì đó đáng ngờ và ông bắt đầu công cuộc đi tìm sự thật.

Điểm tui thích nhất trong quyển này không phải nội dung cũng không phải plot twist mà là nhân vật chính, vị luật sư được biết đến vì đã bào chữa thành công khá nhiều vụ án tội phạm nặng, ông chỉ quan tâm đến quyền lợi của thân chủ mình và đặt nó lên trên hết. Ông có những hành động và chỉ thị khó hiểu vô cùng, chửi cảnh sát ngu :)))) tính cách khá là quái dị, hành động điên rồ, điên tới mức đồng nghiệp nghi ngờ rất nhiều lần về quyết định của ông. Tui thấy tác giả để ông luật sư quá là out trình so với hung thủ, mặc dù có vài đoạn ông không chắc về phán đoán của mình nhưng sau đó ông vượt qua khá là dễ dàng. Quyển này là trinh thám phá án có yếu tố pháp lý nên tâm lý nhân vật không được khắc hoạ rõ nét, xuyên suốt quá trình phá án + xét xử đa số là đối thoại giữa các nhân vật, mỗi chương sẽ có thêm vài tình tiết cũng như twist, plot twist tới trang cuối cùng và với tui thì cái plot twist cuối mới tháo gỡ tất cả, hợp lý hoá các tình tiết trước đó. Ban đầu tui cứ tưởng động cơ gây án là ngoại tình nhưng cái plot twist cuối cùng mới là vấn đề then chốt của vụ án, mặc dù liên tưởng tới việc phát hiện ra cái xác hơi ảo, khiên cưỡng xíu xiu. Quyển này còn nói tới nhiệm vụ và mặt tối của các bên trong 1 vụ án, tui đánh giá là dễ hiểu nha, phân đoạn phiên toà cũng diễn ra khá là kịch tính gay cấn nảy lửa. Ngoài ra thì tui cũng rất thích sự phối hợp siêu ăn ý đến từ ông luật sư, cô trợ lý của ông và Paul Drake- làm việc tại văn phòng thám tử tư.

Tóm lại thì đây là một quyển trinh thám cổ điển pháp lý rất hay, siêu hay nhưng flop 😭 tui cũng hong hiểu tại sao nó flop tới vậy, lướt típ tóp tìm review mà chỉ thấy có 2 chị nói tới nó 🥹 quá buồn. Trước tui có định kiến với trinh thám cổ điển nhưng đọc xong quyển này là tui rút lại liền, siêu rcmmmm mọi người hãy đọc đi để Phúc Minh còn mua thêm mấy tác phẩm còn lại trong series này nữaaa

[Sharon Ouderkirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Perry Mason novel includes a great deal of discussion about the role of the defense attorney in relation to the truth. Mason always skates on thin ice, as Paul Drake tells him, but in this outing, he is in danger of going through the ice. He is dragged into a bizarre case when a half-crazed man insists that Mason help him stop the dog next door from its constant howling. Mason initially refuses the case, but then feels it is necessary to look out for the distraught Arthur Cartwright. The howling dog issue is coupled with Arthur's desire to write a new will in favour of the wife of his neighbour. The case takes a murderous turn shortly after Mason gets a note from Cartwright stating that now he knows why the dog howled. If you figure out why the dog howled, you will solve this mystery before Mason.
Perry Mason novels are never what you would call 'well-written.' Gardner's style is fact based and without the poetry of a Chandler or a Ross Macdonald. But the novels are engrossing anyway, as Gardner is very skillful in layering the facts, to build to an often surprising conclusion. This novel includes some surprises as all is not what it seems, and Mason turns facts on their heads to become dancing fantasies. It's a clever mystery and well worth reading.

[Juuli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teismelisena sai üsna mitut Perry Masoni raamatut loetud, aga huvitaval kombel ei pannud ma aastaid tagasi tähele, kui ülbe see tegelane kohati olla võib.
Lugu on huvitav ja küllaltki põnev.

Ütlusi ja katkeid raamatust:

lk 30

"Siin riigis on täpselt sama palju raha, nagu alati on olnud. See lihtsalt ei ringle samam kiirusega, Seepärast tundubki, et kellelgi raha pole."

lk 93

"Me oleme aru saanud, et selle juhtumi kallal töötamine on teile päris korralikult sisse toonud," ütles Holcomb.
Perry Mason haigutas valjult.
"Seersant, see on üks mu ameti eelistest. Samas on sellel ka palju puudusi."
"Nagu näiteks?" küsis seersant Holcomb uudishimulikult.
"Näiteks see, et makstakse ainult võimekuse eest seda tööd teha. Ainus põhjus, miks mulle hästi makstakse, on see, et ma olen üles näidanud oma võimekust oma tööd hästi teha. Kui maksumaksjad maksaksid teile palka teie töötulemuste järgi, siis oleksite te praegu näljas. Muidugi juhul, kui te alati nii vähe nutikust üles näitate, kui selle juhtumi juures."

[Payal Pasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first ever book/novel of my life was a Perry Mason mystery at the age of 10/11. I have read more than half of the series since then mostly during my school days and I must say I became a big fan of Gardner. But this particular title has disappointed me a great deal. Mason comes across as arrogant, rude, obnoxious, over confident and too dramatic for my taste. Always adopting a posture of a macho man with his feet apart shoulders thrust forward etc etc. which becomes irksome after some time. Half of the story is full of lectures about law and its intricacies and what strategies a lawyer must adopt in order to win a case which was very tedious. The court scene arguments and cross examinations take place in last few pages and even then it’s not clear whether the defendant was innocent or not. I have read better of these books. Much much better.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would be difficult to call Erle Stanley Gardner a great writer. It is obvious that he dictated the books and didn't always scrupulously blend the successive dictated sesions. Often the Perry Mason mysteries turn on coincidence and convenience--but that said, nobody could set up a mystery better than Gardner, and the books are fun to read. Also, you can learn a fair amount about the law and legal strategy reading the Masons. The earlier ones (I belive "Howling Dog" was the first) don't quite jibe with the later post Raymond Burr books--Mason is more of an ambulance chaser in the early books. The characterizations are superficial, the clues and solutions are sometimes hard to digest, but there's a reason that Gardner's been so popular for so long.

[Shweta Padma Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edge of the seat stuff... keeps you guessing... you sometimes want to throttle Perry Mason for not sharing the secrets in his mind 😀 greatly enjoyable, though sometimes verbose. But then he's a lawyer first.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.