The Case of the Howling Dog

Perry Mason Series, Book 4

By: Erle Stanley Gardner

Narrated by: Alexander Cendese

Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Compared to a juicy murder trial, a case of feuding neighbors isn't exactly Perry Mason's cup of tea. But Arthur Cartright insists that Mason is the only one who can muzzle the howling hound that's driving Cartright crazy. But Perry doesn't realize just how crazy until he meets his client's neighbor. Clinton Foley says Cartright is barking up the wrong tree with his canine companion - and swears that the man is dangerously insane to boot.

Mason's not the type to cop out on a client - but when Cartright draws up a will that leaves everything to his neighbor's wife, even Perry has to wonder if the man has slipped from anger into madness. That's why he pays a personal visit to Clinton Foley's house, where he finds one missing wife, one poisoned dog, and one corpse....

©1934, 1961 Erle Stanley Gardner. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Good story with excellent narration

In <strong>The Case of the Howling Dog</strong> by Erle Stanley Gardner, Perry Mason, fresh off a huge court success, gets visited by a man wanting help making a will and stopping his neighbor's dog from howling during the night. The new client, Arthur Cartright, is concerned that a howling dog means death in the neighborhood, and the neighbor's wife, Evelyn Foley, has been seriously ill. Cartright is concerned that Clinton Foley has been making his dog howl in order to scare his wife into dying. With the news that Foley is trying to have Cartright put in a mental institute, Mason tries to send word to Cartright to lie low but never reaches the man. When Mason goes to Foley's house, he finds the man shot to death and the dog dead near his master.

Soon, it becomes known that Evelyn Foley is not really the lawful wife of Clinton Foley, who has been living under an assumed name, and his true wife, Bessie Forbes, gets accused of the murder. Mason takes on the case to defend her. He uses all his tricks in the courtroom to get Mrs. Forbes off the case.

I enjoyed <strong>The Case of the Howling Dog</strong>, but not as much as the first two books in the series. I found Mason's courtroom techniques intriguing as he points out inconsistencies with the prosecution. The courtroom scenes were dramatic and impressive as Mason strategizes the best way to foil the methods of the prosecution. Another feature of this book that I didn't like is that outside the courtroom (and inside sometimes too) Mason yells easily at others around him, in particular the police responding to the murder, which got disturbing, especially because in the first two books, he didn't resort to yelling in order to get his way. Rather, he used logic and skill.

I also did not like the attitudes expressed towards the Chinese in this book. Written in 1934, this book serves ro remind us that African Americans were not the only ones to receive discrimination in this country. In fact, in 1882, Grover Cleveland signed the Chinese Exclusion Act that made it illegal for Chinese to move to this country. In addition, even Chinese born in the United States could not become citizens. The law was not lifted until the middle of World War II, in 1943, but only 105 were allowed each year into the country then. So the negative attitudes towards Chinese shown in this book, including racial slurs, reflect the prevailing attitudes of the day. The Chinese Exclusion Act is seen when immigration officers come and drag away the Chinese cook because he sneaked into the country from Mexico, not having been allowed to immigrate legally. The way the officers talk to the man is truly offensive based upon today's standards, so it is crucial to read this book with the era in mind.

One other detail I didn't appreciate as much was the way Mason makes it clear that he is out to win, no matter what methods he uses. To do so, he uses tricks to discredit actual facts that don't help his case. He explains his philosophy that his job isn't really to find the truth but instead to win.

Alexander Cendese performs the audio version of <strong>The Case of the Howling Dog</strong>. He sounds ideally as I might imagine Perry Mason might sound and uses his powerful voice effectively. The courtroom scenes come across strongly, with effective direct and redirect scenes. Cendese's use of voices for the other characters comes across effectively too. I found his performance to work well and really appreciated it.

In all, I appreciated <strong>The Case of the Howling Dog</strong>. The story was interesting, and the courtroom scenes were full of drama. However, I did not find this book as effective as the first two books in the series. I didn't like the yelling, and I didn't like Mason's tricks that squashed the prosecution's actual facts. I give this book for four stars.

Mason: Pulpy with real cleverness

As long as you know what you are getting here, this is great fun. The Perry Mason novels are not like the TV show. They are more hard boiled, and very pulpy. Moreover, attitudes are somewhat dated. That said, the story is clever and the major characters (Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake) are all terrific. Cendese is a fine reader that fits the pulp style well.

Great Perry Mason Mystery

These early Earl Stanley Gardner “Perry Mason” novels are extraordinary. There are some legal and cultural anachronisms but if you allow for the early 20th Century writing and setting during Prohibition America, the legal and cultural issues are understandable. Some nomenclature used is offensive by 21st century standards but were common during the period. I will never want this book nor any others modified for current political correctness. Such people who desire to revisions “Huckleberry Finn” or ban “To Kill A Mockingbird” have minds of low caliber that do not wish to remember history. This is a well written mystery and a historical document.

Fun book, horrible narration

I’m a Perry Mason fan, and reading these very early books is fun and interesting. Too bad all of the audio versions are ruined by the schlocky, amateurish, over-the top narration of Alexander Cendese. I wish someone would reissue the Perry Mason series with a competent narrator.

Addictive Storytelling, Fun Plot twists, Fresh Nostalgia

Perry Mason is an iconic character, almost a caricature of a character, but an idealized hero. I take that back he’s definitely a caricature of a character and so were all the other characterizations in the story, it’s almost like reading an American kabuki show. But underneath all that is a fascinating view of times and attitudes of Americana at its present time. These books were incredibly popular in American at the time that these books were written, and without looking at this in a revisionist history English major mambo jumbo, these are fantastic interesting addictive stories and the case of the howling dog is one of the best ones I’ve listen to.

Still one of my favorite Perry Mason books

I think this is the 6th time I've listened to this one, I love the books even more than the TV series. I wish I had discovered the series while all 84 of tha Audibles were available...I was only able to get 54 of the series. Usually I listen to them on the kindle app...but in August kindle did an automatic update on the Perry Mason books and before I realized what was happening 22 of the series were updated and I lost the Audible sync for the 22. I quickly shut off the auto update feature so I wouldn't loose any more. My warning to you...shut off the Automatic updates feature and just update books that do not have the audible sync along....or you might just loose the audible portion of the book. I tried contacting both Kindle and Audible but problem so far has not been fixed. I miss reading/listening to them!!! Anyway this is a very enjoyable series...read, listen, and enjoy.

fun, tantalizing pulp, but not "literature"

The PM novels are "pulp" fiction at its best: entertaining, sexist, racist, and poorly written.

Gladiator at Law

The solution to the mystery is did the dog howl, and if it did what caused it to howl?

The case begins with a nervous man wanting to draw up a Will and wanting Perry Mason to stop a neighbour's dog from howling. PM is intrigued, he consults with the office of the DA, and a cursory examination of his client's mental health. The case takes twists turns and a lesson in what an Attorney should do for his client and just how far he/she hould go. The previous novels had concentrated on Perry Mason as detective. This one begins the narrative of PM as Legal Eagle, beginning his legend as a tricky practitioner of the law, his reputation as skating on thin ice where his court room gladiatorial efforts are concerned.

And so the legend is built.

the best

the best perry mason book by erle stanley gardner. fast pace. unable to put the book down when i read it in 1989