Counting the Cost; One of Us is Back; The Case of the Restless Redhead; The Case of the Sun Bather's Diary

 

Why yes, I did spend all weekend reading, thanks for asking! (Although, to be fair, I started "One of Us is Back" a few weeks ago. The other three I read in one day: this one Friday, "Redhead" on Saturday, and "Sun Bather" on Sunday. It was that kind of weekend). 

I wanted to see what Jill had to say after reading Jinger's book. Much like her sister, she had nothing bad to say about her parents, in fact, she emphasized how lovely her childhood was and how much she loves them, which is why she felt all the more betrayed when she discovered that her father, Jim Bob, was keeping money that she earned from the show from her. He tricked her into signing a contract the day before her wedding to Derick, and as a result they lost out on an opportunity to be missionaries because they couldn't get out of it. Jim Bob did eventually pay her some of the money he owed her, and their relationship is now on the mend. I'm glad for everyone involved. 

The third book in the "One of Us is Lying" series, after "One of Us is Next", was pretty good. I remembered the first book pretty well, but not the second one (maybe I wasn't paying very close attention?) so I was a bit lost. Easy enough to catch up, though. 

The whole crew from Bayview is back in town for the summer. A mysterious billboard pops up, and it's time for a new game. Jake, who terrorized them in the second book, is released from jail while waiting for a new trial. Everyone is on edge. Turns out there are still a lot of secrets in Bayview, including the identity of Jake's biological father and who really killed the man his mother was having an affair with. 

And then two more fun Perry Mason's. I feel like Gardner really found his groove in the '50s. 

Perry goes to Riverside to get some documents signed by a judge and since he's early, he sits in on an ongoing trial. A young woman named Evelyn is accused of stealing $40,000 of jewelry from a woman who was on her way to Las Vegas to be a bridesmaid in a starlet's wedding. The newbie attorney defending Evelyn isn't doing such a great job, so Perry gives him some advice. The next day Perry reads in the papers that Evelyn was acquitted, all thanks to her amazing attorney. 

Evelyn shows up in Perry's office to thank him in person, and Perry takes a liking to her (no, not like that) and helps her get a job as a waitress. She calls him up, frantic, saying someone tried to run her off the road and she fired two wild shots at the car from a gun she found in her room. Well, that sounds like a frame up, especially when it turns out the driver of the other car is dead--shot in the head. Perry has a fun time mixing up the two different guns in this case (Holcomb never learns). 

"The Sun Bather's Diary" was even better. A young lady named Agnes calls Perry's office. She's been robbed--of everything. She can't come into the office since she doesn't have a stitch of clothing. She was out sun bathing in the nude when her house trailer and car were stolen. Della runs out and meets her with some clothes, and then she tells them what happened. Her father was convicted of stealing close to $400,000 from the bank where he worked. Agnes quit her job to prove his innocence, and kept a detailed diary hidden in her trailer. She thinks it was stolen so someone could read it. 

Perry gets himself mixed up in it all the way to his eyebrows, to the point where Hamilton Burger accuses him of perjury and calls him as a witness for the prosecution, which was all kinds of awesome. Gardner really makes the DA out to be a chump. Perry paid Paul a nice compliment, so that was good. It's about time he learned to appreciate him!