There is turmoil after the death of Adam York, publisher of the Los Angeles Chronicle newspaper. York was killed on a fishing expedition along with his brother. The only survivor was Tilden Stuart. York's nephew, Joe Davies, takes over the paper as his uncle had told him that he and his mother would inherit the bulk of the estate. When the will is read, Joe and his mother, Grace Davies, are given half of the estate with the other half going to Joe's aunt, Hope Quentin, and her family who have no interest in the paper other than what they can sell it for. The tie breaker rests with Joe's fiancée, Kerry Worden, who is York's Step-niece. The paper is failing financially but Boyd Alison, a shady businessman, steps in to offer a loan to keep the company going. Joe thinks he's doing okay as a result but, when Worden announces that she is going to marry Hope Quentin's son Ralph, he realizes he has been had. He foolishly says out loud that he could kill her and, when she is found murdered, he... Written by garykmcd

Amory Fallon is investigating a fire the previous week at his company Fallon Paints. He's using the services of the Paul Drake Detective Agency to try and find an old woman who may have seen someone entering the plant on the night of the fire. The person the old woman identifies, however, is Fallon himself. He clearly doesn't get along with his business partner Ned Thompson who he thinks is having an affair with his wife. Fallon had just returned from an extended business trip to Mexico where he appears to have gotten a $250,000 contract. However, his mood has changed to the point where he trusts no one including his wife. He also thinks that Thompson is somehow behind the fire as he had ordered important company documents moved to the part of the factory where the fire started. When Thompson is found dead after Fallon visited Thompson's apartment, he is charged with murder and Perry Mason takes on the case. Written by garykmcd

On her wedding day, Polly Courtland runs out of the church leaving Eddy King standing at the altar. Her father, Templeton Courtland, was opposed to the marriage thinking his daughter could do much better than marrying King, a popular and successful jazz musician. In fact, Polly was protecting her sister Midge from George Sherwin, a blackmailer who had photos of the underage Midge checking into a hotel and gambling in Los Vegas with one of Eddie King's musician's, Bongo White. Her father was involved in anti-gambling work so the pictures would destroy him. Eddy asks Perry Mason to look into what has happened and why. When Sherwin is killed, Eddy sees Polly leaving his apartment building so when he enters the apartment and finds the body, Eddy decides to cover for Polly by changing the scene to make it appear a man was there instead of a woman. Eddy is charged with murder and Perry defends him. Written by garykmcd

In a bad storm, First Officer Jerry Griffin takes command of their cargo ship from Capt. Bancroft who has taken a severe blow to the head. To the captain's later dismay and the hesitation of the crew, Griffin orders the crew to throw the cargo overboard. Griffin's older brother, Charles, was shipping cargo aboard the vessel and now he has lost everything. Based on the maritime General Averaging Clause, the loss may be divided into thirds between the insurance company, ship's owner and the cargo owner. A ruling on Jerry's actions at sea will determine who is ultimately responsible so Jerry hires Perry Mason to defend him in the matter. Capt. Bancroft advises Griffin that he will support him at the upcoming inquiry but, when he is found dead, Jerry is charged with murder. When a salvage crew recovers the abandoned cargo, they find the crates contained scrap iron, not high-end machinery and Perry is convinced that insurance fraud is at the root of the matter. Written by garykmcd

Nightclub comedian Charlie Hatch is in love with the married Anne Gilrain, a severe alcoholic whose marriage to Tom Gilrain is on the rocks. Charlie hires Perry Mason after he hears Anne's husband had her committed to a sanitarium but, not satisfied with the advice Perry gives him, he leaves saying he will settle the matter his way. After Anne escapes from the sanitarium, she goes to her husband's apartment where she tries to contact Charlie's bodyguard, Grimes. Her husband walks in on her finding her on the phone waiting to talk to Grimes. She escapes his apartment so he visits Hatch's dressing room to warn Hatch to stay away. Hatch finds Anne later in a restaurant where he threatens Gilrain when he shows up to take his wife away. When Gilrain is killed, Hatch is more than happy to be charged with murder thinking that he will be found innocent thereby making it unlikely that Anne would be later charged with the crime. It begins to look bad for Charlie when Rowena Leach, Grimes' ... Written by garykmcd

