ERLE STANLEY GARDNER – The Case of the Nervous Accomplice. Perry Mason #48. William Morrow, hardcover, 1955. Reprinted many times in both hardcover and paperback.

   Perry Mason is retained by a woman in an admirable attempt to break up her husband’s romance with an attractive divorcee. After buying stock in a company, Mason creates business difficulties to bring out the worst in the other woman. The plan works, but it also creates other events to start moving, and the divorcee becomes an accomplice to a murder pointing to Mason’s client.

   In the preliminary hearing, Burger’s case is unbelievably sloppy, but Mason has to play the jury trial strictly by ear. He is quite lucky to pull this one off. As for the plot, it’s complicated as it always is when Perry gets involved. To me, the details were wrapped up too quickly, but they all seem to fit. The final product makes for very easy reading. (This is a statement that’s true for every Gardner story I’ve ever read.) As a humorous aside, the names of the characters really get me. Regerson B. Neffs is the worst.

   But finally, in case you were wondering, yes, the accomplice was nervous.

Rating:    *** ½