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Doug Selby #3
The D.A. Draws a Circle
A California D.A. investigates a corpse without clothes and bloody clothes without a body in this classic mystery by the author of the Perry Mason series.
"The bestselling author of the century . . . a master storyteller." —The New York Times
Alphonse Baker Carr is the smooth-talking defense lawyer murderers and gangsters turn to when they want to win in court. To escape the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, he's moving into a stately home in Madison City's exclusive Orange Heights neighborhood. The locals are not pleased. Rita Artrim lives in the house next door and is worried Carr will attract an unsavory element. Of course, no matter how much she begs District Attorney Doug Selby for help, there is nothing he can do. There is no law against buying a house . . .
But once A. B. Carr arrives in town, trouble follows. A suit with a bloodied bullet hole appears in a local dry-cleaning truck. Then, a naked corpse is discovered near Carr's house, shot twice in the exact same spot. Now it's up to Selby to decipher the puzzling clues to build his case and deliver justice. Only then can he send the killer packing.
Originally published in 1938.
"The bestselling author of the century . . . a master storyteller." —The New York Times
Alphonse Baker Carr is the smooth-talking defense lawyer murderers and gangsters turn to when they want to win in court. To escape the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, he's moving into a stately home in Madison City's exclusive Orange Heights neighborhood. The locals are not pleased. Rita Artrim lives in the house next door and is worried Carr will attract an unsavory element. Of course, no matter how much she begs District Attorney Doug Selby for help, there is nothing he can do. There is no law against buying a house . . .
But once A. B. Carr arrives in town, trouble follows. A suit with a bloodied bullet hole appears in a local dry-cleaning truck. Then, a naked corpse is discovered near Carr's house, shot twice in the exact same spot. Now it's up to Selby to decipher the puzzling clues to build his case and deliver justice. Only then can he send the killer packing.
Originally published in 1938.
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1939
9 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Erle Stanley Gardner
1,354 books806 followersErle 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 16, 2018
★ ★ ★ 1/2
I’ve long ago accepted that I just don’t get Erle Stanley Gardner. Except I haven’t. I keep tying. And not blindly. I’ve tried books from different eras, and have repeatedly gotten the same results. I enjoy most of the novel but leave the book feeling dissatisfied. As often happens with human nature, I blamed the author. But first my original review (a brief capsule-style review because it had accompanied several others on a message board post, where space was at a premium):
Doug Selby is the other side of the Gardner coin. Where Perry Mason is “Defense Lawyer of the Innocent,” Selby is a District Attorney crusading against the corrupt power structure of the City and County of Madison, a town in California. The power structure is important. They see any major case as an opportunity to smear Selby--the first step in regaining power--and the actual solving of the crime is pursued only because it is politically expedient. Justice does not factor into it. It does for Selby but he has precious few allies. There’s the sheriff, who came into office with the D.A.; and the honest, less powerful of Madison’s two local newspapers (which mattered greatly in 1939). The paper is represented in the novel in the person of reporter Sylvia Martin.
The D.A. Draws a Circle opens with successive, independent visits from a notoriously unscrupulous defense attorney who is buying a home in Madison and a woman who wants to prevent this type of individual from moving into her affluent neighborhood. A week later a naked body is found in the gulch that separates their properties. There are some convoluted circumstances leading up to the discovery but they can safely be ignored as the body was found independently. Then Gardner is off. When the wheels are turning and the pieces are moving, Gardner is at his best. And that is where the joy of the novel lies--and it is important to appreciate this because my original criticism remains. There is not enough evidence to deduce the solution. The key is to go into the novel not caring about that. Depending on the flexibility of your philosophy on these matters, it can be considered fair to do so. The solution is more part of the process than the ultimate goal. There is drama and maneuvering still to play out after the reveal.
