THE BOOKWOMANS LAST FLING - John Dunning

The fifth 'Cliff Janaway" Bookman mystery. Cliff is contacted to appraise a collection of children's books worth many thousands by the family of the deceased collector to get a Will finalised.

On arrival he discovers that many  books are missing and have been replaced by copies and that  books worth even more have been left behind.

To solve this problem he has to confirm that the owner of the books was murdered twenty years earlier and then delve into her life to explain the book mystery. To do this he gets involved in the families other business which is race horses, travelling to Californian race tracks working as a groom.

Its a good story  not the best and although the author looses his way in the middle he manages to get  it all back on track  in a very hurried fashion at the end  and reaches a satisfying conclusion.

We have some good violence and interesting facts about the racing scene this time. Not so much information regarding the second hand book scene as in the two previous stories I have read.                    ( Published 2006)

THE CASE OF THE SINGING SKIRT - Erle Stanley Gardner

From 1959 we have super lawyer Perry Mason on the case.

A night club singer enters Perry's office with a gun and the tale of how her employers were planning to steal from a client with a gambling scam.

Then bodies start and turn up.

Of course Perry bamboozles everyone with his genius in Court as he always does with the assistance of his assistant Della Street.

My only complaint is that Gardner cheats the reader in not giving him some crucial information which breaks what Chandler calls " the rules'. The lack of this information stops the reader from logically following the investigation.

But, as with all the Perry Mason stories , its a good time filler and not unenjoyable.