When Perry Mason meets Mrs. Carl Newberry on a vacation cruise, she is a woman desperately interested in saving face. For she and her husband are newcomers to the ranks of the rich--and they're sparing no expense at helping their daughter, Belle, make a successful splash in the right social circles. But Mrs. Newberry suspects that her husband embezzled their new-gotten gain--and she turns to Mason for legal advice.

When Mr. Newberry dies suddenly and his wife is left holding his hefty money belt, Perry wonders if his grieving client is really a black widow. . . .

THE ORIGINAL COURTROOM NOVELS
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Erle Stanley Gardner is the king of American mystery fiction. A criminal lawyer, he filled his mystery masterpieces with intricate, fascinating, ever-twisting plots. Challenging, clever, and full of surprises, these are whodunits that have delighted mystery aficionados for more than sixty years.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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5 Reviews

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4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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3.0 out of 5 stars Perry Mason pulls a "Doctor Watson", Nov 24 2001

By	Kenneth R Taylor "kayraytay" (Superior, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Case of the Substitute Face (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the 29th Perry Mason novel I've read (the 12th in the series). Forgive me for giving this one less than a rave review. Usually Perry Mason sees what no one else can see--a sort of mid-20th Century Sherlock Holmes. In this case the only surprise about the solution is that it takes Mr. Mason so long to happen upon it. The most interesting feature of this story is Perry Mason's marriage proposal to Della Street. (Holmes' own Doctor Watson got married in the "Sign of Four," but his wife was killed off in "The Empty House." I guess his wife "got in the way" one too many times. Could Della suffer a similar fate?)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Period pleasure., Jun 9 2001

By	frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The Case of the Substitute Face (Mass Market Paperback)

If the writing style characteristic of the thirties and forties is something that you enjoy, then Gardner's mysteries are a must-read. In this early novel, mistaken identity plays a large role. We have a switched photograph, a bandaged man, a woman in thick glasses, and a family traveling under false pretenses. Perry Mason is initially involved to protect a young innocent from scandal, but he gets in deeper and deeper until it's finally all about murder.

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5.0 out of 5 stars THE best Perry Mason mystery, Nov 26 2000

By	Valter M. Hilden (Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Case of the Substitute Face (Mass Market Paperback)

So, you've heard about Perry Mason and would like to read one of his books? If you were to read one and only one of the dozens of books Erle Stanley Gardner wrote, "The Case of the Substitute Face" should be it. This book, written in 1938, shows Gardner at the top of his form, after he had fully developed his formula, but before it truly became a formula.

Gardner himself was a top lawyer. "The Case of the Chinese Shopkeepers" could have been one of Gardner's books if he hadn't done it himself. When Gardner heard the DA was going to subpoena one of his clients, a chinese shopkeeper in Oxnard CA, Gardner put another chinese man, who didn't speak English, in his client's store. The court officer then brought the wrong witness to court and, after much confusion, the case was dismissed.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars In an ending, there is a beginning....
Background: The stylistic heritage of the Perry Mason mysteries is the American pulp magazines of the 1920s. Read more

Published on July 1 2000 by Duane Schermerhorn

5.0 out of 5 stars Importance of "Corpus Delicti"
Perry Mason often uses unorthodox (even illegal sometimes) methods to find out what really happened. Read more

Published on Aug 26 1999