The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner

The Case of the Velvet Claws (ABA Perry Mason, #1)

by Erle Stanley Gardner

Criminal lawyer and bestselling mystery author Erle Stanley Gardner wrote nearly 150 novels that have sold 300 million copies worldwide. Now, the American Bar Association is bringing back his most famous and enduring novels-featuring criminal defense lawyer and sleuth Perry Mason-in striking trade paperback editions. Married Eva Griffin has been caught with a prominent congressman, and is ready to pay the editor of a sleazy tabloid hush money to protect the politician. But first Perry Mason tracks down the publisher of the blackmailing tabloid and discovers a shocking secret, which eventually leads to Mason being accused of murder. This is the first Perry Mason mystery and our introduction to secretary Della Street, detective Paul Drake, and the great lawyer himself.

Reviewed by Aidan Brack (Mysteries Ahoy) on

3.5 of 5 stars

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When it comes to the conclusion, I think Gardner does manage to come up with something that struck me as unexpected and I enjoyed learning how the various aspects of the story pieced together. In particular there is one aspect of the solution that struck me as quite ingenious to the point where I wondered if a key piece of information could possibly be accurate, leading me to do a little research. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it was and I think it does make for a rather elegant solution to what happened to a piece of evidence.

Read my full review at Mysteries Ahoy!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 May, 2018: Finished reading
  • 8 September, 2020: Reviewed