I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON

Author: Susan Kandel ISBN: 0060581050 5/2004 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: HARPER COLLINS

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 is more than Cece could manage for her own. Everybody's got problems. In a last-ditch effort to kick a bad case of writer's block, Cece pays a visit to a prison inmate who had once corresponded with Gardner, pleading his innocence. Her impetuousness lands her smack in the middle of a case worthy of Perry Mason himself -- a double-edged mystery linking a forty-year-old murder to one where the body is still warm. Propelled by tenacity, curiosity, a sense of humor, and an understanding of human nature's dark side, Cece will channel the inner sleuth she never realized she possessed to find a killer who is all too real -- and all too close.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

What a treat!

Quirky, amusing, refreshing, imaginative, I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON mirrors debut author Susan Kandel's lead character, biographer Cece Caruso.

I normally don't care for first person narrative, but Cece is the perfect vehicle for spinning this engaging romp through California's colorful past and present. Under Ms. Kandel's skillful pen, Cece deftly maneuvers readers through a maze of off-beat characters and adventures—or misadventures as is often the case with this character.

While researching a biography of Erle Stanley Gardner, Cece stumbles onto a past murder mystery and into a present day murder. These two murders may or may not be connected. Investigating the murders, Cece uncovers all sorts of unsavory secrets while juggling personal problems on the home front and rekindling a romance with police detective, Peter Gambino.

With a thing for vintage clothes and Perry Mason, Cece is an interesting blend of whimsy and brains. Ms. Kandel did a great job with Cece's character. The heart and soul of this story, even Cece's ramblings, are entertaining.

It's no mystery I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON is the first in a series of Cece Caruso mysteries. I can't wait to read more Cece escapades. I can't wait to learn more of Gambino.

If you like mysteries with a dash of romance, I highly recommend Cece's first adventure.

Debbie Jett