Product Description

Death And Taxes... And Murder?

The affairs of her husband -- financial and otherwise -- are what concern Steffanie Malden. The young and stunning bride of a prominent physician killed in a private plane crash, the widow Malden stands to inherit more than just a sizable estate. Unfortunately, she's also the unwilling heir to an IRS investigation. It appears that the deceased was squirreling away a king's ransom in undeclared cash -- with the able assistance of his head nurse and secret paramour, Gladys Foss.

Mrs. Malden wants Mason to flush out Miss Foss and recover the AWOL income -- without trouble from the taxman. But when she's suddenly charged with engineering her husband's death, the matter turns from the monetary to the murderous. Stuck in the middle, Mason must match wits with both sides of the law, to find out just who got the doctor slaughtered....

The Perry Mason Novels

Criminal lawyer and all-time #1 mystery author Erle Stanley Gardner wrote close to 150 novels that have sold 300 million copies worldwide. Today, the great Gardner tradition continues with many of his classics back in print, as well as brand-new additions to the ever-popular series starring the incomparable Perry Mason.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1006038 in Books
• Published on: 1993-02-22
• Released on: 1993-02-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 45 pages

From the Inside Flap
Death And Taxes... And Murder?

The affairs of her husband -- financial and otherwise -- are what concern Steffanie Malden. The young and stunning bride of a prominent physician killed in a private plane crash, the widow Malden stands to inherit more than just a sizable estate. Unfortunately, she's also the unwilling heir to an IRS investigation. It appears that the deceased was squirreling away a king's ransom in undeclared cash -- with the able assistance of his head nurse and secret paramour, Gladys Foss.

Mrs. Malden wants Mason to flush out Miss Foss and recover the AWOL income -- without trouble from the taxman. But when she's suddenly charged with engineering her husband's death, the matter turns from the monetary to the murderous. Stuck in the middle, Mason must match wits with both sides of the law, to find out just who got the doctor slaughtered....

The Perry Mason Novels

Criminal lawyer and all-time #1 mystery author Erle Stanley Gardner wrote close to 150 novels that have sold 300 million copies worldwide. Today, the great Gardner tradition continues with many of his classics back in print, as well as brand-new additions to the ever-popular series starring the incomparable Perry Mason.

Customer Reviews

The Case of the Greedy Widow
Steffanie Malden, the client, is a greedy Widow. She is much eager to snatch her late husband's hidden money rather than to mourn for him, and she want to use Mason as a tool. And did she kill her husband cold-bloodedly? Mason fights for the unpleasant client at the risk of being disbarred and/or imprisoned. Lawyer is a hard business.

The most charming point of Perry Mason mysteries is how to reveal the real murderer and/or the real facts convincingly. Also in this book, the thrilling and dramatic revelation of what really happened is splendid! And the the murderer's identity is completely unpredictable and surprising.

I also enjoy quite a few spectacular scenes; D.A. Burger launches his fist at Mason, Mason is sentenced for contempt of court and so on.

The Missing Person Mystery
The 'Foreword' is dedicated to Dr. Samuel R. Gerber, the coroner of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He is a pioneer in the field of public disaster, where there is a need to quickly identify many bodies to solve legal problems, such as insurance, wills, marital relationships, etc. Dr. Gerber studied traffic deaths, accident prevention, and the effects of alcohol. His percentages on alcohol in the blood have become the accepted standard.

Perry Mason receives a visit from Mrs. Stefanie Malden, the newly widowed spouse of Dr. Summerfield Malden (a plane crash). This very young widow says Dr. Malden was being investigated by the IRS as to income tax. Gladys Foss, his head nurse and office manager, has disappeared - it may not be a coincidence. Stefanie found strange keys, hired a private detective, and learned where her husband spent time. Stefanie is concerned that her husband could have outwitted her! The IRS investigation was over cash income that was lower than expected. Stefanie wants Perry to take care of settling the estate for her. But complications arise from Perry's investigation. Did Perry walk into a cunningly baited trap?

Gladys Foss explains the strains for a medical man. The patients vary as to symptoms and condition, but a doctor must be able to handle any complication. Bookkeeping is an unneeded complication that is usually handled by a nurse. There is a cash shortage due to a lack of records. Could Gladys have taken some of the funds to play the horses? Could Dr. Malden's mechanic been involved in the plane crash? Was Dr. Malden's young wife seeing this mechanic? Then Perry learns that Mrs. Malden and the mechanic Ramon Castella were arrested by the Narcotics squad. When Perry arrives at the Hall of Justice a photographer takes him aside to take a posed photograph. There is quite a dramatic scene (Chapter 6)!

One important fact is that a car windshield was spattered with bugs, so the driver didn't stop for gas where the attendant would have washed them off (Chapter 7). A gasoline credit card can be used to track a person's purchases. Perry gets information on Gladys Foss' losses from the horse's mouth. Perry visits Stefanie in prison to get the truth (Chapter 9). Is there a commodity that Stefanie doesn't recognize? Perry explains his strategy for the preliminary examination (Chapter 10). Testimony from a criminalist tells how they could trace narcotics sold to a doctor, and the contents of a whisky flask. The preliminary hearing covers the main points, and is the longest chapter. [Did you begin to suspect the solution?] Since the prosecution can't meet Perry's objection, the case is dismissed and Stefanie is released from custody. Perry tells her how to leave, what to do, and where to go. Perry summarizes the case for Della [and the reader]. New evidence is found and Stefanie is re-arrested. Perry continues his investigation (Chapter 15).

District Attorney Burger returns to Los Angeles, but loses the publicity to Perry (Chapter 16). Darwin Kirby drank from that flask and soon fell asleep (Chapter 17). The dentist who last worked on Dr. Malden could not positively identify the body. Dr. Malden had been using fluorides to prevent dental caries (Chapter 18). Perry's subpoena of a witness backfires and leads to a contempt citation; but Perry explains how "nothing" would be proved by this witness! Perry surmises the truthful identity of this witness. In Chapter 19 Perry explains this case.
There may have been some humor in Gardner's dedication of this book to Dr. Gerber. Coroner Gerber accused Dr. Sam Sheppard of murdering his wife and ruined Dr. Sam's life.