Pick Up A Pulp [28]: THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS BRIDE by Erle Stanley Gardner

This was my first foray into the world of Perry Mason and I was pleasantly surprised. 

The fifth installment in the long running Perry Mason series; a lawyer/private detective mashup of sorts, sees Perry Mason, off his own back take on a case where the defendant, at point of contact, has no idea she needed a lawyer to defend her against a murder charge. Rather, Rhoda Lorton, was asking the lawyer for help in a domestic case; her 'friends' husband had been missing, presumed dead for 7 years and now this 'friend' wants to know if she can marry again without having evidence of the husband's actual death.

What follows is pure pulp, and perfectly paced plotting as Perry Mason unravels a deadly thread of murder, cover-ups and schemes all centered around his apprehensive and somewhat unofficial client, Rhoda. 

One of the thing I really liked about this book is the nature of Perry's unconventional investigative techniques. He employs a private eye but dabbles in the investigative angle himself - from casing out a murder scene, to tailing Rhoda's circle of friends - he's just as much a private eye as he is a lawyer - a hallmark of the series.

'My methods,' he said, 'are unconventional. So far they've never been criminal. Perhaps they're tricky, but they're the legitimate tricks that a lawyer is entitled to use. In cross-examining a witness I have got a right to use any sort of test I can think up, any sort of a build-up that's within the law.' 

Then there's the court room antics which, to be honest, I found more entertaining than many of the modern day court room thrillers on the best seller list. There is some legal jargon but not too much that the reader can't easily follow what's going on. 

The supporting cast is great; the aforementioned private eye on payroll, Paul Drake, and his trusty and street smart secretary, Della Street compliment Perry. 

My rating: 4/5 stars, hits all the right notes for a pulp with some legal smarts thrown in. Perry Mason is an interesting character who I look forward to reading more of (I've got quite a few of these pulps in my tbr pile). The Case of the Curious Bride also has the added benefit of reading perfectly well as a standalone.