Hooks Hits: Arresting Gardners

Part of a series saluting artist-illustrator Mitchell Hooks.

The Case of the Sunbather’s Diary (Cardinal, 1958)

Like so many other artists of the mid-20th century—among them Robert McGinnnis, Mike Ludlow, Darrel Greene, Harry Bennett, Ron Lesser, Stanley Borack, and Robert Stanley—Mitchell Hooks painted fronts for Erle Stanley Gardner’s abundant novels.

Most of the eight covers in this post come from yarns starring Los Angeles defense attorney Perry Mason. Two, though—The Count of 9 and Traps Need Fresh Bait—are part of Gardner’s smaller series featuring L.A. gumshoes Bertha Cool and Donald Lam.

The Case of the Half-Wakened Wife (Cardinal, 1958); The Case of the Crooked Candle (Cardinal, 1959)

The Count of 9 (Pocket, 1969); Traps Need Fresh Bait
(Pocket Canada, 1968)

The Case of the Nervous Accomplice (Cardinal, 1958); The Case of the Empty Tin (Cardinal, 1958).

The Case of the Careless Kitten (Cardinal, 1958)