So for the first time I finally “got” a Gardner novel. It would certainly be fair to argue I shouldn’t have to put that much effort into enjoying a leisure time activity. And on some level I agree. I have crossed the fifty-year mark in life and with the aid of internet research I’ve learned of many authors and series I have yet to explore. Being a slow reader doesn’t help either. And yet I plan to sample one more Gardner. The most positive reactions from the people whose opinion I value seems to come--as stated above--from the Cool & Lam series. I’ll be selecting one of them soon. When I’ll get around to reading it--that’s another matter. Meanwhile, with the aforementioned caveat, I can recommend this effort.
I’ve long ago accepted that I just don’t get Erle Stanley Gardner. Except I haven’t. I keep tying. And not blindly. I’ve tried books from different eras, and have repeatedly gotten the same results. I enjoy most of the novel but leave the book feeling dissatisfied. As often happens with human nature, I blamed the author. But first my original review (a brief capsule-style review because it had accompanied several others on a message board post, where space was at a premium):
My first reaction? Usual Gardner crap. So I decided to take a step back. Gardner, originally a pulp writer, was the master at setting up a problem or complication and keeping the pressure on until the resolution. And once everything was revealed, it perfectly explained all those obstacles and mysteries. His major fault was his hero’s deductions were pulled out of thin air. I went into this one already knowing all the answers and there was still not enough evidence to infer the solution. Clearly I’m not a fan, so . . . usual Gardner crap.Recently I slipped into Reread Mode and as I felt myself coming out of it I decided to give this book one more try. Why did I fail to learn my lesson? Again! Several reasons, most Goodreads related. Lately I’ve been involved in several Robert B. Parker discussions where I was too hard on his later novels because I was there for the sheer quality of the first fifteen or so; those later books were best sellers for a reason. Erle Stanley Gardner was a best seller for a reason. Also, many of my GR friends hold Gardner in high regard, though admittedly more with Cool & Lam than Perry Mason. (Doug Selby has yet to be mentioned.) And finally, I recently read a shorter piece called “The Case of the Crying Swallow” that I completely enjoyed. Less room necessitated less complications to untangle, which in turn allowed for a solution based on facts still firmly set in the reader’s mind. Deductions did not come out of nowhere.
Doug Selby is the other side of the Gardner coin. Where Perry Mason is “Defense Lawyer of the Innocent,” Selby is a District Attorney crusading against the corrupt power structure of the City and County of Madison, a town in California. The power structure is important. They see any major case as an opportunity to smear Selby--the first step in regaining power--and the actual solving of the crime is pursued only because it is politically expedient. Justice does not factor into it. It does for Selby but he has precious few allies. There’s the sheriff, who came into office with the D.A.; and the honest, less powerful of Madison’s two local newspapers (which mattered greatly in 1939). The paper is represented in the novel in the person of reporter Sylvia Martin.
The D.A. Draws a Circle opens with successive, independent visits from a notoriously unscrupulous defense attorney who is buying a home in Madison and a woman who wants to prevent this type of individual from moving into her affluent neighborhood. A week later a naked body is found in the gulch that separates their properties. There are some convoluted circumstances leading up to the discovery but they can safely be ignored as the body was found independently. Then Gardner is off. When the wheels are turning and the pieces are moving, Gardner is at his best. And that is where the joy of the novel lies--and it is important to appreciate this because my original criticism remains. There is not enough evidence to deduce the solution. The key is to go into the novel not caring about that. Depending on the flexibility of your philosophy on these matters, it can be considered fair to do so. The solution is more part of the process than the ultimate goal. There is drama and maneuvering still to play out after the reveal.
So for the first time I finally “got” a Gardner novel. It would certainly be fair to argue I shouldn’t have to put that much effort into enjoying a leisure time activity. And on some level I agree. I have crossed the fifty-year mark in life and with the aid of internet research I’ve learned of many authors and series I have yet to explore. Being a slow reader doesn’t help either. And yet I plan to sample one more Gardner. The most positive reactions from the people whose opinion I value seems to come--as stated above--from the Cool & Lam series. I’ll be selecting one of them soon. When I’ll get around to reading it--that’s another matter. Meanwhile, with the aforementioned caveat, I can recommend this effort.
