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Cece Caruso Mystery #1
I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason
The Barnes & Noble Review
It started with a case of writer’s block. Pretty, vivacious Cece Caruso turned to a life of crime after her divorce. But she’s neither breaking and entering nor running cons. Instead, she’s writing biographies of famous crime novelists, and now it’s Erle Stanley Gardner’s turn under Cece’s magnifying glass.
While the creator of Perry Mason had an exciting life, including his own share of courtroom dramatics as a lawyer, it was his Court of Last Resort that fascinated Cece. The Court of Last Resort was a place where those wrongly convicted could petition Gardner to find enough evidence to reopen their cases. Cece was researching the Court in the hope it would give her enough material to propel her through her unfinished chapters. In a last-ditch effort to procrastinate—while pretending to work—she goes to visit an elderly prison inmate whose desperate appeal she finds misfiled and unexplored among the otherwise meticulously organized files of the Erle Stanley Gardner Archives.
From there, it’s a surprisingly short step to working the long-neglected case, just to get a feel for what Gardner did so often. That’s the first step down a slippery slope that soon pulls Cece into a case closed 40 years ago, when a man was sent to jail for killing his wife. And that cold case suddenly turns hot when the murdered woman’s sister is knifed to death shortly after Cece interviews her. Inspired by the thought of Perry Mason at her side in her quest for justice, ex beauty queen Cece straightens her stocking seams (she’s a vintage clothing buff) and sets out to untangle mysteries, solve two murders, and finish her manuscript on time.
——
“L.A. Times art critic Susan Kandel is sure to delight readers with her innovative fictional exploration of a fascinating facet of the history of crime fiction.” Sue Stone
It started with a case of writer’s block. Pretty, vivacious Cece Caruso turned to a life of crime after her divorce. But she’s neither breaking and entering nor running cons. Instead, she’s writing biographies of famous crime novelists, and now it’s Erle Stanley Gardner’s turn under Cece’s magnifying glass.
While the creator of Perry Mason had an exciting life, including his own share of courtroom dramatics as a lawyer, it was his Court of Last Resort that fascinated Cece. The Court of Last Resort was a place where those wrongly convicted could petition Gardner to find enough evidence to reopen their cases. Cece was researching the Court in the hope it would give her enough material to propel her through her unfinished chapters. In a last-ditch effort to procrastinate—while pretending to work—she goes to visit an elderly prison inmate whose desperate appeal she finds misfiled and unexplored among the otherwise meticulously organized files of the Erle Stanley Gardner Archives.
From there, it’s a surprisingly short step to working the long-neglected case, just to get a feel for what Gardner did so often. That’s the first step down a slippery slope that soon pulls Cece into a case closed 40 years ago, when a man was sent to jail for killing his wife. And that cold case suddenly turns hot when the murdered woman’s sister is knifed to death shortly after Cece interviews her. Inspired by the thought of Perry Mason at her side in her quest for justice, ex beauty queen Cece straightens her stocking seams (she’s a vintage clothing buff) and sets out to untangle mysteries, solve two murders, and finish her manuscript on time.
——
“L.A. Times art critic Susan Kandel is sure to delight readers with her innovative fictional exploration of a fascinating facet of the history of crime fiction.” Sue Stone
280 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
63 people are currently reading
929 people want to read
About the author
Susan Kandel
17 books63 followersSusan Kandel is the author of the critically acclaimed, L.A. Times-bestselling Cece Caruso mysteries, the most recent of which, DIAL H FOR HITCHCOCK (Harper, 2009) was named one of the five best mysteries of the year by NPR. Her upcoming book, DREAM A LITTLE DEATH, is the first in the Dreama Black series, and will be published by William Morrow's Witness Impulse in 2017.
Susan lives in West Hollywood, CA with her husband, Peter Lunenfeld, and her equally handsome dog, Cooper.
Susan lives in West Hollywood, CA with her husband, Peter Lunenfeld, and her equally handsome dog, Cooper.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
April 5, 2016
I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason
by Susan Kandel
What a fun read this was! I'll admit I was drawn to it strictly on the basis of its name, but it lived up to that name by delivering a dandy mystery and a lot of fun along the way.
