The Case of the Demure Defendant — Erle Stanley Gardner

TRUTH...AND CONSEQUENCES

Under the influence of truth serum, young and pretty Nadine Farr confesses to murdering her elderly benefactor, Mosher Higley. Higley was pronounced dead of natural causes, but the guilt-ridden Miss Farr swears it was an accidental dose of cyanide. Perry Mason's prescription: tight lips all around, until he and his team can diagnose what really happened.

The only thing missing is the evidence--a bottle of tablets that Nadine Farr claims to have thrown in a lake. Since the proof is in the poison, Mason's got to get to the bottom of that lake to get to the bottom of the mystery. But as he wades into the investigation, the telltale tablets aren't the only thing that surfaces. Mason's naive client may not be what she seems--and Mason's whole case could get blown out of the water...