John Brooks arrives at the elderly Stone sisters' home saying he knew a nephew who was declared illegitimate as a youth. Due to his recall of facts they think he is really their nephew. Ernest Stone is murdered in a tangled web of deceit.
Sylvia Thompson works with a shady manager at a trucking company and looks after a young boy and her derelict brother. A robbery attempt and murder at the depot, plus the books showing possible theft, have Sylvia charged with murder.
Called in by Banning Grant, Perry learns that con artists have been selling phony gold mines. To find out who's responsible, Paul disguises himself as a prospector. When a local is murdered, Perry solves the case during a coroner's inquest.
In a very rare occurrence, Perry Mason loses a case when Janice Barton is convicted of murdering her aunt and is subsequently sentenced to death. After the verdict, Perry still investigates to try to find the real killer among the heirs.
Dr. Aaron Stuart runs a prep school but, lately, he is running into a string of problems at the school that endanger its future. Eventually, he finds that his friend, Tobin Wade, is the cause. Stuart is accused of killing Wade - twice.
Maxine Lindsay, aspiring artist and model but naive, becomes embroiled in a law suit about whether a painting is a fake. She repeats the comments of Colin Durant about the painting. Durant is found shot in her shower, so she is charged.
Encyclopedia saleswoman Gwynn Elston has moved in with her friend, Nell Grimes, and her new husband Felton. Gwynn spots a picture in a customer's home and realizes Felton is a bigamist. When Felton is found dead, Gwynn is the prime suspect.
Juli Eng is in Hong Kong after her grandfather's death who had left her a small fortune in diamonds but they are missing. She trails two men by ship to San Francisco where she is caught leaving the office of one them who is stabbed.
Before a woman dies, she leaves a certified check for $1,000,000 to her nurse which the family and their lawyer try to hide and contest. Perry is hired to obtain the check and then defend her daughter who is charged with killing the lawyer.
Young Tim Balfour has returned to live with his grandfather after his parents were killed in Italy. Tim Sr. has high hopes for grandson but Tim seems to have fallen in with a hoodlum who blackmails him. In a fight, Tim's gun goes off.
Grover Johnson and his wife Eula have a rural ranch with a big mortgage. Eula wants to leave but no one wants to pay enough to make it worthwhile to sell until a rich Texan says it is what he wants. When Eula is killed, Grover is charged.
Todd Baylor has a chance to inherit half of his father's chain of stores with his brother Martin. His chance depends on an exclusive dress brand but Martin spoils his plans. When Todd goes to confront Martin, Martin is stabbed to death.
Phillip Stewart, about to be released from prison, has been refusing to see his wife. A $500,000 diamond was stolen at the business where he worked. After he is released, he is charged with killing a detective who is looking for the gem.
Ed Lewis, a vice president, is in a fight with his father-in-law B.K. over the future of Vero-Plastics. Ed thinks B.K. is embezzling and under the control of Leslie Ross. When B.K. is murdered, Ed is seen throwing away the weapon.
Model Judith Blair confronts photographer Jacob Kadar about returning negatives used for blackmail. She pulls his own gun to threaten him when he is shot by someone outside. Her photo is taken showing her holding the gun on him.
Nancy Banks comes to Perry wanting him to redeem bets at the horse track for her. When he does, he learns her brother is wanted for embezzlement by his boss Marvin Fremont. When Fremont is found dead in her room, she is charged.
Deborah Dearborn unwittingly wrote a very successful book that is based on true stories her boyfriend told her about his step-mother, Stephanie Carew. Stephanie tries to force a big payment from Deborah and turns up murdered.
Charles Fuller hires Paul to find his mother. Paul does but she is wanted for murdering her husband. Due to amnesia from the incident, Perry gets her off but then Charles is charged with murder of the man who tried to cheat him and his mom.
Phillipe Bertain has loaned $5,000 to fellow Frenchwoman Ninette Rovel to get away from her abusive husband. However, when the money is not repaid, he tracks down her husband only to be ignored by him. The husband is then murdered.
Randolph James and his partner have developed a new antibiotic that could make them wealthy but a competitor wants to buy the company. Randolph discovers his wife is helping the competitor. When she is run down, Randolph is charged.
Carey York is a retired fire chief who owns a warehouse that is burned by an arsonist and kills a manager. A TV reporter accuses York of setting the fire. York hires Perry to sue for slander but York is charged when the reporter is killed.
Paul is concerned for Amy Scott, who hired him to find a man and visits a fortuneteller regularly. He finds the fortuneteller has been partners with Amy's landlord in scams in the past. When the landlord turns up murdered, Amy is charged.
Perry defends two clients: first, housekeeper Nellie Conway for theft; secondly, the stepsister of the murder victim, who stands to inherit her estate. The problem is that all fingers point to the husband as being the killer.
Ramona Carver is an actress with a traveling four-person show. A young man has come forward claiming to be her son she put up for adoption. She asks Perry to help turn him away. At a later stop, a critic is killed and she is charged.
Rosanne Ambrose visits her friend, Dr. Jesse Young, to see why she feels like she is losing her sanity. She can't remember things, which is affecting her work. When an associate of her husband is killed, she is charged with it.
William Sherwood, a recovering alcoholic, thinks he sees his dead wife Ruth leaving a bar. The experience causes him to start drinking, and he contacts Perry because she died in a plane crash. Then she turns up dead--again.
Gregory Pelham, a doctor and professor, comes home to learn that his son has been kidnapped and his wife accidentally killed a boy involved. Gregory tries to cover for his wife as he is also trying to cover another problem: blackmail.
Barry Davis is a young man trying to find his way in life. He has been working for a partner of his dead uncle who rides him to work harder. Fed up, he quits and is hired to investigate his uncle and the former boss who is murdered.
Con Bolton is a poor club singer hoping to save enough to marry Irma Hodge, who hopes to inherit money from her dead father. But her stepfather is standing in the way of both events. Con is charged when the stepfather is murdered.
Alice Trilling can inherit her deceased father's toy company empire only if she marries by her next birthday. Her uncle, who runs the firm, has tried to introduce her to men. He is found dead after arguing with Alice after his latest plan.