What did I like about it? That's easy. It was very well researched. The author cared enough about her work and about her readers to indulge in great editing/proofing. The characters are well fleshed out and fun. Lots of Erle Stanley Gardner information which was seamlessly etched into the story, at times being the vehicle for the delivery of clues and plot development. A solid ending, that allows the reader to decide to move on to another book in the series solely on the strength of the writing, rather than the need to find out the resolution.
The main character is CeCe Caruso, a biography author, who stumbles across a dandy old mystery that leads to a dandy modern day mystery while researching her biography of the man who invented Perry Mason, Erle Stanley Gardner. CeCe, a woman in her 40s, stumbles across an old murder mystery when she interviews Joe Albacco, who is in prison for the murder of his wife over 4 decades earlier. Albacco still maintains his innocence and suddenly CeCe finds herself embroiled in a race to find evidence that will free him. The search takes her to several people involved in the Albaccos, and by association with Gardner, back in the 1950s. And just as suddenly, she is in the middle of a new murder investigation with ties to that decades old crime. Can CeCe ferret out the truth before she is the next victim?
Filled with wonderful nostalgia for the Gardner works, and for retro clothing, this is a first rate read!
by Susan Kandel
What a fun read this was! I'll admit I was drawn to it strictly on the basis of its name, but it lived up to that name by delivering a dandy mystery and a lot of fun along the way.
What did I like about it? That's easy. It was very well researched. The author cared enough about her work and about her readers to indulge in great editing/proofing. The characters are well fleshed out and fun. Lots of Erle Stanley Gardner information which was seamlessly etched into the story, at times being the vehicle for the delivery of clues and plot development. A solid ending, that allows the reader to decide to move on to another book in the series solely on the strength of the writing, rather than the need to find out the resolution.
The main character is CeCe Caruso, a biography author, who stumbles across a dandy old mystery that leads to a dandy modern day mystery while researching her biography of the man who invented Perry Mason, Erle Stanley Gardner. CeCe, a woman in her 40s, stumbles across an old murder mystery when she interviews Joe Albacco, who is in prison for the murder of his wife over 4 decades earlier. Albacco still maintains his innocence and suddenly CeCe finds herself embroiled in a race to find evidence that will free him. The search takes her to several people involved in the Albaccos, and by association with Gardner, back in the 1950s. And just as suddenly, she is in the middle of a new murder investigation with ties to that decades old crime. Can CeCe ferret out the truth before she is the next victim?
Filled with wonderful nostalgia for the Gardner works, and for retro clothing, this is a first rate read!
June 25, 2013
The title of this one grabbed me while shopping in a local used bookstore. I had never read this author before, but the title just sort of tickled my reading funny-bone and so I picked it up. I was NOT disappointed.
Cece Caruso's is a biographer by trade. As our story opens she is working on biographical material on Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason as well as the private eye team of Bertha Cool and Donald Lam. (He also did quite a bit of pulp writing under a number of pen names- and I am interested in tracking down one of his stories about a "human fly" who solves crimes. Anyway, she has a serious case of writer's block when she stumbles onto a mis-filed letter to the author, who once was active in a type of "innocence" project - helping review and investigate hopeless cases of folks who claimed innocence but were sitting in prisons, or even on death row. This leads her to an investigation of a decades old murder and she does so with gusto.
As the story progresses, our heroine stumbles back and forth between working on proving the convict's innocence, the need to continue her biographical work, as well as dealing with her daughter's marital problems. Okay, the daughter's situation could probably have been left out and the novel might have been a bit better.
Another part of the story (apparently it will pay a key part of this series) is the heroine's fashion sense. She is a fashionista, and many references are made to styles, fashions, designers, accessories, etc. Honestly, this distracted me-- because I felt that the story was much better when the author was exploring the biographical background. In fact, this book was most interesting because of its description of Mr. Gardner's life, activities, and places where he lived and worked. It excelled when describing the locales that the heroine was visiting or the episodes of Perry Mason, or simply the plethora of titles mentioned and a brief description of Gardner's ability to create wonderful titles that offered both an exciting cadence and a catchy wording.
