Perry Mason and the Case of the Velvet Claws: A Radio Dramatization

Perry Mason plays fast and loose with the law in a deadly case


Published in 2010 by The Colonial Radio Theatre on Brilliance Audio.

Voiced by the actors of The Colonial Radio Theatre on the Air.
Duration: 1 hour 31 minutes
Dramatized for audio by M.J. Elliot. Based on the book by Erle Stanley Gardner.

The Case of the Velvet Claws was the very first Perry Mason book, published in 1933. This radio dramatization is based on that book but, of course, it had to be adapted for the "radio play" format.

Perry Mason, Paul Drake and Della Street all figure large in this murder mystery that all began with an adulterous wife who wants to avoid political scandal. Eva Griffin, married to a powerful millionaire,  was discovered in a hotel with a married Congressman due to an unrelated crime at the hotel. Spicy Bits, a magazine that specializes in reporting scandal, is on the trail of this potential scandal and Griffin wants Perry Mason to act in her stead and offer the magazine a bribe to drop the story. Mason agrees to contact Spicy Bits and see what he can do but soon enough Griffin's husband is murdered and his client is, of course, a suspect. But, in a twist, Perry Mason is also a suspect!

Erle Stanley Gardner
 (1889-1970)

Perry Mason and the Case of the Velvet Claws is an entertaining audiobook (or radio play, if you prefer). Special effects are well-utilized and the characters all have distinctive voices and accents and work well together. I was struck, however, by Mason's willingness to tamper with evidence, create fake alibis and flat out lie in order to save his client. Nevertheless, it was still a solid bit of entertainment.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Perry Mason and the Case of the Velvet Claws: A Radio Dramatization

Reviewed on January 9, 2011.