The Case of the Dubious Bridegroom (The Perry Mason Mysteries)

Perry Mason comes within inches of ignominious defeat in this book, when the prosecutor produces some unexpectedly damning evidence. But Mason stays cool, keeps on smiling, and does his best for a very foolish client.The case is complicated and has Mason investigating in several directions. The client’s business is threaten by fraud, he’s being charged with bigamy, and finally he’s accused of murder. While all hell is breaking loose around him, the client just wants to honeymoon with his lovely new wife! It’s up to Mason to save the foolish fellow from a death sentence.This is a tersely written mystery with wonderful twists. The ending is especially clever, because once Perry Mason figures out who did the murder and why — and ties up all the loose ends — Erle Stanley Gardner simply ends the story, letting the reader imagine Mason’s coming triumph in court.I found this 1949 mystery very enjoyable. There’s a long list of characters in the front of the book, but I never had to consult it because of Gardner’s skill at characterization. The characters are all very vivid and memorable. There’s plenty of drama, action, and an undercurrent of humor too.

An excellent book. There are side issues in it that were not covered in the hour long episode. In fact the reason why the victim was killed was so obvious by the time Perry started crossing one specific person that even the first time reader of this series will catch it.

Love these stories, but this book was actually from decades ago. Had to tape and rubber band it to hold it together.

I've been reading Gardner's Perry Mason books off and on for many years. Many years ago, I was an intense fan of the series, and read them all, at least once. Now, after a lot of water over the dam, I'm looking at them again.Those who are used to really fine mystery writers, such as Ross Macdonald, may find the writing style here off-putting. It can be stiff and mechanical. Nonetheless, I still love the general setting: the characters of Perry, Della, Paul, Lt. Tragg, and Hamilton Berger. That, and the ingenious plots, are why I read Perry Mason.On the whole, the ones written by 1945 are the best. This one was written in 1949, and is good but not great. It opens with a bang (as many do) when Mason dozes off in his office one night, and wakes to discover a shapely young woman coming down the fire escape outside his window. She's been spying on the office one story above. Is she carrying a gun? A good scene follows in which she manages to elude Mason and leave him nonplused.The story shifts to the people who occupy the office right above Mason's office. Eventually, the head of the business there becomes Mason's client and we learn of a connection between them and the girl on the fire escape. But the real conflict is with the wife of the businessman -- or is she the ex-wife? The man has gone through a Mexican divorce and then married again in Mexico. Unfortunately, the marriage won't hold up in the US, so he is a "dubious bridegroom." Meanwhile, the first wife is plotting a scheme to take over the business! It comes to a head in a Mexican hotel where a number of people spend the night but some don't spend as much of the night as they pretend. Eventually there is a murder, and a witness seems to think that Perry's car was on the scene! How could that be?There is no Hamilton Burger, although there are good courtroom scenes involving the DA of the jurisdiction where the murder takes place. It's a good story with a good plot that somehow didn't connect with me. Part of the problem is that Mason's client is not very interesting or sympathetic.

One of the charms of Mason Mystery is the strange opening. This may be one of the strangest; when Mason was working in midnight, a mysterious girl was prowling on the fire escape; Mason tried to catch her who slapped his face and went away; the newspaper reported the incident as Mason's love affair and Della mocked him "it is not safe to trust you alone in the office." I enjoyed this opening very much. I also enjoyed the whole story.