Book Review: The Case of the Worried Waitress by Erle Stanley Gardner (1966)

Synopsis: While out dining with Della Street, Perry Mason learns a new waitress, Kit Ellis, has traded with another server to have his table. Suspecting she wants a consultation, Mason leaves her his card and when she visits his office the next day, she tells a strange tale about her Aunt Sophia, who lives like a pauper despite having thousands of dollars hidden away in hat boxes. Agreeing something is amiss, Mason advises Kit to leave the house immediately. Only, it is already too late. When his client returns to get her things, she is accused of stealing $100 and not long after, her aunt is assaulted, and Kit becomes the primary suspect for attempted murder.

Review: After being reintroduced to Perry Mason books several days ago with The Case of the Beautiful Beggar, I decided to get the next one in the series, The Case of the Worried Waitress. This required a short wait because our library had to order a copy, but I had it in time for the weekend. Unfortunately, while I didn't hate the book, it also wasn't one of my favorites.

I thought the mystery had some intriguing elements. For one, in addition to Kit's aunt acting strange, including secretly selling pencils and pens, there was also a blind woman, Mildred Aldie, who seemed to be impersonating the aunt for unknown reasons. Plus, while I didn't think Kit was guilty, she sure did seem to go out of her way to appear like that, including defying Mason's orders not to return to the house without a witness and collecting items from her room that would incriminate her.

The main problem I had with this book, however, was there really never seemed to be any sense of urgency. Even Lieutenant Tragg, who made the arrest, didn't seem to fully believe Kit was guilty, even going as far as looking the other way when Mason was doing things that, while technically legal, did seem a bit fishy. 

In fact, Kit's arrest almost seemed like it was being done solely for the sake of the plot, especially since the "family friend," Stuart Baxley, was an equally good suspect and had even been caught trying to plant evidence. Tragg is portrayed as someone who is usually on top of his game, and a solid rival for Mason but certainly didn't seem to be this time around.

Final Opinion: As I said, it's not my favorite Perry Mason book. However, there are a few surprises and parts of the mystery are intriguing so it's still taking the time to read.

My Grade: B