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Cargando... El caso de las garras de terciopelo (1933)por Erle Stanley Gardner
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Inscríbete en LibraryThing para averiguar si este libro te gustará. Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. With the renewed interest in Perry Mason due to the reimagined current TV series and my childhood interest in the Raymond Burr TV show which aired from 1957 through 1966, which I gather is very different than its current counterpart, I decided I needed to go back to its origin, the first Perry Mason book by Erle Stanley Gardner, published in 1933. I've been hesitant to watch the new series because of my steadfast love of the old. However, both seem to have their roots in the books. The new series takes place in 1933 similar to the book while the old TV show has Burr as a lawyer, not a private investigator. Hopefully the new and the old can live side by side. Anyway, onto the book. An expensively dressed woman walks into Perry Mason's office and Della Street, his secretary and not so secret admirer, warns him she's trouble. It seems that married Eva Griffith was out on the town with up for election politician Harrison Burke and a murder occurred at the nightclub they were at. It would be political suicide if this liaison was made public and Eva is afraid that the scandal rag Spicy Bits is going to find out and publish the information. Eva wants Mason to convince them it is not in their best interest to do so. Always up for a challenge and a big fee, Mason takes the case, against the advice of Della. But as you suspect, Eva is not who she says she is and furthermore it turns out that her husband is the hidden owner of Spicy Bits. When he turns up dead, Eva is a prime suspect. We all know that Perry will come up with the truth, using whatever devious means he can. The Case of the Velvet Claws is classic Perry Mason and classic 1930s noir. It is not as dark as Hammett or Chandler or some of the other great Black Mask pulp fiction mystery writers (it's almost like a cozy mystery compared with them) put the action and the language put it in the same genre. It was a treat to see Perry, Della and private investigator Paul Drake in action. I haven't read a Perry Mason in a while. I highly recommend it. sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
Pertenece a las seriesNovela de Perry Mason (Book 1) Pertenece a las series editorialesPocket Books (73) Vampiro (3) Öölane (32) Contenido enA Perry Mason Omnibus (The Case of the Velvet Claws | The Case of the Sunbather's Diary | The Case of the Demure Defendant) por Erle Stanley Gardner The Case of the Velvet Claws | The Case of the Grinning Gorilla | The Case of the Golddigger's Purse por Erle Stanley Gardner Tiene la adaptaciónListas de sobresalientes
Regresa el mtico Perry Mason, el mejor abogado de la historia. Ahora una serie en HBO.Un fotgrafo consigue una instantnea del famoso poltico Harrison Burke saliendo de un local de juego acompaado de una mujer casada, Eva Belter. Harrison est preocupado por su carrera y Eva, una mujer mimada, teme las represalias de su marido, George. De este modo, acude a Perry Mason en busca de ayuda, presentndose con su apellido de soltera, y lo informa de que una revista sensacionalista la est chantajeando y de que sospecha que su marido tiene algo que ver. Mason tiene un inters personal en ver cerrada la revista porque un amigo suyo se suicid a causa de un reportaje que public. Esa noche, el abogado recibe una llamada de Eva: George ha sido asesinado. Pero los acontecimientos dan un giro inesperado cuando tambin le insina que lo oy discutir con su marido. Perry Mason se convierte as en el primer sospechoso de asesinato de este caso. El abogado tendr que evitar ser engaado y luchar por librar a su clienta de todos los cargos. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — Cargando... GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Clasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:
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Review of the Della Street Press Kindle eBook (September 17, 2011) of the William Morrow & Company hardcover original (1933)
I recently enjoyed The Case of the Baited Hook (Perry Mason #16, 1940) from a Kindle Deal of the Day and realized that I had never previously read the classic lawyer-detective series. I now went back to the very first book to see how the origin story was told. It turned out that The Case of the Velvet Claws wasn't an origin story at all as Perry Mason is already running a law practice with Della Street as his secretary and the Paul Drake Detective Agency as his go-to investigators.
Mason takes on the case of Eva Griffin which begins as an effort to avoid blackmail from a scandal sheet. Della Street takes an immediate dislike to the client and warns Mason off, but Mason perseveres regardless. Street's instinct proves correct as when a murder occurs further into the story, Griffin threatens to report that Mason himself may have been the killer. Despite the treachery of the client, Mason still works to solve the case and save her from a murder accusation and conviction.
On the Berengaria Ease of Solving Scale® this was a fairly easy solve, a 2 out of 10, as the most likely culprit proves to be the villain in the end. That was after all the confusion of the client's apparent involvement had been explained away by Mason.
I'll probably still pick up a few further Perry Masons when I'm looking for a read in a light hard-boiled vein. Gardner is definitely reliable for that. None of the writing approaches the poetic metaphors of Raymond Chandler though, so it isn't quite top drawer.
See dust cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/07/The_Case_of_the_Velvet_Claws.jpg
The spine and front cover of the original 1933 William Morrow & Company hardcover. Image sourced from Wikipedia by Facsimile Dustjackets LLC — William Morrow & Co. first edition, Fair use, Link.
Soundtrack
The Opening and Closing Themes for the original Perry Mason TV series were composed by Fred Steiner and you can hear them at this YouTube clip. The composition was actually called Park Avenue Beat and you can read about it further at Wikipedia.
Trivia and Links
Make a note about the website of Facsimile Dust Jackets LLC in case you ever have an older plain volume in your home library which you'd like to display on your shelves with the equivalent of its original dust jacket. I've used them in the past so can definitely recommend the high quality of their work. The price is relatively high considering it is only the dust cover and not the book itself, but in the case of a well-loved older volume you likely won't begrudge the price.
The Case of the Velvet Claws was adapted as a movie in 1936 which starred Warren William in his 4th and final appearance as the lawyer/detective. The major change from the novel is that Perry Mason is married to his secretary Della Street. You can see a trailer for the film on YouTube here.
The Case of the Velvet Claws was adapted for television in the original Perry Mason TV series (1957-1966) which starred Raymond Burr as the lawyer/detective. The adaptation was broadcast as Season 6 Episode 22 in 1963. ( )