Sylvia Walker is obsessed with mysticism and continually tries to establish contact with her late son, Thomas Leslie Walker. When her nephew, Philip Paisley, apparently goes into a trance and auto-writes a poem Sylvia's son wrote the day before he died in an elevator crash, she is convinced contact has been made and Philip and his wife Elaine move into Thomas' room in the house. Sylvia's daughter, Bonnie Craig, is convinced that Philip is a fraud and seeks Perry Mason's advice. When Bonnie goes into a similar trance-like state where she auto-writes a threatening statement that can only be read when held up to a mirror and Paisley is killed when the same elevator drops five floors, Bonnie is charged with murder. The family doctor says he saw her enter Philip's room with pliers and a screwdriver. Bonnie tells Perry she doesn't know how she did the auto-writing, forcing Perry to call in an ESP expert. When Paul Drake learns that Philip was also a blackmailer, it's up to Perry to figure ... Written by garykmcd

Dr. Wayne Edley has been working hard to start up a new medical practice in a small community. He's invested the money his wife, Janice, received from an uncle, who was a radiologist, in a new medical center which they've had built by an old friend of hers. He runs into a bit of trouble however when a former patient, Hiram Widlock, accuses him of malpractice. He's prepared to settle for $5,000 and Janice suggests to her husband that they speak to Leslie Hall, her one-time boyfriend. Edley wants nothing to do with Hall. Dr. Edley consults with Perry who tells him he might win but lose while winning. Dr. Edley tries to find small black notebooks that Janice's uncle kept to draw diagrams of what he found in the x-rays he examined. However, before he can find them, Hall gets them and burns them in his fireplace. Dr. Edley, looking for his wife, goes to Hall's house where he finds burnt remains of the notebooks. He leaves after a fight with Hall. When Hall is found dead plus there is no ... Written by garykmcd

A gold mine in California is experiencing gold bar thefts for several weeks but they don't know how the gold is stolen or taken out of the country. Perry Mason's plan to go deep sea fishing with Paul Drake is canceled after crusty wheelchair-bound businessman Karl Magovern commandeers the boat they were to go out on. The boat is owned by Perry's friend, Scott Cahill, who has a contract with Magovern to take him into Mexican waters on a scientific expedition. Originally, this weekend's trip was canceled due to Magovern's broken ankle but he has changed his mind. Magovern's partner, Prof. Sneider, has been working on a new seaweed extract that they hope to market. They leave with a substitute diver as the normal diver was drunk. While out on the trip, however, Magovern is found dead, murdered with an overdose of digitalis. The police also find $50,000 in gold, part of a missing half million dollar haul from a robbery at a gold mine. When Cahill is charged with murder, Perry defends him. Written by garykmcd

Jack Culross is an artist who decides that the best way to increase the value of his work is to fake his own death. His art dealer and partner in the scheme, Austin Durrant, arranges to buy what bits and pieces are left in his studio from the man's 'widow', Edna, as she is moving to her home in Panama. When, several months later, she hears about her husbands paintings up for sale, she returns with her brother to find a painting hanging in Durrant's gallery of what was, at the time of her husband's death, an incomplete painting. She assumes fraud and consults Perry Mason. Perry and David Gideon check out the painting, which has been sold, with a thermocouple which confirms it was finished after Jack's suicide. The case becomes one of murder when Jack Culross' body is discovered after he has called Edna and the fake suicide is revealed. Edna is charged with murder and Perry defends her. Written by garykmcd

Race car driver Vincent Danielli crashes a new race car on purpose and is now faking paralysis. His plan is to get rid of his lover Kate Eastman's husband Walter. The mechanics can find no reason for the car crash and Walter Eastman has financed much of the work on the new type of rotary engine developed by Dr. Moody they are testing based on advice from his brother-in-law Kirby Evans. Walter approaches Perry Mason to terminate his relationship with the project although it has the potential to be a major financial success and doesn't hold back his dislike of Danielli. When Kate realizes murder is part of Danielli's plan, she does her best to save her husband. When Danielli is found dead however, it's Walter Eastman who is charged with murder as he has no alibi and the evidence seems solid against him. It's left to Perry Mason to identify the real killer. Written by garykmcd

Ex-jock Ward Nichols is engaged to Casey Daniels whose uncle Bernard Daniels has given him a job but is unsure he wants them to marry. Bernard is a health guru and runs a high end health spa, Health House. He's noticed a series of checks seemingly signed by his employee Eugene Houseman for $7,000 and suspects that Ward may have forged the signatures. Casey is concerned for her fiancé as she believes he is being blackmailed by his ex-wife Veronica Temple who also works for Health House and so contacts Perry Mason for help. Veronica is also having an affair with the Health House physician Dr. Harrison Berry. Bernard Daniels is a tough boss, even firing long-time employee, locker room attendant Buzz Farrell, for drinking on the job. When Bernard Daniels is found dead, Ward Nichols is charged with murder and Perry defends him. Written by garykmcd