Eventually, the author is forced to move the characters into some odd situations, and some things that normal people wouldn't do (sneaking into an actual crime scene at night).. but I think the historical background, etc. keeps this one rolling along, past the fashion nonsense, etc. to a fitting conclusion, with a well-written mystery and enough interesting characters to hold the reader's interest to the end.
Cece Caruso's is a biographer by trade. As our story opens she is working on biographical material on Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of Perry Mason as well as the private eye team of Bertha Cool and Donald Lam. (He also did quite a bit of pulp writing under a number of pen names- and I am interested in tracking down one of his stories about a "human fly" who solves crimes. Anyway, she has a serious case of writer's block when she stumbles onto a mis-filed letter to the author, who once was active in a type of "innocence" project - helping review and investigate hopeless cases of folks who claimed innocence but were sitting in prisons, or even on death row. This leads her to an investigation of a decades old murder and she does so with gusto.
As the story progresses, our heroine stumbles back and forth between working on proving the convict's innocence, the need to continue her biographical work, as well as dealing with her daughter's marital problems. Okay, the daughter's situation could probably have been left out and the novel might have been a bit better.
Another part of the story (apparently it will pay a key part of this series) is the heroine's fashion sense. She is a fashionista, and many references are made to styles, fashions, designers, accessories, etc. Honestly, this distracted me-- because I felt that the story was much better when the author was exploring the biographical background. In fact, this book was most interesting because of its description of Mr. Gardner's life, activities, and places where he lived and worked. It excelled when describing the locales that the heroine was visiting or the episodes of Perry Mason, or simply the plethora of titles mentioned and a brief description of Gardner's ability to create wonderful titles that offered both an exciting cadence and a catchy wording.
Eventually, the author is forced to move the characters into some odd situations, and some things that normal people wouldn't do (sneaking into an actual crime scene at night).. but I think the historical background, etc. keeps this one rolling along, past the fashion nonsense, etc. to a fitting conclusion, with a well-written mystery and enough interesting characters to hold the reader's interest to the end.
June 17, 2014
i really wanted to like this book since I liked Perry Mason and Raymond Burr. But I didn't like this book.
The author spends too much time giving me names of fashion designers as if that will give me clue what she's wearing or buying. I'm not up on fashion designer names so when she gives me a name instead of describing the clothes, I have no idea what she is talking about. Worse than that, WHY is the author spending SO much time worried about fashion?
This is a mystery (somewhere in the writing) and that part could have been interesting. But the author spends too much time talking about what people are wearing and what clothes she's buying. Who cares??
The plot takes a back seat to everything else. I ended up skipping pages just to get back to the plot. sometimes an entire chapter was just about buying a vintage dress.
I just couldn't finish it. I never cared about the main character. I never got a good grip on why she would get wrapped up in this dangerous mystery of murder and blackmail for no reason.
too much fluff, not enough stuff.
will not read this author again.
The author spends too much time giving me names of fashion designers as if that will give me clue what she's wearing or buying. I'm not up on fashion designer names so when she gives me a name instead of describing the clothes, I have no idea what she is talking about. Worse than that, WHY is the author spending SO much time worried about fashion?
This is a mystery (somewhere in the writing) and that part could have been interesting. But the author spends too much time talking about what people are wearing and what clothes she's buying. Who cares??
The plot takes a back seat to everything else. I ended up skipping pages just to get back to the plot. sometimes an entire chapter was just about buying a vintage dress.
I just couldn't finish it. I never cared about the main character. I never got a good grip on why she would get wrapped up in this dangerous mystery of murder and blackmail for no reason.
too much fluff, not enough stuff.
will not read this author again.
January 18, 2023
This is a reread for me / I must have first read this in the late 2000s/early teens, but it came out nearly 20yrs ago…and shows its age just a bit.
Nevertheless, it still a fun read, especially since I love vintage style and Perry Mason!
