The Case of the Baited Hook (1940) by Erle Stanley Gardner

(7/10 stars)

“You baited a trap with a ten thousand-dollar bill. You probably didn’t know it was a trap at the time, and I didn’t. But the trap has sprung. I’m caught, and you’re caught…We’ve got to get out.”

A masked woman, an alias, and half of a ten thousand dollar bill—that’s what it takes to get Perry Mason out of bed on a dark and rainy night. The man on the phone is insistent. He has to meet Mason, and it has to be tonight. Tomorrow will be too late. When he arrives at his office, Mason is surprised by the man’s companion, a silent woman whose identity is hidden by a mask and oversized clothing. This woman is his client, even though he has no idea who she is. If his services are needed, she will identify herself by presenting the second half of the ten thousand dollar bill. “What I want you to do is protect her,” the man says. “From what?” asks Mason. “From everything,” he replies. And “everything” is exactly what happens.

The Case of the Baited Hook zips merrily along from one crime to the next, leaving Perry Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake with a series of complicated mysteries to unravel. Though Mason never sets foot in a courtroom, his legal expertise gets quite a workout here, as several unusual points of law come into play. Due to the lack of trial scenes and an overly abrupt conclusion, this isn’t my favorite Perry Mason adventure, but it is an awful lot of fun.

Having an unknown client presents many practical difficulties, as any potential client may have some conflict of interest with “Miss Mysterious.” Mason must use classified ads to communicate with the man who hired him. This adds delay at a time when he can least afford it. All at once, a great many people are interested in retaining Mason’s services. He doesn’t think that is a coincidence.

The most insistent is Abigail Tump, a bulldozer of a woman whose manner alarms Della: “She’s around sixty-five, and she still has sex appeal, if you know what I mean…She has personality and uses it. She puts her stuff across.” Mrs. Tump wants Mason to act on behalf of her former ward, Byrl Gailord. Byrl’s inheritance is threatened by an illegal adoption and the shadiness of her stepfather Albert  Tidings, who is trustee of the estate. Tidings has troubles of his own, being mixed up with a nasty divorce and an even nastier financial scandal.

Over the next several days, Mason and his colleagues investigate a murder with a murky timeline, all the while trying to determine which of the women involved in the case might actually be his masked client. Mason really throws his weight around in this one, and it’s a joy to watch. As he explains, he can play this rough because he has faith in his clients and knows he has the truth on his side. (Pretty bold in this case, considering that he doesn’t even know who he’s representing!)

Truth is the most powerful weapon a man can use, and if you practice law the way we do, it’s the only weapon powerful enough to use. A lawyer doing the things that I have done and relying on anything less powerful than the truth would be disbarred in a month.

Speaking of getting disbarred, district attorney Hamilton Burger makes a brief but belligerent appearance to threaten Mason with exactly that. I love how much Erle Stanley Gardner hates Burger. This series includes a variety of different prosecutors, most of them competent attorneys who are simply outwitted by Mason. But Burger is the target of Gardner’s special enmity. “A barrel-chested, thick-necked individual who gave the impression of having great physical strength and a bulldog mental tenacity,” Burger is always portrayed as the legal equivalent of Godzilla, roaring right into the middle of every case, leaving swaths of destruction in his wake.

No one is too concerned about this threat, however. There is plenty of relaxed banter at the office; the atmosphere during this case is especially laid-back, which adds to the sense of fun. The office scenes also allow Della and Paul a reasonably large presence in the book, despite neither of them having anything major to do in the investigation. It’s Mason’s show all the way; not even the suspects are allowed to hold the spotlight for long. A few of them do manage to wrest it away briefly, especially a female suspect who goes head-to-head with Mason and proves to be a worthy adversary.

When it comes to the solution, The Case of the Baited Hook lives up to its name. Gardner sets up an irresistible situation, only to end by delivering less than he promises. For a series that prides itself on making airtight cases, the solution is hurried, unconvincing, and—worst of all—highly speculative. It’s still very much worth reading, however, as the rest of the book is so enjoyable. With a stronger ending, it could be one of Gardner’s best. As it is, The Case of the Baited Hook has many pleasures to offer, even if the payoff doesn’t quite live up to expectations.

Second Opinions

Vintage Pop Fictions

The Case of the Baited Hook has just about everything you could ask for in a Perry Mason mystery. It has a complex tightly constructed plot and it has Mason, as always, displaying his highly individualistic and flexible (if risky) approach to legal ethics. Highly recommended.

In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel

The mystery is full of distinctive characters and while everyone seems to be responsible for something or other in the plot, it’s not difficult keeping track of who’s who and who did what. The murderer is reasonably well-hidden, I thought, and the plot does a good job of bouncing suspicion from character to character.

Availability

The Case of the Baited Hook is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats from American Mystery Classics.

It was filmed in 1957 for the Perry Mason television series, season 1, episode 4.