The Case of the Careless Cupid by Erle Stanley Gardner

A little fun to start the weekend:
 

Brahms Drei Intermezzi op 117 is playing while I write. The artist is Radu Lupu.  Radu Lupu is a Romanian born pianist who has the distinction of winning three major piano competitions:  the George Enescu International Piano Competition, Van Cliburn Piano Competition and Leeds International Pianoforte Competition. I heard him perform in Chicago at Orchestra Hall (I think it's called Symphony Center now) back in the nineties when I was studying music at Roosevelt University.  

Back then I was a poor college student and could only afford canceled tickets which were offered for ten dollars a couple of hours before the concert.  I bought one for Radu Lupu.  This is often a gamble.  The ticket can be for a seat behind a pole.  This time I hit the jackpot.  I got the front row center seat.  I was so close I could hear Lupu humming while he played. 

Lupu is known for his interpretation of the late Romantic composers like Brahms, Liszt and Shumann.  I hope you enjoy this contemplative piece.
 
The Case Of The Careless Cupid by Erle Stanley Gardner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another great Perry Mason. I gobble these up so rapidly it's a wonder I don't get heartburn. Luckily, books don't give you heartburn and Mason novels aren't Jane Austin to be savored and contemplated. They are that bowl of Hershey chocolates that you really shouldn't be scarfing down but can't stop, which is why I was able to run through this story in one sitting.  Jane Austin, on the other hand is French chocolate that you let slowly melt in your mouth.  Am I taking the chocolate/reading analogy too far?  I also compare reading to fine coffee.  Coffee that you grind yourself and make using a French press...I think I am getting off track...

The plot: A distressed woman comes to Mason (aren't they always distressed woman?) because of a complicated situation. She is in love with and engaged to be married to man who is wealthy and also has a gaggle of nieces and nephews who are jealously guarding their Uncle against any gold diggers.

Mrs. Anson is a widow, wealthy in her own right, and is not a gold digger but that has not stopped at least one niece and her fiance from attempting to sabotage Mrs. Anson's plans to marry the Uncle whose name is Mr. Anderson.

How do they go about this? Mrs. Anson's husband died the previous year from food poisoning at a party given by Mr. Anderson due to a crab salad that had been left out all afternoon in warm weather. All the party got food poisoning, which included Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Anson and the nieces and nephews, but only Mrs. Anson's husband died from it.

Or did he? The niece and her fiance say they believe that Mrs. Anson killed her husband and demand that the body be exhumed and examined for poisoning. Because the insurance company would get back the sizeable settlement received by Mrs. Anson, they are more than willing to pursue an investigation. The body is exhumed and sure enough, traces of arsenic are found.

Did Mrs. Anson kill her husband? Perry Mason is going to find out. What follows is an interesting thread on how detectives work through shadowing and what the actual purpose of lie detectors are for as well as how a crime trial is operated through prosecution and defense.

While Mason's mysteries might be a little formulaic, they are certainly satisfying and the best part is how Gardner describes the legal system and function of each player in that system.

Finally I can gobble as much Mason as I want and never get fat.



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