The Case of the Reluctant Model (Perry Mason, #66) by Erle Stanley Gardner

The Case of the Reluctant Model (Perry Mason, #66) Reviews

• 
  Evelyn

  This late Perry Mason mystery has a plot that is a variation of a familiar theme in the series, a damsel in distress who is the victim of a blackmailer due to an indiscretion and involved in a scam, which in this case attempts to victimize Perry Mason. It is better written than many of the books in the series from the 1950s and 1960s, and contains a number of interesting plot twists and turns which keep the reader guessing about the identity of the murderer although some of the characters are stereotypes. And unlike some of the books from this time period, Della Street shows some of the characteristics that made her a "feminist spitfire" in the Perry Mason mysteries that appeared in the 1940s, but were mostly absent from the later books in the series.
• 
  Bailey Marissa

  This mystery was crazy but easy to follow. It also touches on Perry's celebrity status in LA and how it affects his life and work. Della is goals, btw.
  
  There are a lot of subtle Perry/Della scenes that are 10/10.
  
  Recommended 13/14+ for language, violence, an affair, and mentions of nude models.
• 
  Mahasweta

  I have been a Perry Mason fan since school days. So, I can be quite biased while rating these books. I like the pace and the twists & turns in these books. You cannot figure out who the real killer is till the end, and most times it is someone who'd have never crossed your mind as a killer. This book maintains the same pace and twists. As always, Gardner entertains with great courtroom drama and Mason's shrewd tactics that leaves the DA Hamilton Burger worked up. This book might not be the best of the Perry Masons (i'd have rated it 5 otherwise), but it is entertaining, fast-paced, and a breezy read.
• 
  Nira Ramachandran

  Mason is at it once again! A seemingly open and shut case, all clues leading to his client, who is not really a client, having not paid a retainer, just a young woman, whom he champions, her innocence evident to him alone. Will he be able to pull out the rabbit out of the hat, once again?
  Mason arrives at his office one morning to find an old acquaintance, Latimer Rankin, an Art Dealer of repute, impatiently pacing the waiting room. He has been accused by an upstart Art Dealer, Collin Durrant of passing on a forged painting to a wealthy collector and is furious― all set to sue for defamation. Mason convinces him that a case of defamation would do more harm than good in a business of this kind, as the public is likely to remember only the slur on his reputation, not the outcome, and his professional standing could be seriously harmed. Inquiring further into the matter he finds that the defamatory comment was made to an ex-model, Maxine, who quit her career of posing for artists, once her curves got out of hand, and has now turned to portrait painting. If she is willing to sign an affidavit to the effect, the tables could be turned on the culprit, quite simply, leaving him without a leg to stand on. Maxine soon arrives at the office, signs a statement, and agrees to appear in Court when needed, and the issue appears to be resolved.
  As a follow up, Mason and his secretary Della Street are invited to a press conference on a yacht belonging to Otto Olney, the art connoisseur, who purchased the painting in question. Olney plans to invite a couple of Art Experts, who can verify its authenticity in front of the press and then respond to Durrant’s malicious allegations by suing him for defamation. The conference takes place, the exquisite painting is clicked with the elite gathering of connoisseurs, and Mason and Della head out for a relaxed evening, only to find Durrant trying to barge in on their dinner, which Mason adroitly avoids. Then Della contacts the office to find that Maxine has been trying to get in touch. When contacted she says that she is at the bus station and must leave town at once but will come back when called to testify. She agrees to meet them in front of Della’s apartment and also give Della the key to her own home with a request to look after her canary, while she is away. They meet, Della collects the key, and Maxine drives off. Now Mason is in a quandary. If Maxine reneges on her promise, Durrant can sue Rankin for defamation, as there will be no witness to prove otherwise. Not one to give up easily, Mason sets longtime friend and private detective Paul Drake on the job of following Maxine, no expenses spared.
  Morning dawns and Mason and Della head to Maxine’s apartment to pick up the canary and search for any clue as to where she may be heading, only to find the door unlocked, no signs of a bird or cage, and a body in the bathtub, shot through the back. Maxine is on the run, the body is in her apartment, and all the clues point to her. Mason, however, is still unconvinced. All he has to go on is Maxine’s apparent genuineness, and as he puts it,
  “I’m darned if I know” Mason said, “except that the kid was telling the truth and if she is, she has made quite a sacrifice for someone she loves. And if she’s that kind of girl I thought she was entitled to the breaks”.
  Then begins a cross-country chase with Mason trying to reach his client before the police get to her. He succeeds, and in fact, hitches a ride for his client and himself on the official police aircraft and is ready for the preliminary examination. All the evidence is stacked against Maxine, including an eyewitness, who swears that she saw her leaving the apartment at the time of the murder. But Mason is not one to give up! Against the advice of the Judge, he puts his client on the stand, open to cross examination. There is now just one night left before the Judge will bind Maxine over for trial. Will Mason beat the odds?
  Not one of the best Perry Masons that I’ve read but nonetheless, an intriguing and last minute solution to a cut and dried case. Additionally, a long cast of characters leaves the reader slightly confused. I, for one, had to go back more than once to check out who’s who. For diehard Mason fans, the hostile DA Hamilton Burger, and his more friendly assistant Lieutenent Tragg of the Los Angeles Police, need no introduction, but a few others like Phoebe Stiegler, the defendant’s married sister, whom we never meet, but who is an integral part of the story, as are Goring Gilbert an exceptionally talented artist and a free spirit, and the young and attractive Corliss Kenner, an art expert, need to be noted.
   
  
• 
  Gloria Gna

  Cada vez que he leído un caso de Perry Mason he sentido algo de animadversión hacia el protagonista. Es un buen abogado, se conoce todos los trucos legales y no hay duda de que defiende a sus clientes con uñas y dientes, pero que el autor insista en presentarlo como un famoso personaje al estilo de un actor o cantante de éxito, me resulta innecesario y contraproducente. Es algo personal, pero no puedo evitarlo.
  
