From 1933 to 1970, Erle Stanley Gardner thrilled readers with his gritty courtroom mysteries featuring one of the world’s most well-known lawyers Perry Mason. For the readers who liked urban stories of blackmail, murder, deceit and a myriad of other vices, the Perry Mason books delivered the goods. In addition, the courtroom scenes in the series were both instructive and enjoyable, written by a man who had been a lawyer and who had also studied and perfected the hard-boiled detective and mystery genre. This book is a fact-filled tour through all 82 of the Perry Mason mysteries with a special focus on the qualities that endeared them to so many readers of popular fiction: cocktails, coquettes and cigarettes. Each book is classified in a rating system indicating the depth of those qualities to be found in the story, plus details about the time period, the TV show and much more.

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INTERVIEW with Shaun Perkins

What is your book Cocktails, Coquettes and Cigarettes: Perry Mason Concoctions all about?

It’s a review of all 82 of the Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner. Each book is rated with a unique rating system that measures the amount of cocktails, coquettes, and cigarettes featured in the book. It’s a fun read and a guide of sorts for people reading the books and enjoying their pulp fiction and noir qualities. I hope it inspires new Perry Mason readers and adds some wisdom and insight to those who have already read the books and are looking for a fresh interpretation of them.

Why Perry Mason?

As a teenager in the 70s, I discovered the Perry Mason books and found the urban Los Angeles life depicted in them the ultimate fantasy for me, a rural girl growing up in Oklahoma. I didn’t really even care about the courtroom scenes, which the books are mainly known for. I just wanted to see how these adults in the faraway land of LA behaved. My affection for the books has not withered over time, and I finally got around to writing a book about them, and I’m very happy that Bear Manor Media’s Ben Ohmart decided to publish it.

What makes your book unique among Perry Mason-related books?

The book focuses on the actual books that Gardner wrote, not the TV show, which is what most of the nonfiction books about the series are about. While the TV show episodes are mentioned, along with the actors, the focus is on the books and their content, especially as that content changed from 1933 when Gardner began the series to 1970, when it ended.

What preparations went into writing this book?

I reread all of the books for one. I also watched every TV episode that went with the books, though the majority of the TV episodes are only based on the characters, not a specific book. I also visited the Gardner archives housed at the Harry Ranson Center at the University of Texas campus at Austin. I spent some time reading Gardner’s notes, letters, scripts, and journals, and much of that material, with some photos of it, is included in this book.

What relevance do the Perry Mason books and your book have today?

My thought when I started writing the book was that it would be a guide for anyone interested in binge-reading the book series. So much social media hype is about binge-watching series shows, but no one talks about binge-reading, and these books are prime opportunities for that!

What are some of your favorite Perry Mason lines from the books?

“Get your hat. We’re going to go places.” “Who the hell wants to be orthodox?” “I’m gambling with everything I’ve got. I’m a gambler. I want to live life while I’m living it.” “Are you just talking? Or are you saying something?” “I have already used up my allotment of corpse-discoveries so far as the police are concerned.”

What is the appeal of the Perry Mason books?

The Perry Mason books, though dated, are appealing in their creation of a world that is exciting, fast-paced, puzzling, and mysterious. The major players are fast talkers and action-oriented men, while the women are usually either players or being played upon. There is a honest assessment of the vice-filled nature of the world that makes for a good story. The frequent setting in nightclubs, speakeasies, seedy motels, and gambling joints just adds to the visceral appeal.

What are your plans for promoting the book in 2025?

I have several mystery and popular culture conferences lined up to attend to learn about the genre, participate in panels, and also promote the book. These include the San Francisco Writer’s Conference, Left Coast Crime Convention, Indy Pop Con, and Bouchercon. With my Wacky Poem Life co-host Bill Guthrie, I will also be promoting the book through a fun podcast, where we spend an episode on each book, having the cocktail featured in the book and discussing the coquettes and cigarettes.

What is your writing background?

I am primarily a poet. I founded the Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry in 2012 in my small hometown of Locust Grove, and I still run it today. My books include poetry, nonfiction, workbooks, and fiction. I write a weekly column for The Paper, the only newspaper left in the county. I also write a daily poem and share it on an email list.

Where can people find out more about you and this book?

I have a website that gives basic information about the book. It is at PerryMasonConcoctions.com. I also have a Facebook page called Cocktails Coquettes and Cigarettes, where I share information and fun photos and facts that I gathered while writing the book. My personal website is PoemLife.org. I can be reached through email at okiestoryteller@gmail.com.