This was a neat little puzzle with excellent misdirecting clues, one of the more tightly plotted ESG that I've read. It also has the classic cross examination trick of rapid fire questioning to elicit the truth (à la Legally Blonde) which is a premise I'm always happy to accept in fictionland. These were topped off with some coy ol' fashion smoochin' between Perry and Della, the development of which I must pinpoint, which book of the series did this start happening! ( )

3 ( )

Perry's client is accused of murdering someone while sleepwalking. The client, Peter Kent, is trying to divorce his gold digging wife plus get the goods on his business partner who he thinks is stealing from him. Kent's niece brings Perry into the case to prevent the fortune hunters from cleaning out her uncle.

When the murder happens, the weapon, a blood stained carving knife is found under Kent;s pillow. His estranged wife claims he once tried to kill her with a carving knife while sleepwalking. His partner and his lawyer claim to have seen him leave the victims room with the knife.

Using trickery, Mason brings justice to all and leaves his usual foe, Prosecutor Hamilton Burger wondering what happened. Interestingly, Mason's client is rarely seen in the story. The niece and the estranged wife are the focus. ( )

Peter Kent is walking in his sleep and had received a divorce after almost killing his wife with a knife while sleepwalking. And all would have been fine if the ex-wife had not decided that she can actually win more by declaring him incompetent and getting control of his money. Peter and his niece disagree so Perry Mason is hired to prove that Peter is sane. Of course nothing is as straightforward - neither his hiring, neither the story itself.

Of course someone dies. And Perry is just in the middle of it - and have to solve it because it seems like his client is responsible - and it just does not make sense. Add a knife that disappears from a locked drawer. There is also a wedding and a plane crash; a lot of money and a patent. And too many people lying and hiding the truth - and Perry needs to find what is going on - or lose his license.

The solution is one of the most logical in the series so far - it is a lot closer to a classical mystery than the usual legal thrillers that are the Mason novels. Not that there is no trial of course. ( )

Perry Mason is hired to prove a man sane, despite his habit of sleepwalking. Then a guest in the man's house is murdered, and the knife that killed him is found under Perry's client's pillow. ( )