▁thinks ▁he ▁can ▁easily ▁prove ▁his ▁case , ▁although ▁based ▁on ▁circumst ant ial ▁evidence , ▁and ▁will ▁soon ▁have ▁Jones ▁extr ad ited , ▁though ▁Uncle ▁John ▁and ▁the ▁others ▁are ▁quite ▁certain , ▁with ▁the ▁more ▁information ▁that ▁they ▁gather , ▁that ▁Le ▁D rie ux ' s ▁case ▁is ▁full ▁of ▁holes ▁and ▁spend ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁the ▁novel ▁working ▁to ▁prove ▁Jones ' s ▁innoc ence . ▁ ▁To ▁this ▁effect , ▁John ▁M err ick ▁h ires ▁a ▁fresh ▁young ▁guitar - play ing ▁att orney , ▁Fred ▁A . ▁Col by , ▁a ▁recent ▁gradu ate ▁of ▁P enn ▁Law ▁School ▁who ▁has ▁never ▁fought ▁a ▁case ▁and ▁is ▁eager ▁to ▁prove ▁himself . ▁ ▁Ot is ▁Werner ▁is ▁a ▁thin ly ▁ve iled ▁reference ▁to ▁Ot is ▁Turner , ▁a ▁director ▁of ▁The ▁Fair y log ue ▁and ▁Radio - Pl ays ▁and ▁a ▁film ▁version ▁of ▁John ▁D ough ▁and ▁the ▁Cher ub . ▁ ▁In ▁this ▁book , ▁Ba um ▁also ▁name - dro ps ▁himself ▁by ▁having ▁Uncle ▁John ▁make ▁reference ▁to ▁fair yt ale ▁authors ▁whose ▁work ▁had ▁been ▁fil med . ▁ ▁It ▁also ▁contains ▁Ed ith ▁Van ▁Dy ne ' s ▁only ▁assertion ▁of ▁herself ▁in ▁the ▁series , ▁stating ▁that ▁because ▁she ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁pretty ▁girl , ▁her ▁mother ▁would ▁tell ▁her ▁that ▁those ▁who ▁have ▁beauty ▁have ▁little ▁else , ▁which ▁Mrs . ▁Van ▁Dy ne ▁uses ▁to ▁contrast ▁with ▁the ▁bra ins ▁and ▁beauty ▁of ▁Ma