3.5⭐️
Nevertheless, it still a fun read, especially since I love vintage style and Perry Mason!
3.5⭐️
May 13, 2016
Susan Kandel’s I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON is a fun read for fans of mysteries that have both humor and literary quality writing. Cece Caruso (the main character of a series of books by Kandel) is the intelligent, wise-cracking, and very likable protagonist.
Kandel’s novel has a unique plot that fuses a fictional murder mystery with plenty of nonfictional biographical material from the life and career of Perry Mason’s creator, Erle Stanley Gardner. As a fan of both Gardner’s books and the Raymond Burr series, I especially appreciated the juicy Gardner details included throughout the book.
Kandel’s narrative and dialogue are loaded with witty cultural references and have that sassy, snappy feel that makes the book enjoyable to read. Here are some examples:
“… patting down my hair from its Don King state”
“Rikes, Shaggy! It’s a rhost!”
“I’m divorced, too.”
“Tough luck. Was he a bastard?”
“Do you have to ask?”
That got her.
“I’m useless with dead people.”
Do killers yell “Stop, miss”? Slowly I turned around.
This is the first Cece Caruso novel I’ve read. If they’re all this good, with such talented and careful attention to delivering details to the reader, I recommend Susan Kandel as an author to check out more than once. I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON makes a great gift for bookworms with good taste in mysteries.
This review was written by Kevin Polman, author of THE EXTRA KEY.
Kandel’s novel has a unique plot that fuses a fictional murder mystery with plenty of nonfictional biographical material from the life and career of Perry Mason’s creator, Erle Stanley Gardner. As a fan of both Gardner’s books and the Raymond Burr series, I especially appreciated the juicy Gardner details included throughout the book.
Kandel’s narrative and dialogue are loaded with witty cultural references and have that sassy, snappy feel that makes the book enjoyable to read. Here are some examples:
“… patting down my hair from its Don King state”
“Rikes, Shaggy! It’s a rhost!”
“I’m divorced, too.”
“Tough luck. Was he a bastard?”
“Do you have to ask?”
That got her.
“I’m useless with dead people.”
Do killers yell “Stop, miss”? Slowly I turned around.
This is the first Cece Caruso novel I’ve read. If they’re all this good, with such talented and careful attention to delivering details to the reader, I recommend Susan Kandel as an author to check out more than once. I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON makes a great gift for bookworms with good taste in mysteries.
This review was written by Kevin Polman, author of THE EXTRA KEY.
April 20, 2007
Another mystery series that is light and fun! These books takes place in Los Angeles and I love reading the descriptions of places I know. In this book, our main character, CeCe Karuso, is writing a biography of Earl Stanley Garner. Garner was the author of the Perry Mason books and live in Ventura, CA. Garner often received letters from real inmates, asking him to review their trial.
CeCe gets involved when she finds a letter that Garner received at the end of his life, and she takes over the investigation.
CeCe gets involved when she finds a letter that Garner received at the end of his life, and she takes over the investigation.
November 1, 2017
This is a rather delightful murder mystery. The protagonist, Cece, is trying to write a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner, and she gets caught up in some of the cases and characters that he dealt with. She visits a man in prison who seems to have been wrongly convicted of a murder, and she can't help herself, but gets involved with the facts and records involved with the case. This is only the background of the story. A lot else is going on in her life, so you wonder how it will all play out. I would have liked to know more about famous fashion designers, as Cece is into vintage classic garments and recognizes designer's garments when she sees them. That left me totally in the dark! This was a quick and pleasant read.
November 19, 2018
CeCe writes biographies, but her work-in-progress has her stumped. She has come across a misfiled letter in Erle Stanley Gardner's papers, from a convicted murderer asking for help. CeCe envisioned this unfinished business of Gardner's innocence project as affording a unique insight into the lawyer turned author who created Perry Mason and meticulously answered letters from prisoners protesting innocence. Digging into a decades old murder, however, is challenging and even deadly.
May 23, 2022
I feel seen. I liked this one — had a lot of neat info about Erle Stanley Gardner, who created Perry Mason, and the mystery was interesting! I don’t know much about retro fashion, so some of Cece’s outfits went over my head. But I may keep this series on my list!
