|
Reviewed: The Case of the Perjured Parrot By Erle Stanley Gardener (Ballantine Books, New York, 1939, 167 pp, ISBN: 0-345-34685-8, Cdn $5.99,paperback)
This
one was the exception to that case, perhaps it was because it involved a parrot.
Actually, it involved not one, not two, but three parrots. They
play a key role, used in a manner similar to the "old shell game" -
except with parrots. The story involves the murder of wealthy businessman
Fremont Sabin, who may or may not have been killed before a divorce from his
wife went through. Several clues point to the fact he may even have been
committing bigamy. As usual, all his heirs are fighting over the issue,
especially given the fact there is no will. The
parrot angle involves Sabin's beloved pet parrot Casanova, found at the scene of
the crime. However, it becomes apparent a switch was made by someone (the
murderer? one of his wives? Sabin himself?) as the parrot found at the scene
proves to be a foul-mouthed imposter, and there does not seem to be any rational
explanation as to why a switch was made, or where the real Casanova may have
gone. Pretty
soon, Mason is playing musical parrots himself to help solve the case. One of
them (the real one? an imposter?) keeps repeating the phrase, "Put down
that gun, Helen! Don't shoot! My God, you've shot me!" Helen
is the name of both the wife Sabin tried to divorce and a woman with whom he may
have committed bigamy. There
are plenty of other twists and turns and although I figured out one aspect of
the story before the climax, I did miss figuring out the identity of the
murderer. All in all, it's a good little time-waster, especially if you like
parrots. -
Reviewed by John Geary "You see, that's the trouble with teaching a parrot something to say; you never can tell how often he'll say it or when he'll say it." - Perry Mason |
|
General Information About African Greys Fiction
Non-Fiction
|