November 6, 2017
#3 in the Doug Selby series. D.A. Doug Selby is a contemporary of author Gardner's more famous creation, Perry Mason. Think of Mason in the DA's role, practicing in a rural town. Doug has Rex, the sheriff, and Sylvia, a reporter, to practice the wordplay Perry uses with Paul Drake and Della Street. This time out, a crooked lawyer moves to town and Doug uses razzle-dazzle to befuddle the shyster and his client. Enjoyable - especially for Perry Mason fans.
Dealing with a corpse with two bullets in it, either of which could have been the fatal shot, District Attorney Doug Selby knows that he does not have a strong case against suspect, Pete Ribber, even though that suspect's gun fired one of the bullets. Selby is suspicious of notorious attorney A.B. Carr's interest in the case. Carr is closely watching Rita Artrim whose father-in-law mysteriously disappears. Learning that Rita and Carr's automobiles have been driven 90 miles on certain nights, Selby draws a circle with a circumference of approximately 45 miles around Madison City. Selby finds Rita's supposedly dead husband who had been masquerading as his own father as part of an insurance fraud. The man who died with two bullet holes in his body was a blackmailer who, with Ribber, had been blackmailing Rita and James Artrim. Carr hopes to uncover the Artrim's fraud scheme and also blackmail them. When cornered, James Artrim kills a police officer and it becomes known that he fired the fatal shot that killed the blackmailer. Found out, Rita commits suicide out of guilt and shame.
Dealing with a corpse with two bullets in it, either of which could have been the fatal shot, District Attorney Doug Selby knows that he does not have a strong case against suspect, Pete Ribber, even though that suspect's gun fired one of the bullets. Selby is suspicious of notorious attorney A.B. Carr's interest in the case. Carr is closely watching Rita Artrim whose father-in-law mysteriously disappears. Learning that Rita and Carr's automobiles have been driven 90 miles on certain nights, Selby draws a circle with a circumference of approximately 45 miles around Madison City. Selby finds Rita's supposedly dead husband who had been masquerading as his own father as part of an insurance fraud. The man who died with two bullet holes in his body was a blackmailer who, with Ribber, had been blackmailing Rita and James Artrim. Carr hopes to uncover the Artrim's fraud scheme and also blackmail them. When cornered, James Artrim kills a police officer and it becomes known that he fired the fatal shot that killed the blackmailer. Found out, Rita commits suicide out of guilt and shame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2020
Major characters:
Alphonse Baker Carr, "Old A.B.C.", shyster lawyer of choice for guilty parties
Rita Artrim, A.B.C.'s neighbor
James Artrim, Rita's husband; killed in car accident prior to story
Frank Artrim, Rita's disabled father-in-law
Abner Hendrix, Rita's father
Ellen Saxe, Frank's nurse
Peter Ribber; wanted by L.A. for larceny
Morton Taleman, the naked victim
Doug Selby, D.A.
Sheriff Rex Baldwin
Chief of Police Otto Larkin
Sylvia Martin, crime reporter for The Clarion
Locale: Madison City, California
Synopsis: Madison City is alarmed when shyster L.A. lawyer Alphonse Baker Carr, "Old A.B.C.", buys a home in the Orange Heights section of town. His neighbor, Rita Artrim, asks D.A. Doug Selby what can be done about it. Nothing - he can buy a home here if he wants to, nothing illegal about it.
The L.A. police contact Selby. They are looking for Peter Ribber, believed to be a client of Carr. He has a star tattoo on his arm. Shots are reported near Carr's house, police find a naked body in the barranca (ravine) between the Carr and Artrim homes, and the body has a star tattoo. It isn't Ribber, though, but one of his buddies Morton Taleman. He had been shot twice in the same spot, by different guns. The case becomes one of determining which shot killed him. Meanwhile, Frank Artrim, Rita's disabled father-in-law, goes missing - and blood is found in her basement.
Selby is convinced Carr is shielding Ribber, and Rita is hiding her father-in-law. Selby tracks odometer readings on their cars to find they are being driven similar miles - perhaps to a hideout. He draws circles on a map to try to find the hideout.
