The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe

A Perry Mason Mystery

17 June 2022

Territory Rights — Worldwide.

Erle Stanley Gardner (Author)

With an Introduction by Otto Penzler

Description

After a thieving woman is accused of murder, it’s up to Perry Mason to prove her innocent

Sleuthing attorney Perry Mason can’t resist a good mystery, so when he sees an older woman being accused of shoplifting during a department store outing with his assistant, Della Street, he doesn’t hesitate to intervene. Armed with an assumption of innocence and the legal acumen to silence her accuser, Mason leaps to the woman’s defense—until her niece appears, acknowledging her aunt’s guilt, and pays for the stolen items.

Soon thereafter, Aunt Sarah is accused of stealing a valuable set of diamonds, and her niece, Virginia, enlists Mason’s aid. The man who left the jewels in Sarah’s care insists that she didn’t take them, but when he turns up dead, she’s left with nobody to vouch for her. Nobody, that is, but Perry Mason—expert in the art of defending the innocent.

The thirteenth novel in the bestselling Perry Mason series, The Case of the Shoplifter’s Shoe is an exemplary episode for the character, featuring the complex plots, snappy dialogue, and break-neck pacing that make the novels perennial favorites of mystery fans everywhere.

Includes discussion guide questions for use in book clubs.

Reviews

"Mason displays his usual brilliant cross-examination skills as the action builds to a highly satisfying climax. Gardner’s cleverness and mastery of trial details are amply on display in this entry in the American Mystery Classics series." — Publishers Weekly

"No one has ever matched Gardner for swift, sure exposition." — Kirkus

"While we wait to watch Mason eviscerate his opponent, we can savor a vanished way of talking. There's something charming about hearing a movie called a "picture show." As a kind of origin story, this one's a treat." — Booklist

"With Perry Mason, Erle Stanley Gardner introduced to American letters the notion of the lawyer as a hero—and a detective—which were remarkable innovations. He even gave defense lawyers a good name to boot. His Mason books reaming tantalizing on every page and brilliant." — Scott Turow, author of Presume Innocent and Testimony

Also By: Erle Stanley Gardner View all by author...

Also By: Otto Penzler View all by author...

  • Obelists En Route

    C. Daly King, Otto Penzler

    Paperback, 2025

    The discovery of a corpse turns a cross-country train journey into a closed-circle hunt for a killer
  • The Door

    Mary Roberts Rinehart, Otto Penzler

    Paperback, 2025

    An old woman suspects her own household staff of murder in this classic mystery by the author known as the American Agatha Christie.
  • The Three Coffins

    John Dickson Carr, Otto Penzler

    Paperback, 2025

    Dr. Gideon Fell solves two impossible murders in one of the most baffling locked room mysteries ever created.
  • Christmas Crimes at The Mysterious Bookshop

    Otto Penzler

    Hardback, 2024

    Twelve festive crime stories set in New York City’s beloved mystery bookstore
  • The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2024

    Anthony Horowitz, Otto Penzler

    Paperback, 2024

    Anthony Horowitz selects and introduces the best mystery stories from the past year, under the auspices of the world’s oldest mystery fiction specialty bookshop.

Paperback

9781613162866

135 x 206 mm • 285 pages

£8.99

Add to Basket

Ebook

9781613162873

Powered by Glassboxx

£8.99

Add to Basket