The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (Perry Mason Mysteries (House of Stratus))

Julia Branner claims her millionaire father-in-law forced her to give up her baby girl for adoption years before. When a woman appears claiming to be her long-lost daughter, Julia insists she is a fake after the family fortune. As events take a sinister turn Julia calls in Perry Mason. From the University of Buffalo's Special Collections webpage: "Bishop William Mallory of Sydney, Australia consults with Perry Mason about the statute of limitations in a manslaughter case that took place in California twenty-two years ago. Curiosity about the bishop's stutter prompts Mason to question the man's true identity, and he decides to launch an investigation of the manslaughter case. Mason learns that Julia Brownley, the woman charged in the case, is now desperately trying to prove that her daughter, whom she gave up for adoption, is actually the rightful granddaughter of wealthy businessman Renwold Brownley, and that the girl currently living in Brownley's home is an imposter. There is an enormous fortune at stake, and when Brownley is found dead, Julia becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Mason, with the assistance of Della Street and Paul Drake, follows a twisting maze of clues, false leads and mistaken identities before he unmasks the real killer and exposes the group of clever conspirators who are after the Brownley fortune." SUMMARY: When a stuttering bishop comes to Perry Mason’s office for help, Mason becomes involved in a battle of wills with a woman and the long-lost daughter she believes to be a fraud. The key to the puzzle lies in the bishop--who, unfortunately, has disappeared. Reissue. Perry Mason's eyes came to a hard focus on the figure which paused uncertainly in the doorway of his private office.