Murder Mystery Book Club - Case of the Crooked Candle by Erle Stanley Gardner

Join Ros for a lively discussion of Erle Stanley Gardner's classic murder mystery featuring his best-known character, lawyer-detective Perry Mason. An insurance claim after a traffic accident alerts Mason to the possibility of double-dealing concerning a parcel of land. He negotiates a very large settlement for one of his clients, but when a businessman is found dead on a rich man's yacht, Perry is asked to defend against a charge of murder the man who paid the money to settle the insurance claim.

At the time of his death in March 1970, Gardner was "the most widely read of all American writers" and "the most widely translated author in the world", according to social historian Russell Nye. There have been six films based on his work and the hugely popular Perry Mason TV series starring Raymond Burr, which aired for nine years and 271 episodes. US President Harry S Truman was a fan and it is rumoured that when Einstein died, a Perry Mason book was at his bedside.

We will meet in the Castle Inn on Castle Hill at 7pm in the hour before IVC Pub night - feel free to stay on for drinks afterwards! The Castle is a quaint traditional pub offering a full range of drinks, including real ales and pub food.

Please bring along £1 (or £12 for the year) as a contribution to Meetup fees - this £1 is only payable by non-fully-paid members of IVC (and can be reclaimed if you decide to join the CambsIVC membership group).

Parking is free in the Shire Hall car park from 7pm.

Books to look forward to in the coming months:

• The Proof of My Innocence by Jonathan Coe
• The Maid by Nita Prose
• Murder at the Fitzwilliam by Jim Eldridge