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The Case of the Careless Kitten: A Perry Mason Mystery by Erle Stanley Gardner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A thrilling legal mystery featuring defence attorney Perry Mason, from the Golden Age of crime fiction.

Helen Kendall finds herself thrown into turmoil when she receives a mysterious phone call, the caller claiming to be her believed-dead Uncle Franklin. The caller implores her to consult Perry Mason, and so bring him with her to meet him. Her new kitten narrowly survives a poisoning attempt, while her aunt Matilda continues to disapprove of her fiancé, Jerry. Helen consults the famous lawyer as requested, but the arranged meeting leads to the discovery of a man shot in his car, plunging Perry Mason into another murder case.

The mystery deepens when Aunt Matilda also narrowly survives an attempted poisoning and there is a further shooting at their home. Mason’s unconventional methods are brought under intense scrutiny, leading him and his team into their own legal peril. Meanwhile, a certain careless kitten may provide the key to unlocking the whole affair and unravelling this murderous scheme.

Gardner's Perry Mason series was an incredible success - he wrote a total of eighty-five novels featuring the attorney crusading for justice. Mystery series that originated in the Golden Age often follow their own formula – and the Perry Mason series is no exception to this. Mason’s clients are often innocent, with Mason having to both solve the mystery and exonerate his client, going up against the police and District Attorney as they present their case for his client’s guilt. Both the familiar formula and returning characters make such mystery series a comfort and pleasure to revisit time and time again. The lightning-paced courtroom scenes are pure brilliance, a highlight of this series, with Mason often succeeding in triggering revelations through cross-examination of witnesses and sometimes theatrical displays, much to the chagrin of the Court.

The novels were originally adapted for six feature films between 1934 and 1937, but it was the later TV series that ran from 1957 to 1966 that cemented Mason’s presence on the screen. Starring Raymond Burr as Perry Mason, it would later return for a series of TV movies in 1985, which continued for the next ten years, culminating in four films following Burr’s death. It was the repeats of these TV movies on Saturday afternoons that I enjoyed as a child which first introduced me to Perry Mason and ignited my love for legal thrillers and courtroom drama. The character has recently made a return to the small screen with the 2020 series, which presents an origin story for the character.

For fans old and new alike, ‘The Case of the Careless Kitten' is a classic mystery, superbly plotted and full of intriguing clues and suspense - yet another case that only Perry Mason can solve.



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