The Case of the Turning Tide

Gramp Wiggens #1

by Erle Stanley Gardner

District Attorney Frank Duryea had more than a simple murder case on his hands. Had someone killed both Addison Stearne and C. Arthur Right and then vanished? Or had it been a murder and a suicide? And, in either case, who died first? A vast fortune depended on the answer.

The obvious suspect was Nita Moline, who claimed she discovered the bodies, rushed up on deck and fainted. However, nobody had seen her come aboard. And through the tangled web of evidence, there seemed to be more than one mystery. Fortunately for Frank Duryea, his wife's grandfather - the black sheep of a wild family - came for a visit and got in everybody's way.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1941

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

[Richa]

I do not know why Gramp Wiggins mysteries didn't catch up as much as Mason Mysteries. They are funny in parts, less serious and fun cases. Wiggins himself is an endearing old man. This one was very similar to another Mason Mystery I have read so I rushed through it mostly. Even then, I enjoyed it.

[Michael Sigler]

Honestly, kinda boring with an abrupt ending. I'd like to give the sequel a chance if I ever come upon it.

[Rick Mills]

This is Gramps Wiggins #1, not a Perry Mason title. The only other Gramps Wiggins title is The Case of the Smoking Chimney.

Major characters:
Ted Shale, salesman of paper products
Nita Moline, glamorous blonde
Joan Harpler, of the yacht Albatross
Addison Stearne, of the yacht Gypsy Queen II
C. Arthur Right
Pearl Right, his wife
Warren Hilbers, her brother
Frank Duryea, District Attorney
Gramps Wiggins

Locale: fictional Santa Delbarra, California

Synopsis: Salesman Ted Shale is on the beach, hoping to catch hotel magnate Addison Stearne as he gets off his yacht, in order to close a big deal on paper products. Ted sees a woman fall off the deck of Stearne's yacht, Gypsy Queen II. Ted goes out to rescue her, joined by Joan Harpler, who was on her own yacht Albatross. Together they retrieve the woman, Nita Moline. Ted then boards the Gypsy Queen II looking for assistance but instead finds two dead bodies, Stearne and C. Arthur Right.

District Attorney Frank Duryea is surprised by a visit from crusty Gramps Wiggins, complete with junky car and homemade camping trailer. Gramps is the grandfather of his wife Milred. Frank is called to the yacht club dock to oversee the investigation, and question the three "witnesses": Ted Shale, Nita Moline, and Joan Harpler. Gramps tags along.

Stearne had been involved in an option to purchase oil property, and was to send a letter of acceptance. Whether he accepted or declined meant a substantial amount to his estate. Further, due to terms of his will, the inheritance path for his estate hinged on whether he or Right died first.

The mysteries facing Duryea are:
Who killed Stearne and/or Right?
Is it double murder, or murder-suicide?
Who died first?
What became of the acceptance letter?
As Duryea investigates, Gramps Wiggins tags along and makes several observations that everyone else missed.

Review: One would think the deaths of Stearne and Right are the central theme of this mystery, but they are not. The book focuses on the hanky-panky with the letter of acceptance, and manipulation of evidence surrounding it. These do affect the inheritance path, thus may or may not provide motive for a killer. No one really looks at the two deaths until the final pages.

Gramps is a character - a spry little hard-drinking outdoorsman with poor grammar - a bit out of his element which is more likely a desert hermit. He is introduced right away but doesn't contribute much until the end. He does, however, teach Duryea an interesting trick in interviewing a reluctant witness.

The dust jacket blurb by Gardner states: "Reading it over, now that it is finished, I can find numerous technical errors..." and so it is:
One story line has an attorney marrying his secretary suddenly, which to me seemed the old marry-me-so-you-can't-testify-against-me trope, but that story line - which had some promise - evaporates.
Most of the middle part involves tracing movements of people and boats, and goes on far too long in too much detail.
The appearance of Gramps at the end is a comedic episode, which distracts from the story line.
The blurb also mentions Gardner has made an effort in this story to present events in a realistic manner as they unfold, without planting of unnecessary 'clews'. In this effort it succeeds. One more Gramps novel to go.

[Ailurophile]

Started as all mysteries do...setting up the scene, the tranquil day with everyone minding their own business, when VOILA! There's that disturbance that gathers all the characters together and takes the audience on a ride to figure out just whodunnit! From the preface, I went in expecting something different from the classical whodunnit, and I found it to a certain extent. Of course, considering the time period, there were some references that I failed to grasp. Plus, I felt that the end was abrupt, and with the way the story had us invested in some of these gray characters, I wanted certain ends to be tied up. But alas! I was to be left wondering. Overall, really enjoyed it.

And of course, really enjoyed Gramp Wiggens!

[Rebecca]

I had to spend some time in a waiting room of the hospital couple of weeks back and I picked up this book thinking it was a Perry Mason for a quick ride. Perry Mason it was not but nevertheless a distracting read, which is what I needed. A girl faints off a yacht to be rescued by an onlooker on the shore. Turns out that she came across a double murder on board. The district attorney is the hero of the store and he solves it with the help of his unconventional father in law. An interesting, quick read, especially if you want to be distracted from real life.

[Shailesh Dhume]

An interesting mysterybut somehow the author tries to be too clever with the plot with just too many twists and turns and loads of red herrings. Also no courtroom drama usually associated with Perry Mason.
Nothing great but a okay breezy read anyway.

[Gregory Van Den Berg]

When I chose to read this book, I thought it was another Perry Mason novel. I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the story was to me. I was unable to put the book down. Mr. Gardner's writing is always first rate.

[Kate]

For my full review click the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

[Kathy]

The first Perry Mason mystery I have read. Plot was solid, with twists. More affection between Perry & Della than I remember from old TV series. Wonderful characterization. The old technology and dress lend fun to the reading.

[Ruth]

c1941. I don't think that this has really dated at all. Definitely one of his more successful books.