The Case of the Bluffing Blast

It's always fun to figure out who the culprit was in these Mason episodes. An interesting factor is that the person accused of murder never seems to just go to a phone, but feels the need to pick up the murder weapon or get caught holding it. Here a beautiful young woman comes to town to claim an inheritance from her father, but the town and the local employer has their hands on it. Of course, unless the non-guilty person didn't act stupidly, there would be no show, and it would be Hamilton Burger who had the perfect record.

Linda Blake, a WW2 baby, arrives in Ladera CA looking for her father Addison Blake. However Mr Blake had been killed in a suspicious hunting accident some seven years ago. Since Mr Blake had no known relatives, all his property had been sold by the State of California during the last few years.

Linda Blake's mother had been married to US soldier in Europe but after the quick wedding there was also a quick divorce. And Mr Blake had never known about his wife was with child.

With Linda Blake asking questions about the property, the suspicious death of Mr Blake comes back to haunt the town. When Mr Blake died he was hunting with Charles Lambert, owner of a dairy, and Floyd Grant. Even though Mr Lambert was drunk at the time of the shooting- Mr Grant gave Lambert an alibi and no prosecution was ever sought. And afterward Mr Grant was chosen to be manager of the Lambert Dairy.

When Floyd Grant is murdered, Linda Blake is seen standing over the body with the murder weapon in her hand. Perry will defend Ms Blake in court where some interesting testimony will be forthcoming from the witness-stand. The viewer will learn that many people in the town of Ladera may have wish to see Floyd Grant dead.

This is another interesting and entertaining mystery. Many suspects and many twist keep the viewer on their toes the entire time. Good watch

This is a Perry Mason story that shows the need for OSHA and the kind of legislation that created it. Peter Breck the owner of a small town newspaper who prints a nasty editorial about ammonia pollutant coming from the place. When Breck is having an argument over said editorial with Bill Williams over the issue, Antoinette Bower walks in and says she's looking for her dad who is supposed to be the owner of said dairy.

Not so because her 'dad' died 7 years ago and he was a bachelor. No but he had a quick marriage and divorce to a British girl overseas during WWII that produced a daughter even he didn't know about. By rights she should be owner of just about everything around.

Later on when Bower is found with a dead Williams it's a good thing Perry Mason and Paul Drake are in town. This is just the kind of damsel in distress case that's Mason's meat and drink.

Lots of suspects abound. And it all stems back to the hunting accident death of Bower's father. Raymond Burr uncovers a lot of snakes in this story. One murder but a lot of guilt.