The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner

 

The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner is the first novel in the Perry Mason series. There are 57 novels in the Perry mason series, which is an impressive number of novels for a series!

I recently wanted to read a book by Erle Stanley Gardner, so I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of The Case of the Velvet Claws, which is excellently narrated by Alexander Cendese.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I truly enjoyed listening to The Case of the Velvet Claws. It contains wonderful characters, a tight storyline, excellent writing, and a few plot twists too. The Case of the Velvet Claws is definitely a hard-boiled novel... so, if this is appealing to you, then check out The Case of the Velvet Claws! I will definitely be listening to more novels in the Perry Mason series.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner:

Thanks to a bungled robbery at a fancy hotel, the already-married Eva Griffin has been caught in the company of a prominent congressman. To protect the politico, Eva's ready to pay the editor of a sleazy tabloid his hush money. But Perry Mason has other plans. He tracks down the phantom fat cat who secretly runs the blackmailing tabloid -- only to discover a shocking scoop.

By the time Mason's comely client finally comes clean, her husband has taken a bullet in the heart. Now Perry Mason has two choices: represent the cunning widow in her wrangle for the dead man's money -- or take the rap for murder.

I am giving The Case of the Velvet Claws by Erle Stanley Gardner a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Rose Gold: An Easy Rawlins Mystery #13 by Walter Mosley

 

I've heard about the Easy Rawlins mystery series by Walter Mosley over the years. I've also heard what a wonderful writer Walter Mosley is. Since I love mysteries in general, I thought I'd try reading one of Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins novels. 

I chose to listen to the unabridged audio version of Rose Gold: An Easy Rawlins Mystery #13 by Walter Mosley and narrated by JD Jackson as the storyline sounded intriguing. Plus, the UC Santa Barbara aspect and possibility of part of the novel's setting taking place in Santa Barbara and Isla Vista was also a strong draw for me as I worked at the UCSB Bookstore in their general book department as an assistant manager. Of course, I also lived in the Santa Barbara area. Alas, not much of the novel takes place in Santa Barbara or Isla Vista, so that was a BIG disappointment!

As far as the writing goes, it was fine. Walter Mosley is a good writer for sure. The storyline and plot were decent. However, Rose Gold wasn't for me. I'm simply not a hard boiled detective novel fan. I listened to The Maltese Falcon a few years ago and didn't like it for the same reason. Additionally, I felt like the start of Rose Gold spent too much time introducing reoccurring characters from previous novels that disrupted the flow of the start of Rose Gold.

Below is the publisher's summary for Rose Gold by Walter Mosley, which I found on Chirp's website:

Rose Gold is two colors, one woman, and a big headache.In this new mystery set in the Patty Hearst era of radical black nationalism and political abductions, a black ex-boxer self-named Uhuru Nolica, the leader of a revolutionary cell called Scorched Earth, has kidnapped Rosemary Goldsmith, the daughter of a weapons manufacturer, from her dorm at UC Santa Barbara. If they don’t receive the money, weapons, and apology they demand, “Rose Gold” will die—horribly and publicly. So the FBI, the State Department, and the LAPD turn to Easy Rawlins, the one man who can cross the necessary borders to resolve this dangerous standoff. With twelve previous adventures since 1990, Easy Rawlins is one of the small handful of private eyes in contemporary crime fiction who can be called immortal. Rose Gold continues his ongoing and unique achievement in combining the mystery/PI genre form with a rich social history of postwar Los Angeles—and not just the black parts of that sprawling city.

I am giving Rose Gold by Walter Mosley a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!