July 11, 2016
Cece Caruso, vintage clothing fashionista and lover of classic mysteries, should be in her element facing the looming deadline to turn in her sixth manuscript -- a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner, lawyer, author, and mostly famously, the creator of Perry Mason. But her subject eludes her, and in search of inspiration to bring the object of her latest tome to life, she seeks inspiration from the "hard case" letters in his archives -- the incarcerated seeking his help. One case catches her eye -- Joe Albucco, convicted of killing his wife Jean on the night of their first anniversary. He claims he's innocent, and according to notations in Gardner's files, he remembered the inmate's name, but never followed through. If she can solve the case, the Gardner-related anecdote could be an inspired finish to her book. But unearthing the truth behind the decades-old murder case uncovers a web of conspiracy that threatens to make Cece's first investigative effort her last.
This book is total Ruth catnip: a vintage clothing and mystery loving sleuth? I am so in. The first installment of the Cece Caruso mysteries is an appealing mix of chick lit sensibilities sprinkled with classic mystery trivia, this time focusing on the classic pulp era that birthed Perry Mason. It's clear that Kandel loves her subject matter, as she peppers the narrative with facts and trivia from Erle Stanley Gardner's life and career. I loved the brief historical overview, as while I'm familiar with Perry Mason thanks to cable television re-runs, I knew next to nothing about the creator of the classic sleuth.
Cece possesses a likeable voice, and I really liked the focus on a more mature heroine (she's thirty-nine) with an appreciation for classic mysteries that rivals my own. While her running commentary is often slyly humorous, its occasional lack of focus left me skim-reading rather than wholly focused and absorbed by the prose. However, much is forgiven thanks to Cece's passion for vintage fashion and her affinity for classic novels and film...hers is a unique and fascinating career, one that is at once both wish fulfillment and the perfect vehicle around which to craft a quirky set of light mysteries.
I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason is a fun and diverting, if unevenly paced mystery offering. I really enjoyed the general mystery -- I love stories that involve decades of dark family secrets, ha! -- and the series concept has a lot of potential. I just wish more care had been taken with the pacing and plotting of the investigation. There is a lot of set up regarding the crime's history, exploring potential perpetrators and their motives, while the ultimate resolution takes all of two or three pages. But if, like me, you are looking for a frothy, mindlessly entertaining diversion, this cozy chick lit flavored mystery may be the perfect solution. I'm not in a rush to continue following Cece's adventures, but I enjoyed this offering enough to add book two to my Amazon wishlist...and as it has a Nancy Drew theme, at some point I expect I won't be able to resist it!
This book is total Ruth catnip: a vintage clothing and mystery loving sleuth? I am so in. The first installment of the Cece Caruso mysteries is an appealing mix of chick lit sensibilities sprinkled with classic mystery trivia, this time focusing on the classic pulp era that birthed Perry Mason. It's clear that Kandel loves her subject matter, as she peppers the narrative with facts and trivia from Erle Stanley Gardner's life and career. I loved the brief historical overview, as while I'm familiar with Perry Mason thanks to cable television re-runs, I knew next to nothing about the creator of the classic sleuth.
Cece possesses a likeable voice, and I really liked the focus on a more mature heroine (she's thirty-nine) with an appreciation for classic mysteries that rivals my own. While her running commentary is often slyly humorous, its occasional lack of focus left me skim-reading rather than wholly focused and absorbed by the prose. However, much is forgiven thanks to Cece's passion for vintage fashion and her affinity for classic novels and film...hers is a unique and fascinating career, one that is at once both wish fulfillment and the perfect vehicle around which to craft a quirky set of light mysteries.
