A broad-shouldered, rather heavy-set man, of about thirty-two, with haunted brown eyes, walked into the office, and stared at the sober countenance of Perry Mason.
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)
The difference between Gardner's novel and Grisham's is one of eighty-three years and intensity of focus, i.e., Gardner's book is about one case in one place, while Grisham's is about many cases and takes place in various American cities as well as in Senegal. Both Perry Mason and the three protagonists of Grisham's novel skirt the law, with Mason just inside of it and Mark, Todd and Zola just outside of it. Grisham's novel uses the relatively limited vocabulary of current potboilers, while Gardner is not afraid to use words such as meretricious and use them well. Gardner's book starts out with a simple plot that becomes progressively more complex, leading up to a sensational murder trial, while Grisham explains everything at length while indulging in somewhat one-sided social criticism: of banks, law schools and immigration authorities.
Gardner's book is structured to some extent like an eighteenth century novel, with plot elements continually discussed by Mason and Paul Drake, his investigator, to keep us informed of various developments. In Grisham's novel three law-school students drop out of law school after one of their fellow students commits suicide and decide to practice law without a degree and without passing the bar. Interestingly there is no discussion by the students or by Grisham about the position of Milton Friedman and some other economists that licensing lawyers is simply a way to keep the number of lawyers down and the prices up. Also, there is no mention of the seven states that allow one to become a lawyer without going to law school; the three law school seniors have student debt of several hundred-thousand dollars each. The three Grisham students quickly get caught (they haven't paid attention to the statutes of limitation in their three years of law school) but manage to escape to Zola's family, now deported to Senegal. Perry Mason gets an acquittal for his client, though he (and we) are not sure whether or not she did actually commit murder.
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Howling Dog (1934)
The difference between Gardner's novel and Grisham's is one of eighty-three years and intensity of focus, i.e., Gardner's book is about one case in one place, while Grisham's is about many cases and takes place in various American cities as well as in Senegal. Both Perry Mason and the three protagonists of Grisham's novel skirt the law, with Mason just inside of it and Mark, Todd and Zola just outside of it. Grisham's novel uses the relatively limited vocabulary of current potboilers, while Gardner is not afraid to use words such as meretricious and use them well. Gardner's book starts out with a simple plot that becomes progressively more complex, leading up to a sensational murder trial, while Grisham explains everything at length while indulging in somewhat one-sided social criticism: of banks, law schools and immigration authorities.
Gardner's book is structured to some extent like an eighteenth century novel, with plot elements continually discussed by Mason and Paul Drake, his investigator, to keep us informed of various developments. In Grisham's novel three law-school students drop out of law school after one of their fellow students commits suicide and decide to practice law without a degree and without passing the bar. Interestingly there is no discussion by the students or by Grisham about the position of Milton Friedman and some other economists that licensing lawyers is simply a way to keep the number of lawyers down and the prices up. Also, there is no mention of the seven states that allow one to become a lawyer without going to law school; the three law school seniors have student debt of several hundred-thousand dollars each. The three Grisham students quickly get caught (they haven't paid attention to the statutes of limitation in their three years of law school) but manage to escape to Zola's family, now deported to Senegal. Perry Mason gets an acquittal for his client, though he (and we) are not sure whether or not she did actually commit murder.
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