The new president of Euclid College, Dr. Charles Cromwell, is doing his best to ensure that a major donor to the college isn't offended in any way. James Vardon is going to receive an honorary degree at the upcoming commencement exercises and has promised the college a donation of $1 million. As a result, Cromwell is walking on egg shells and pretty well letting Vardon's assistant Robert Haskell, walk all over him. Cromwell is shocked when a woman arrives at he college in a taxi looking for someone named Curly. She is literally falling down drunk and the taxi whisks her away. She's soon in the hospital and it's revealed that Cromwell is the old friend she is looking for. He had met her long ago and she has left him a small bequest in her will. He visits Perry Mason worried that the will may become public and the impact it would have if Vardon or his assistant should ever hear about it. When Haskell is found dead however, Cromwell is charged with murder. Written by garykmcd

Journalist and author Lawrence Vander is at Space Associates Ltd under the pretense of writing a story about the firm. In a meeting with company president Clifton Barlow, however, he reveals that a notorious Nazi, Max Kleinerman, did not die in World War II but escaped arrest using a false identity. Vander believes he is living in Los Angeles and working in Barlow's company. At around the same time, Harlan Merrill's wife, Phyllis, visits Perry Mason concerned that her husband, who works at Space Associates, is acting strangely. Merrill himself goes to see Perry to transfer all of his assets to his wife and it soon becomes apparent that he is being blackmailed. Merrill tracks Vander to a retreat the company executives frequent where he confronts Vander, who is later found dead and money is found missing from the company. Merrill breaks down and tells Perry he is a World War II army deserter but Pentagon records don't support that story. When Vander is found murdered, Merrill is charged... Written by garykmcd

Family patriarch Walter Frazer is a difficult and demanding father. A self-made man, he eagerly controls the lives of those around him. His stepdaughter, Amanda, and her husband, Peter Thorpe, who works for him, are under his thumb but he has little control over his son Greg, who drinks and gambles and has generally wasted his life so far. Greg also married against his father's wishes and his wife, Sue Ellen, has never even been invited to Walter's home. With all of this, everyone is puzzled when Walter invites everyone to his house. They are flabbergasted, however, when, in front of everyone, he offers Greg a full partnership in the family business and to give Sue Ellen $50,000 on one condition; they divorce and Sue Ellen leaves forever. Greg and Sue Ellen have a major argument as a result and, when Greg is found dead with Sue Ellen standing over the body holding the knife, she is charged with murder and Perry Mason agrees to defend her. Written by garykmcd

Judy Bryant is upset when she learns that a valuable tract of land she inherited has been claimed by a land developer as she has an offer of $250,000 for the same land. The original land survey was conducted some 15 years before by her step-father, Amos Bryant, who abandoned them soon after. The root of the problem is that the nearby river is far narrower today than it was at the time of the survey. Judy consults Perry Mason who tells her that Amos' testimony will be essential if she is to win her case against the developer. Paul Drake is able to locate Amos who doesn't remember her name and is a drunk. He agrees to testify in her favor but only if she pays him $10,000 as he claims to have debts he owes people who will hurt him if they learn where he is. When he collects the money however, the package explodes, killing him as others watch. Judy is charged with his murder and Perry defends her. Written by garykmcd

Janice Wainwright has been Morley Theilman's secretary for several years now and, when she finds a blackmail note in his waste paper basket, she seeks Perry's advice. Theilman asked her to put a locked suitcase in a locker at the bus station and she wants to know if she can open it to confirm her suspicions. Perry agrees and they find $100,000 in $20 bills inside. The case eventually disappears from the locker and Theilman is found dead in a subdivision he had been building with business partner, Cole Troy. When Perry tries to find Janice, it appears that she disappeared. Paul finds her in Las Vegas where they find her meeting Theilman's first wife and her brother at the rail station. Cole says he saw a shapely woman following Morley near his office who could be Janice, Morley's wife Agnes, or even his ex-wife Carlotta, who has changed her appearance. Janice is charged with his murder and Perry defends her but her defense is extremely weak. Written by garykmcd

The Faraday family is divided into two distinct parts. One part is headed by Ben Faraday, who is quite rich, while the other part, which includes Evelyn Faraday, has nothing other than the jobs the somewhat demanding Ben has given them in his shipping and cruise line business. One of the Faraday's direct ancestors had saved the son of the Malayan king and, as a reward, was given exclusive shipping rights to the Kingdom. Ben and his brother Edward contend it was their ancestor Jonathan and not his cousin Thomas but Philip contends it was Thomas who died on the return trip. Evelyn's fiancé, Philip Andrews, is convinced that she and the others on her side of the family were cheated and hasn't given up his quest as there is still stock held in trust they could receive. He and Evelyn seek Perry Mason's advice on the issue as he is the lawyer for the trust. When Ben is killed however, Philip is charged with murder. For Perry to successfully defend him, they will need to locate a rare ... Written by garykmcd