I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason is a fun and diverting, if unevenly paced mystery offering. I really enjoyed the general mystery -- I love stories that involve decades of dark family secrets, ha! -- and the series concept has a lot of potential. I just wish more care had been taken with the pacing and plotting of the investigation. There is a lot of set up regarding the crime's history, exploring potential perpetrators and their motives, while the ultimate resolution takes all of two or three pages. But if, like me, you are looking for a frothy, mindlessly entertaining diversion, this cozy chick lit flavored mystery may be the perfect solution. I'm not in a rush to continue following Cece's adventures, but I enjoyed this offering enough to add book two to my Amazon wishlist...and as it has a Nancy Drew theme, at some point I expect I won't be able to resist it!
August 11, 2010
Some books grab a hold of you, get in your head, and make you keep reading so you can get to the end. You may not necessarily like what happens in the story, but you have trouble putting the book down till you know how it ends. I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason is not one of those books. For a who-dunnit/mystery, this is not a good thing. The story is cute enough: a divorced biographer obsessed with vintage couture comes across a decades old murder case in Ventura, CA. Suspecting that the man serving time for that murder is innocent, she turns amateur sleuth and takes it upon herself to investigate. The protagonist is sassy and we meet a supporting cast of family, friends, and dogs. The author even throws in some Southern California history. But there was nothing in this book that made me want to read on, or read more. I didn't particularly care who done it! And I had more or less figured out the end halfway through the book. Sue Grafton's books take place in Ventura county as well, and in my opinion they are better mysteries, the characters are more interesting, the romances are more romantic, and the stories more polished.
June 9, 2013
I'm a fan of the original Perry Mason show and have read a number of Earl Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason books so I enjoyed all the biographic and geographic references as the main character Cece Caruso pursued writing her ESG biography. The mystery part was sort of generic but OK for a murder mystery. Cece and her cast of characters were interesting but a little busy - she's a writer/biographer, and she's into fashion, and shopping, and she has a whole cast of characters including family, friends and shopkeepers. Like a dish with a little too much seasoning. It looks like the series deals with other mystery writers I like so I'll give them a try, too.
April 12, 2014
Wasn't sure I would like this one, despite how much I enjoyed the title, but I was pleasantly surprised. The title character is a biographer who, in this selection, is writing about Erle Stanley Gardner (author of Perry Mason). I'm sure that's what drew me to the book because I do love Gardner's Perry Mason novels. The main character is also interested in fashion...more that I care to know, but I do like her style. She just can't resist a mystery and takes you along with her, mostly into trouble and danger. A little romance here, as well. I thought it was a good book and hope to read more of her series.
March 2, 2013
The title caught my eye, since I'm a big Perry Mason fan. The story is about a woman writing a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner, who gets caught up in an old murder mystery. A man, claiming to be wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, wrote to ESG, asking for help with his case. Cece, the biographer, believes the man's story, and thinks looking into his case will provide her with good material for her book. Of course, she gets in over her head the more she investigates. I liked the characters and the mystery was one worthy of Perry Mason himself. Definitely worth a read.
October 11, 2021
Rating: 2 1/2 stars
I was a big fan of Erle Stanley Gardner's books as a teenager. I haven't really read one since my younger days. But this sounded like a combination of my own love for Perry Mason and a present-day mystery.
Maybe it's because it's the first book in the series about CeCe Caruso, but there was a lot about her - I like vintage clothes too, but the detail included is just too much for me. The information about Gardner was interesting and so is how he's connected to the mystery. However, the "crime" itself was not memorable.
September 24, 2007
TITLE/AUTHOR: I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON by Susan Kandel
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery, 2004, 280 pgs
TIME/PLACE: Present, LA
CHARACTERS: Cece Caruso/writer
COMMENTS: Cece is divorced, late 30's, loves vintage clothing and has one married daughter. She writes biographies for mystery authors and is currently working on Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason series). While doing research she comes across an unresolved murder case from 40+ years ago. Very good debut!
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery, 2004, 280 pgs
TIME/PLACE: Present, LA
CHARACTERS: Cece Caruso/writer
COMMENTS: Cece is divorced, late 30's, loves vintage clothing and has one married daughter. She writes biographies for mystery authors and is currently working on Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason series). While doing research she comes across an unresolved murder case from 40+ years ago. Very good debut!