Review: Oh, the neighbors you find in the ritzy hill section: hard-drinking NIMBY Rita Artrim who detests her new lawyer neighbor, sleazy A.B. Carr. Carr actually comes across quite pleasant, just doing his job in the most courteous way he can. The sub-plot of the competition between county officials (Selby and Brandon) and city officials (Larkin) is nastier than the conflicts with Carr, and perhaps a peek into a true situation that exists out there. This type of conflict never shows in the Perry Mason series where law enforcement is one big happy family; and it adds to the tension and drama.
Ribber is being held for trial and the jail visits by Selby to try to shake him up are quite funny.
The gradual location of the hideout using circles on a map demonstrates the thoroughness of police work. There is a surprise at the end when the hideout is found.
Secretary Amorette Standish is back, popping in and out of the office - I am so used to the Della Street character I am always expecting something to develop with her, but no go. Selby would rather hang out with stylish Brenda Starr-like Sylvia Martin, who has no fear of chasing down bad guys in a tight skirt and high heels.
Alphonse Baker Carr, "Old A.B.C.", shyster lawyer of choice for guilty parties
Rita Artrim, A.B.C.'s neighbor
James Artrim, Rita's husband; killed in car accident prior to story
Frank Artrim, Rita's disabled father-in-law
Abner Hendrix, Rita's father
Ellen Saxe, Frank's nurse
Peter Ribber; wanted by L.A. for larceny
Morton Taleman, the naked victim
Doug Selby, D.A.
Sheriff Rex Baldwin
Chief of Police Otto Larkin
Sylvia Martin, crime reporter for The Clarion
Locale: Madison City, California
Synopsis: Madison City is alarmed when shyster L.A. lawyer Alphonse Baker Carr, "Old A.B.C.", buys a home in the Orange Heights section of town. His neighbor, Rita Artrim, asks D.A. Doug Selby what can be done about it. Nothing - he can buy a home here if he wants to, nothing illegal about it.
The L.A. police contact Selby. They are looking for Peter Ribber, believed to be a client of Carr. He has a star tattoo on his arm. Shots are reported near Carr's house, police find a naked body in the barranca (ravine) between the Carr and Artrim homes, and the body has a star tattoo. It isn't Ribber, though, but one of his buddies Morton Taleman. He had been shot twice in the same spot, by different guns. The case becomes one of determining which shot killed him. Meanwhile, Frank Artrim, Rita's disabled father-in-law, goes missing - and blood is found in her basement.
Selby is convinced Carr is shielding Ribber, and Rita is hiding her father-in-law. Selby tracks odometer readings on their cars to find they are being driven similar miles - perhaps to a hideout. He draws circles on a map to try to find the hideout.
Review: Oh, the neighbors you find in the ritzy hill section: hard-drinking NIMBY Rita Artrim who detests her new lawyer neighbor, sleazy A.B. Carr. Carr actually comes across quite pleasant, just doing his job in the most courteous way he can. The sub-plot of the competition between county officials (Selby and Brandon) and city officials (Larkin) is nastier than the conflicts with Carr, and perhaps a peek into a true situation that exists out there. This type of conflict never shows in the Perry Mason series where law enforcement is one big happy family; and it adds to the tension and drama.
Ribber is being held for trial and the jail visits by Selby to try to shake him up are quite funny.
The gradual location of the hideout using circles on a map demonstrates the thoroughness of police work. There is a surprise at the end when the hideout is found.
Secretary Amorette Standish is back, popping in and out of the office - I am so used to the Della Street character I am always expecting something to develop with her, but no go. Selby would rather hang out with stylish Brenda Starr-like Sylvia Martin, who has no fear of chasing down bad guys in a tight skirt and high heels.