  En esta ocasión en caso al que se enfrenta el "famoso abogado criminalista" empieza con la declaración de un tratante de arte que se permite poner en duda la autenticidad de un cuadro, lo que da lugar a que el propietario de dicho cuadro presente una demanda por daños y perjuicios. En seguida la cosa se complica porque la única persona que puede testificar que el demandado puso en duda la autenticidad del cuadro se tiene que marchar lejos, pero aunque tiene la amabilidad de llamar a Perry para informarle de su viaje se niega a dar explicaciones sobre su destino y sobre el motivo de su espantada. Y al día siguiente el demandado aparece muerto en la casa de la testigo fugada.
  
  Lo cierto es que toda la historia iba muy bien, muy fluida y entretenida hasta que en las últimas páginas en autor se saca de la manga una solución imprevista al caso, solución tan poco estructurada que obliga a que el asesino acuda a la cada de la testigo no se sabe a qué, que se encuentre la puerta sin cerrar, que se encuentre también por casualidad una pistola y que más por casualidad se acerque con ella en la mano al asesinado, que está muy distraído y no se entera de que alguien ha entrado y se ha paseado por la casa hasta dar con él. Es más, el desenlace también requiere que, por pura casualidad, el asesino decida deshacerse de la pistola justo cerca del lugar donde la testigo estuvo la noche antes, para que todas las pruebas la apunten a ella.
  
  En fin, el desenlace no estuvo a la altura, fue como si de repente el autor se diera cuenta de que se le estaba alargando la historia y la concluyese a la carrera, con demasiadas casualidades de por medio.
• 
  Rob Smith, Jr.

  Klunky plot with a far to mechanical approach. At this point, later in the series, Gardner was pumping out 1 or 2 Mason books nearly every year for 30 years, not including his other A.A. Fair books. This is another where, it appears, the book writing started with the ending and worked back to the beginning. Sadly, this chalks another convoluted plot that needed better structure at the the start to have the great twists and turns end with a great novel.
  
  Still, the book is a bunch of fun. I do wish Gardner had been descriptive of reoccurring characters, instead of assuming the characters so established...via book or film.. to just drop in a name and continue the story. Settings, as usually, are also severely lacking.
  
  Bottom line: I recommend this book. 5 out of 10 points.
• 
  Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*

  For some reason this story, compared to many others, did not hold my interest from beginning to end, and the middle got a bit confusing. There is some "playing" in court that is not usual but the story didn't hold as much chemistry with me as many of the other books. We do get a repeat of the humor of Perry's pacing and Drake's office being insufficient for this thinking style, which has continued to be a running joke of the series.
• 
  Maureen

  My brother gifted me this once stating it was an old fashioned good time. It was kind of fun, but the writing was pretty pedestrian and the crime story uninteresting. I also found most of the dialogue to be utterly unrealistic. Still, it's good to stretch my reading horizons occasionally so thanks lil brother.
• 
  Kieran McAndrew

  An allegation that a painting is fake leads to Perry Mason being hired to file suit for slander. When someone winds up dead, he soon finds himself defending his client for murder.
  
  Written with his usual style and attention to detail, this is another fine example of Gardner's eminent attorney at work.
• 
  James Vest

  Mason gets the job done on this solid outing. The setup this time is art forgery gone wrong, but the plot could have been interchangeable with Mason’s other mysteries. Among the usual lying client goes on the lam arches, there are some interesting legal concepts sprinkled in, but I wouldn’t count “overly technical legal wrangling” as the top reason to read a mystery novel.
• 
  Robert C.

  I read Perry Mason books for relaxation, without much hope for surprises. This tale actually had a couple of twists that surprised me. No spoilers. Ends the same as most, though, with the characters getting forgotten in the melee of the courtroom squabbling.
• 
  Cheryl

  Perry, Paul and Della work together to solve a mystery of a forged painting and the murder of a con man art dealer. I didn't guess the real killer, only Perry could figure it out.
• 
  P.

  Took considerable time to become interesting, then better than some, less good than others.
• 
  Clown Funeral

  Mason does it again!
• 
  False

  Maxine Lindsay, aspiring artist and model but naive, becomes embroiled in a law suit about whether a painting is a fake. She repeats the comments of Colin Durant about the painting. Durant is found shot in her shower, so she is charged. This was a re-read, by accident, and I didn't care for it anymore than I did the first time. I've started up again trying to finish the Perry Mason books, perhaps this year. I have to admit I liked Perry Mason in the 1920's best when Della was a flapper and Perry quit to fisticuffs.
• 
  Vincent Darlage

  An excellent Perry Mason mystery. Some shocking developments, and an interesting who-done-it, but not quite as spectacular as a few others. I like the relationship Mason has with Tragg. I liked the plot twist of having Mason fall victim to a con game - and watching him fight to get out of being made out a fool was interesting. I last read this 22 years ago.
• 
  Huma

  Good book, Mason plays with high stakes, putting the defendant on stand in the preliminary.
  
  We also catch a glimpse of Hamilton Burger, Mason's nemesis and the attorney general who wants to get him disbarred.
• 
  Unknown

  Actually I have ths book in hardback. I've collected a couple dozen that I read from time to time. This not the best Mason novel, but is fairly good.I enjoy reading older mysteries.
• 
  Sergey

  Interesting mystery, but not as enjoyable.
• 
  Katie

  It's easy to see why Gardner leads the genre in sales. Tightly crafted, snappy dialogue, lots of twists - and all in less than 200 pages.
• 
  Jim

  Another good one. Erle Stanley Gardner never disappoints.