After 30 years building up his furniture manufacturing business, Axel Norstaad has decided to retire. He's also decided to donate the proceeds of the sale to the building of a children's hospital in his community. He has met the attractive Edith 'Edie' Morrow, a promoter, who is working with her ex-husband Latham Reed, who is also an ex-alcoholic. Reed hopes to land the contract to build the new hospital. Axel is infatuated with Edie which blinds his judgment. Norstaad's products are renowned for their quality and craftsmanship and he thinks he's found the right man to keep up the tradition. Nothing could be further from the truth. The buyer is a con man who is out to make whatever he can out of the business and then walk away. He's soon ordering cut-rate raw materials and aiming for volume sales at low prices, trading on the company's reputation to make a quick killing. When he is found dead, Axel Norstaad is charged with murder and his lawyer, Perry Mason, defends him. Written by garykmcd

Eleanor Corbin is arrested in a public park, half-naked and acting somewhat irrationally. After fainting however, she tells the police she has no idea who she is and is suffering from amnesia. Her sister, Olga, approaches Perry Mason for his help worried about the impact on their father's jewelry business. She tells him that Eleanor had gone off with her fiancé Douglas Hepner two weeks before to get married. At the hospital, Eleanor has regained some of her memory but the two weeks she was away is a complete blank. Perry sends Paul and Della to talk to Eleanor. Upon hearing her story, Paul has Eleanor transferred to a private sanitarium as he and Della start tracking down the facts which leads them to other women, some of whom were also engaged to Hepner, plus a stash of hidden jewels. When Hepner is found dead in the park, Eleanor is charged with murder. To win the case however, Perry will first have to get the truth out of his client. Written by garykmcd

Just as they are about to merge with another company, Gregson Canneries sees its stock unexpectedly go up in price. This is bad news for the company and principal owner, Wilma Gregson, who tells president Peter Gregson to immediately go to Chicago and renegotiate the merger. Their company is nearly bankrupt and the rising price won't help. Wilma is convinced that someone leaked news of the merger and suspects Peter's former secretary, Karen Ross, who he was forced to fire due to leaked plans she put in a company car, supposedly on the orders of his alcoholic wife, in which the wife was killed. Also, Karen was involved heavily with Peter at the time. Peter is now a single parent and lives alone with his young daughter Sandra. When he learns that Sandra has leaked the merger information in letters to her pen pal, Paul Drake is brought in to investigate. Perry Mason is drawn into the case when Wilma Gregson is killed and Karen Ross is charged with her murder. Written by garykmcd

Susan Fisher is working alone, on a Saturday, when her employer's little boy, Carlton, leaves a shoe box with her. Susan looks inside and finds $200,000 in $100 bills. She puts the box in the company safe but soon after gets a call from Los Angeles airport from the company owner, the elderly and wheelchair bound Amelia Corning, who Susan picks up at the airport and returns to the office. The old woman is particularly interested in checking the books, which she takes with her, for the the Mojave Monarch mine. Susan contacts her boss, Endicott Campbell, to tell him about the owner's unexpected arrival and also about his son's shoe box full of money. Susan contacts Perry Mason who asks Paul Drake to look into the Mojave Monarch mine. He learns, from site manager Ken Lowry, that the mine has been closed for some time even though he was ordered to send in salary sheets. A second Amelia Corning arrives the next day further confusing things when she disappears along with the first Amelia ... Written by garykmcd

Mike Preston's oil well has come in but he and site manager Harlow Phipps have a plan. Preston announces that the well is dry, he's fired Phipps and is closing the operation down. He then asks his lawyer, Perry Mason, to arrange the sale of half of his leases, 1000 acres or so, at a paltry $50 an acre. Mike tells him he's just hedging his bets, but Perry is skeptical. Preston has a gimpy leg, owing to an industrial accident 7 years ago, that he blames on Hugh Jamison, owner of a tool and supply company, who he believes set a fire and stole $50,000 in cash and $50,000 in securities. The missing securities, which were registered, have never surfaced. Although outwardly pretending to hate one another, Preston and Phipps are working together to set up Jamison but when Phipps is found dead, it's Mike Preston who is charged with murder after his pistol is supposedly seen beside the dead body and he is heard threatening to kill Phipps. Written by garykmcd