I Dreamed I Married Perry Mason

by Susan Kandel

Book Overview

All that writer Cece Caruso -- a thirty-nine-year-old former beauty queen from New Jersey -- really wants to do is finish her biography of Erle Stanley Gardner so that she can finally stop obsessing about Perry Mason. Well, that and find a 1970 silk chiffon Ossie Clark to add to her collection of vintage clothing. And fix the broken front doorknob on her West Hollywood bungalow. But first she has to help save her daughter's foundering marriage, which...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060581050
• ISBN13: 9780060581053
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Score a ten for Susan Kendel

Anyone who has devoured the Perry Mason mysteries will love reading this story. The author has carefully researched the life and times of Earl Stanley Gardner and she flavors this book with much of it. In addition, the protaganist, Cece Caruso, is a great character who sports vinatge clothing. What great fun for the reader. I am ready for the next book in the series.Calliforni

Pleasantly surprised!

My expectations for this book weren't very high for some reason. I thought it would be just another chick-genre mystery with a gimmick and not much to make it stand out. I was surprised to find that not only was the story good, the tie-in with Erle Stanley Gardner seemed extremely well researched and truly a part of the plot, not just something thrown in as a device. In the first chapter I wasn't so sure I was going to appreciate Cece's passion for vintage clothing, but that came across as a genuine part of the story and part of the character as well and wasn't overdone. The writing is good, the locale is really well described and the characters are interesting. I am looking forward to seeing what the author does with Nancy Drew in the next book (Nancy was my first introduction to mystery fiction!).

Sly verbiage and ingenious wit...

CeCe Caruso is a writer, specifically a writer of biographies. Currently, she's working on piecing together the fascinating tale of the life of Erle Stanley Gardner, the creator of the Perry Mason series. She inadvertently comes across a murder-mystery of her own when going through some of Gardner's old files. CeCe stumbles her way through a muddled confusion of suspects, innuendo and out-and-out blackmail, trying to find the answer to the question of who killed whom, and for what reason, all the while attempting to hold together her own somewhat odd, and oh-so-human life. Along the way, CeCe becomes attached to a younger man, struggles to work out the mystifying possibilities of her daughter's husband's before-marriage wild oats, solve the problem of the slimy, and pesky, snail intruders in her yard and, last but not least, finish the Gardner biography in time to give it to her editor. I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON is a romp that reader's of chic-lit and women's fiction won't want to miss. Filled with unpredictable, down-to-earth characters that grab your attention and make you feel like you're right there in the moment, living their slightly twisted lives right along with them. Author Susan Kandel has given the leading characters quirky little traits that add depth and a deliciously humorous bent to the tale. Readers will have no trouble relating to slap-dash, sometimes-messy, vintage-clothes-loving CeCe. Nor will they have a problem connecting with beautiful big-hearted Lael, CeCe's best friend. And, they certainly won't find it hard to imagine CeCe's attraction to `tall dark and handsome' Burnett. Susan Kandel's I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON is truly one of the most entertaining books I've read this year. Writing is an art form, and Kandel certainly has a gift with words. Filled with originality, humor and an earthy charm, I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON is a stunning success. For anyone wanting an escape from the usual, Kandel's latest novel delivers. At first I was a bit put-off by the first person scenario. As a general rule, I dislike novels written in first-person, but Kandel pulls off this difficult style without a hitch. With sly verbiage, ingenious wit and a storyline that will keep you hooked until the end, I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON has all the bases covered.

Great Read!

What a great little book. The title is a little misleading because Perry Mason never makes an appearance, instead it is the story of an Erle Stanley Gardner biographer getting caught up in an old murder mystery. I thought the story jumped around a little too much sometimes, but overall it was very good and I thought the premise was unique. If you like this kind of mystery, I would also recommend Harley Jane Kozak's books.

A well-dressed mystery--

When I was thirteen, my Mama took me to our local library and introduced me to her favorite authors. These were the acknowledged masters of the "Golden Age of Mystery Novels"-Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, Ngaio Marsh, Rex Stout, Dorothy Sayers, Erle Stanley Gardner, Mary Roberts Rinehart, etc. They kept me busy-and reading-for a good many years. In fact, I still go back to them, with great anticipation, and am seldom ever disappointed. Even the occasional anachronisms are fun! How then, could I pass up "I dreamed I married Perry Mason"? I couldn't, it's that simple. I rather like the trend of using real (older) characters in new books, as long as it's done in a sensible fashion. Here, the author really does a great job of telling us more about the man, Erle Stanley, and his various series of books. I loved the Donald Lam/Bertha Cool books as much as those about Perry Mason and Della Street. I knew nothing about the earlier books, which makes me want to go find them. CeCe Caruso is a delightful, mature lady-not an oldster, by any means, but not a young chick, either. Thank goodness! She's bright, and insecure, and persistent-admirable qualities, all. Her love of vintage clothing is an added fillip. One wonders which of today's fashionistas will be so celebrated in 40 years as the great names of the previous century. CeCe has a career, too, as a biographer whose books are actually published. Good for her! When she gets stuck mid-way through her 6th book-about Erle Stanley-she stumbles over an intriguing letter to the Court of Last Resort, an offshoot of Gardner's early career as an attorney. The clues to the mystery involved are scattered throughout, but not blatantly displayed, leaving the reader to wonder a bit. The research involved is awesome in its complexity, and presented in a very accessible manner. The secondary characters-and the plots in which they are involved-are an exotic bunch, but after all, they do live in La-La land! The writing is terrific: engaging and extremely descriptive with ample humor, as well. CeCe isn't afraid to occasionally deride herself or her foibles, but never gets maudlin about it. Bring on Nancy Drew, I say! And after that-who knows?