Today’s read is my 10th Perry Mason review for the blog, although I have read 11 books by Gardner overall. Nevertheless, I think I need a few more Gardners under my belt, before I attempt a top ten though. Interestingly, whilst he is an author I enjoy, Erle Stanley Gardner is not one that I can binge read. Some favourites of mine are: The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933), The Case of the Turning Tide (1941), The Case of the Careless Kitten (1942) and The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe (1938). All of these received a 4.25/5, except the last one which I rated a 4.5/5. However, I am pleased to say that The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito exceeds these ratings, and I am very glad that Brad (of Ah Sweet Mystery blog fame) recommended this title to me.
Synopsis
‘It began with a search for one of the famous Lost Mines that have lured prospectors into the wild deserts of the south-west. From that it merged into the adventures of a sinewy little prospector and his partner – who had struck it rich, “housed-up” and, losing his health, had forsaken the big red-tiled mansion in the fashionable district of San Roberto to spread his sleeping-bag out in the cactus garden at the far corner of the grounds. There were other strange people too, and a certain amount of arsenic mixed up in this story of blackmail, torn-up wills, and murder. and what of the mysterious drowsy mosquito which seemed to be a harbinger of death? All this, together with the lure of a fabulously rich gold deposit, discovered more than half a century ago, then lost, and lying untouched year after year, waiting only for chance and the ingenuity of Perry Mason to bring it back into the limelight, make up a quickly-moving thriller typical of Erle Stanley Gardner at his best.’
Having looked at various blurbs online I have decided to go with the one from my own Green Penguin edition. It doesn’t cover every base, but I think it gives a good impression of what to expect in the story. However, this is a hard book to do justice to in a blurb, as its plots moves in several different directions, and I guess blurb writers don’t want to reveal everything.
Overall Thoughts
The opening scene is a fun one, with an anticipated, but nevertheless enjoyable, reversal of events when two men separately come to see Perry Mason at his office. One is ‘a typical picture of middle-aged prosperity’ and ‘looks like a banker or a state senator’, whilst the other looks like ‘a dignified tramp.’ One is concerned about a car accident and the other has a question to do with corporation law. Naturally, Perry assumes that it is the well-off looking man who wishes to consult upon corporation law, but unsurprisingly, it is the tramp instead, who turns out to be a prospector named Salty Bowers, who is a business partner in a mine, with long-time friend Banning Clarke.
Once Perry Mason and Della Street arrive at Clarke’s home and meet with him at his outdoor camp, we begin to learn what our series sleuth and lawyer is expected to do, and about the other people involved in the mine, in particular Banning’s mother and brother-in-law, who ended up gaining significant control over the business when Banning’s wife died. Machinations are definitely the order of the day and Banning is desperately trying to avoid the legal and more literal traps of his opponents, entangling Perry Mason into them, in the process.
The setup is quite complex for this mystery, compared to other Mason adventures that I have read, and this is something that I really enjoyed, as Perry has a lot of lines of enquiry to follow up, as new developments occur. It is hard even for the wily lawyer to keep up with them all! I haven’t gone into too much detail about the plot and the range of characters, as I think readers will get more out of it, if they don’t know everything twist and turn. So, I apologise if my comments are a bit more general than usual. Nevertheless, The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito has a plot which makes you ask questions and keeps you excited to find out what will happen next, especially when the stakes are raised quite high during the middle of the narrative.
It is a fun reading experience to watch Perry Mason ducking and diving at his best to evade the traps laid out by the opposing legal team. Although having said that remarkably little of this book takes place inside a court room, which I think is one of its strengths. Whilst there is a good amount of verbal duelling, the action of the tale also does not let up. Moreover, because the nature of the plot and its setup, I found Perry’s actions less predictable, particularly since he is having to react much more to events outside of his control.
Anthony Boucher, reviewing for the San Francisco Chronicle, said that this novel had the ‘usual Gardner slickness, sudden plot twists and bewildering speed; unusually rewarding dividends about lost mines.’ This reminded me that I have enjoyed at least a couple of mysteries where a mine has been a physical presence and/or a key focus of the narrative, such as Mr Monk in Trouble (2009) by Lee Goldberg and The Owner Lies Dead (1930) by Tyline Perry. Perhaps such a setting or theme has not been as overused in adult mystery fiction, or maybe it is because of the peril such a location poses, which makes it a more interesting component in a crime story.
I do not use this phrase very often, but The Case of the Drowsy Mosquito is a definite page turner, and I can highly recommend it.
Rating: 5/5