February 21, 2009
I loved the theme, love Perry Mason, and the mystery was fun. I think it was a little rough in places, mostly in trying to establish the heroine, Cece. I'll also admit to caring less about what she is wearing, whether it is jeans or a 1940's pouf dress. Although I know a lot of people love those details, to me they just drag down the story. I'll keep reading because the rest of the titles are just as interesting as the Perry Mason and will continue to ignore the dress details.
Read
May 30, 2016The title of this book initially caught my eye, and the book itself did not disappoint. of course, as a teenager in the age of reruns, I LOVED Perry Mason. The author does a great job interspersing tidbits about Erle Stanley Gardner and Perry Mason throughout the narrative. The narrator, Cece, just pops off the page. I hate to use this term, but the book just zings. looking forward to reading more from this series and author.
April 9, 2013
I got this book off the "Recommend" Table at the library. It was pretty fluffy, but a fun read. The characters were likable, and the author's writing was witty. There were some unexpected twists and turns in the mystery. Sounds like it's the beginning of a series of books and I'll probably pick up another one.
March 8, 2009
I think what I liked about this book is that Cece takes us through her research process when she is writing a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner and gets caught up in a case that he had worked on.
August 24, 2010
Bad writing, weak plot. Wasted my time reading this book.
April 28, 2016
Cute, but predictable. Loved the description of the vintage clothes the main character is obsessed with, tho!
January 25, 2017
Read first 14 chapters & was bored. Too much description and no action. Could not read any more. Will not read any more by this author.
August 26, 2017
Enjoyed. Good mystery, with laugh out loud moments.
February 10, 2023
Full of LA scenery, Perry Mason and ESG history, and a mystery of her own? Yes please! I thoroughly enjoyed this!
November 23, 2021
Cute read especially since i love the Perry Mason TV shows and ESG stories.
August 24, 2017
This was a lot of fun. I was never a real fan of Perry Mason, I preferred Nero Wolf, but my Grandmother loved Perry. Erle has been useful for crossword puzzles, as Wikipedia notes.
Cece Caruso has become a biographer as a result of her literature professor ex-husband's refusal to hire a TA and she is currently writing a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner. This has necessitated reading all of his mysteries - and there are a lot. She is not far from Ventura, California, and has got in with the local librarians and historical societies so she is able to lay hands on some of the author's papers, including the files of the Court of Last Resort. Gardner's literary papers are actually held in Texas, but let's not quibble. There is a letter - misfiled - in which a Joseph Albacco asks for Gardner's help as he is in Tehachapi prison convicted of murdering his wife. He reminds Gardner that he had helped the family years before and wondered if he would consider doing so again. Cece sees that Gardner had noted that something about the letter "rang a bell" and asks his secretary to look into it. Cece wonders if the man is still alive and whether Gardner did have a connection to this family. This brings her into connection with Albacco, who is still alive, still in prison, and yes, did have a connection to Gardner.
There are two murders and we meet some very questionable police officers as well as one officer with who Cece has had a connection, both romantic and professional it appears. This is the first book in what appears to be a series, but you could be forgiven for thinking that it was later because there are references to things which occurred earlier. That's actually fine because people have had lives before any author puts them on paper and they shouldn't have to explain everything about themselves and their friends any more than real people do in real life. I enjoyed meeting Cece's daughter Annie, her friend Lael and Lael's numerous children. Really loved Lael bringing along a plastic container for them to pee into when they're doing an illegal night investigation.
You do have to concentrate on who is who and who is connected to whom, but it all makes perfect sense and provides the reader with a whack of information about California and its oil boom.
Cece Caruso has become a biographer as a result of her literature professor ex-husband's refusal to hire a TA and she is currently writing a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner. This has necessitated reading all of his mysteries - and there are a lot. She is not far from Ventura, California, and has got in with the local librarians and historical societies so she is able to lay hands on some of the author's papers, including the files of the Court of Last Resort. Gardner's literary papers are actually held in Texas, but let's not quibble. There is a letter - misfiled - in which a Joseph Albacco asks for Gardner's help as he is in Tehachapi prison convicted of murdering his wife. He reminds Gardner that he had helped the family years before and wondered if he would consider doing so again. Cece sees that Gardner had noted that something about the letter "rang a bell" and asks his secretary to look into it. Cece wonders if the man is still alive and whether Gardner did have a connection to this family. This brings her into connection with Albacco, who is still alive, still in prison, and yes, did have a connection to Gardner.
