The Windsors at War; The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife

 

Apparently this was a follow-up to "The Crown in Crisis" (which I did not read, and my library does not own), which talked about the abdication crisis. This was about the Duke, Duchess, and the King during WWII. The Duke of Windsor was whining about all manner of ridiculously inconsequential nonsense while his poor brother was desperately trying to hold his country together and win a war against a tyrant. It really solidified the fact that England had the right king during the war, Edward would have been a disaster. 

A nearby library system has *almost* all of the Perry Mason books, so I'm determined to read as many as I can.

This one did not feel familiar in the slightest, so I'm going to guess I've never read it. A woman named Jane and her sister visit Mason. Jane's husband died and left her with a little bit of money, which his brother has been investing for her (not well, by the way). Jane recently sold a little island to a millionaire named Parker Benton. There's just one little snag: there's an oil lease on the island owned by Scott Shelby. Since Shelby hadn't made payments in five months, Jane thought it was lapsed, but it turns out there's a clause that says Shelby has up to six months to make any back payments and retain his rights. Shelby tries to pay Jane the five months back pay, but she won't take it. 

Benton invites everyone involved (and then some) on his yacht to go visit the island and discuss the issue in order to hopefully come to a peaceful resolution. Unfortunately, Shelby is killed and it looks like his wife is the culprit. Mason doesn't buy it though and starts digging into things. It was very clever and I enjoyed the twists and turns it took.