Case of the Perjured Parrot; Case of the Rolling Bones; Case of the Mischievous Doll; Case of the Reluctant Model; Elsewhere, California; Good Night, Mr. Holmes; Making Rumours

Some more Perry Mason rereads by Erle Stanley Gardner.
"Case of the Perjured Parrot" -- someone has gone to a lot of trouble to teach Casanova the parrot a new phrase, either implicating the ex-wife or the girlfriend (both conveniently named Helen) in a multimillionaire's murder. I liked this one because Helen the girlfriend is a librarian. Whoo hoo!
"Case of the Rolling Bones" has Perry defending a man who is accused of killing the same man twice.
"Case of the Mischievous Doll" has Perry defending a woman who is accused of killing herself, or rather, a fake identity she created.
"Case of the Reluctant Model" -- what starts as a simple libel suit in the case of a piece of artwork escalates into murder.

Okay, something new! "Elsewhere, California" by Dana Johnson is about Avery, growing up in West Covina in the 1970s after her parents move from crime ridden L.A. It flips back and forth between the past and the present. I enjoyed it, I thought she did an excellent job of capturing the vibe and feel of the 70s, from the music Avery was listening to to the clothes she was wearing and whose posters she would have had hanging in her room.

"Good Night, Mr. Holmes" is Carole Nelson Douglas's first Irene Adler adventure, and I really enjoyed it. The characters of Irene and Nell are so beautifully done, and she throws in just enough Sherlock and Watson to keep it interesting but not so much that she intrudes on Conan Doyle. In this book we learn how Irene and Nell first meet, and try to solve their first case together. Investigating this case leads to meeting Godfrey Norton, whom Irene later marries, but not until she returns from Bohemia after running from the King.

"Making Rumours" by Ken Caillat is the inside story of producing the iconic Fleetwood Mac album (and one of my all time favorites). It was a bit too technical for my taste (being a sound engineer in the 1970s sounds like it was *a lot* of work), but now I understand why bands rarely sound the same live as they do on their albums, after all the manipulation that goes into it. Boy, what a process! Plus Caillat comes off a bit arrogant for my taste. I also think he downplayed the drugs and alcohol influence at the time, but hey, whatever. I was more interested in how the band was interacting with each other, and instead I got a lesson on microphones, speakers, and consoles. At least I learned something new, I guess :)