There are two murders and we meet some very questionable police officers as well as one officer with who Cece has had a connection, both romantic and professional it appears. This is the first book in what appears to be a series, but you could be forgiven for thinking that it was later because there are references to things which occurred earlier. That's actually fine because people have had lives before any author puts them on paper and they shouldn't have to explain everything about themselves and their friends any more than real people do in real life. I enjoyed meeting Cece's daughter Annie, her friend Lael and Lael's numerous children. Really loved Lael bringing along a plastic container for them to pee into when they're doing an illegal night investigation.
You do have to concentrate on who is who and who is connected to whom, but it all makes perfect sense and provides the reader with a whack of information about California and its oil boom.
January 28, 2021
Written in 2005, this book, which Amazon thought I'd like, was a fun read about Cece Caruso who is pulled into a murder investigation. As a biographer, Cece is writing a book about the man who was the inspiration for the Perry Mason books and television series. In his things, she finds a letter regarding a prisoner whose case he was going to look into. Cece decides to go see the man who had written Gardner asking for help and finds she can't resist doing the research to discover the real identity of the killer. She hopes her discoveries will exonerate Joe Albacco- who has spent 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Let me be clear, this is a book where you feel you need index cards to keep track of players (past and present), clothing designers, California locations and buildings, and the other items Cece chooses to discuss. If you're a person who wants to become more familiar with California sites, and you can handle a nontraditional character who is quirky to a fault, this is the book for you. The investigation is not too bad either. It seems, more often than not, that Cece seems to fall- both figuratively and literally- into situations that help her find the clues to solve the murder. I can't say I'm very familiar with the California lifestyle, but I can't believe what Cece goes through is typical. Still, I enjoyed it.
August 29, 2021
Cece Caruso is thirty-nine, divorced, and the mother of a twenty-one-year-old daughter. Her latest biography of a mystery writer is due soon but she is blocked. She just can't identify with Erle Stanley Gardner, the writer of Perry Mason mysteries (and more!) But, in his correspondence, she finds a letter from an inmate who swears that he is innocent. Gardner left a note that the case rang a bell for him. So, Cece decides to follow up. And she is soon chasing down the story of a man whose wife was murdered and, left without an alibi, her husband was imprisoned. But Cece thinks the an is innocent. And she's procrastinating her book anyway...
She is also having to deal with the fact that her daughter's marriage is crumbling and there is an added character of her gardener who keeps trying to talk to her about her yard. An interesting first book in a series. I liked the addition of all of the biographical notes about Gardner. The mystery was a little shaky and I didn't completely understand why Cece was getting involved but this could be a fun series.
She is also having to deal with the fact that her daughter's marriage is crumbling and there is an added character of her gardener who keeps trying to talk to her about her yard. An interesting first book in a series. I liked the addition of all of the biographical notes about Gardner. The mystery was a little shaky and I didn't completely understand why Cece was getting involved but this could be a fun series.
October 27, 2017
I am giving this a better review than it probably deserves. I didn't really like any of the characters, I didn't think that all the fashion references were necessary or appealing, and I wasn't too crazy about the mystery, either.
But I am giving it four stars because this book had a rather unique ending. How, do you ask? Well, I'm going to try to tell you without any spoilers. Okay, deep breath, go: All the characters ended happily (at least in my opinion), there were no loose ends, the language wasn't TOO bad, and the "relationship plot" ended in an actually moral way. There. Done.
But I am giving it four stars because this book had a rather unique ending. How, do you ask? Well, I'm going to try to tell you without any spoilers. Okay, deep breath, go: All the characters ended happily (at least in my opinion), there were no loose ends, the language wasn't TOO bad, and the "relationship plot" ended in an actually moral way. There. Done.
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