July 31, 2024
Rita Artrim adında bir kadın Doug Selby'ye gelir ve A. B. Carr adında meşhur bir avukatın kendi yanındaki evi alacağını, ama kötü bir ünü olduğu için bunu istemediğini, engellemesini ister. Selby yapacak bir şey olmadığını söyler. Kumarbaz kocası olan James bir araba kazasında ölmüş, 500 bin dolar sigorta parası kalmış, amnezi geçiren kayınpederi ile yaşamak durumundadır. Bu arada Los Angeles polisi Peter Rimmer adında bir suçlu Madison City civarında görülürse haber verilmesini ister. Polis şefi Otto Larkin ile görüşen Selby adamın yakalandığını ama sonra serbest bırakıldığını öğrenir. Sonrasında bir kuru temizlemeci gelir ve kan lekesi olan delik bir elbise bulduğunu söyler. Carr'ın evinin yakınlarında olma ihtimali vardır. Gece Rita polisi arar ve evinin yakınlarında çıplak birinin dolaştığını, ayrıca bir el silah sesi duyulduğunu söyler. Olay yerine giden Selby, Rex Brandon ve Larkin çıplak bir ceset bulur. Yapılan araştırmalar sonucunda Morton adlı bir adama ait olduğu ortaya çıkar. Peter Rimmer'ın parmak izi bir silahta bulunur. Ama adam farklı 2 silahla aynı yerden vurulmuştur. Carr Rimmer'ın avukatı olur ve ilk sorgularda Larkin'i rezil eder. Rita ise hemşirenin uyuduğunu ve kayınpederinin kaybolduğunu söyler. Her yerde arasalar da bulamazlar. Rimmer'e tuzak kuran Selby, Carr'a da gerçek suçluyu yakalamak istediğini söyler. Rita ve Carr'ın arabalarındaki yağ izlerinden yola çıkan Selby, Brandon ve Slyvia Martin komşu kasabaya giderler. Burada karavan kampında bir çatışma çıkar. Bir adam yakalanır. Bu adam kimdir? Peter neler anlatacaktır? 500 bin doların bu işle ilgisi nedir? Kayınpeder aslında kimdir? Carr, Slyvia Martin'a yazdıklarından dolayı dava açacak mıdır? Selby'nin kağıda çizdiği ikinci ufak daire Carr için ne anlama gelmektedir? Morton ve Peter'ın Rita ile yaptığı iş nedir? Rita'nın evine gidince ne bulacaklardır? Keyifle soluksuz okunan bir roman.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2025
The DA Draws A Circle (Doug Selby Mysteries Book 3) —Enjoyable read, the 2nd I’ve read in the series. The great Erle Stanley Gardner was first a defense lawyer, I suspect a very good one, before turning to a career writing crime fiction. While I prefer his series Cool & Lam, writing as AA Fair, and the couple or three Perry Mason’s I’ve read, this series provides him opportunity to show the lawyerly talents from the prosecution side. As a rural county DA, young Doug Selby is able to match wits and his convictions (sorry) against veteran defense attorneys— in this one a famous criminal defense attorney, Alphonse Baker Carr, "Old A.B.C." -notorious for getting the bad guys off, one suave bad guy himself.
February 7, 2024
An interesting mystery. I didn't know that Erle Stanley Gardner had another character besides Perry Mason. Doug Selby is the district attorney in Madison City and Sylvia Martin is a plucky newspaper journalist who helps Doug. There's a corpse, who has been shot twice, impossible to tell which bullet killed him (two guns) and a man seemingly killed and missing -- all in the same neighborhood. Doug outsmarts a big city attorney, and he solves the mysteries.
September 29, 2020
A very successful criminal defense lawyer, A.B.Carr, takes up residence in Madison City and shortly thereafter a murder occurs. The corpse has been shot twice with different handguns and Selby is set on catching the actual murderer and making sure that ABC's sly tricks are not able to thwart justice.
October 21, 2018
Took a while to get into this but it got better towards the end. I found it less refreshing than the other AA Gill books.
July 6, 2025
Those that want to read this story get off the fence. Another fine story by Mr. Gardner. The story had all the characteristics of a fine mystery.
August 22, 2025
Abbandonato
February 12, 2016
That was a good old crime story with interesting suspense part and well-written characters.
June 21, 2019
The third Doug Selby book is the best so far. The series and characters are becoming more and more interesting and absorbing.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews