''Kingpin among the mystery writers'' New York Times

''His Mason books remain tantalising on every page and brilliant'' Scott Turow, bestselling author of Presumed Innocent

Ellen Robb came into Perry Mason''s office with a gun in her purse. She had been framed, she said, by her gambler employer because she had refused to help fleece a customer.

The customer had dropped nearly $10,000 in the gambling establishment and then done his best to pick up Ellen. His wife, none too pleased with either shenanigan, ended up dead as a herring.

Della said Ellen was too beautiful to be trusted; Perry thought he could find out by switching guns on her - thus starting a series of explosions that nearly blast him out of court ...