Rating: 
Summary: fantastic first novel
Review: Whether or not you're an Erle Stanley Gardner or Perry Mason fan, most mystery addicts are bound to enjoy "I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason." Fast paced and breezy, and with some rather witty and snappy dialogue, the novel was a pure joy to read.Cece Caruso has suddenly developed a writer's bloc: with only a few chapters of her new biography of Erle Stanley Gardner written, she suddenly has no idea as to how to go on. And so she hits upon the notion of looking into Gardner's Court of Last Resorts heartbreak cases. For a while, Gardner had undertaken to represent "hopeless" cases, provided the plaintiffs were neither rich nor middle-class. One case in particular catches Cece's interest: that of Joseph Albacco, Jr. Albacco had been tried and convicted of killing his wife, Jean, in 1957; and he had written a very polite yet poignant letter begging for Gardner's help. The letter had been misfiled, and from the looks of things, Gardner had not taken on the case. Curious, Cece goes to the prison that Albacco is serving time in to hear his side of things. According to Albacco, he is innocent of his wife's murder, and the crime had never really been investigated properly because the police had lost all interest in the case once they zeroed in on him as the prime suspect. Albacco also claims to have had an alibi for the time that he wife was killed, an alibi he is still reluctant to use as it would destroy another's reputation. Intrigued and moved, Cece finds herself promising to investigate, and soon finds herself neck deep in a forty-seven year old murder investigation, playing both the roles of Perry Mason and Paul Drake! A game that soon becomes quite dangerous when she realizes that there is someone who would do anything to keep her from discovering the truth... I was hooked from the very first page! I enjoyed Susan Kandel's breezy style of writing and her snappy dialogue; and I enjoyed all the biographical bits about Erle Stanley Gardner -- the urge to go out and borrow several Perry Mason novels as well as watch the TV series grew with every page. And while it's true that the ending is a bit rushed and sudden, this truly wasn't that bad a detraction. Especially since book flowed smoothly and seamlessly, and at a rather brisk pace. "I Married Perry Mason" was a fantastic first novel and read, and one that I cannot recommend highly enough. Definitely a good book to take on holiday for a nice unwinding session.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic first novel
Review: Whether or not you're an Erle Stanley Gardner or Perry Mason fan, most mystery addicts are bound to enjoy "I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason." Fast paced and breezy, and with some rather witty and snappy dialogue, the novel was a pure joy to read. Cece Caruso has suddenly developed a writer's bloc: with only a few chapters of her new biography of Erle Stanley Gardner written, she suddenly has no idea as to how to go on. And so she hits upon the notion of looking into Gardner's Court of Last Resorts heartbreak cases. For a while, Gardner had undertaken to represent "hopeless" cases, provided the plaintiffs were neither rich nor middle-class. One case in particular catches Cece's interest: that of Joseph Albacco, Jr. Albacco had been tried and convicted of killing his wife, Jean, in 1957; and he had written a very polite yet poignant letter begging for Gardner's help. The letter had been misfiled, and from the looks of things, Gardner had not taken on the case. Curious, Cece goes to the prison that Albacco is serving time in to hear his side of things. According to Albacco, he is innocent of his wife's murder, and the crime had never really been investigated properly because the police had lost all interest in the case once they zeroed in on him as the prime suspect. Albacco also claims to have had an alibi for the time that he wife was killed, an alibi he is still reluctant to use as it would destroy another's reputation. Intrigued and moved, Cece finds herself promising to investigate, and soon finds herself neck deep in a forty-seven year old murder investigation, playing both the roles of Perry Mason and Paul Drake! A game that soon becomes quite dangerous when she realizes that there is someone who would do anything to keep her from discovering the truth... I was hooked from the very first page! I enjoyed Susan Kandel's breezy style of writing and her snappy dialogue; and I enjoyed all the biographical bits about Erle Stanley Gardner -- the urge to go out and borrow several Perry Mason novels as well as watch the TV series grew with every page. And while it's true that the ending is a bit rushed and sudden, this truly wasn't that bad a detraction. Especially since book flowed smoothly and seamlessly, and at a rather brisk pace. "I Married Perry Mason" was a fantastic first novel and read, and one that I cannot recommend highly enough. Definitely a good book to take on holiday for a nice unwinding session.
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