Bøker av S. S. van Dine

Debonaire Philo Vance is often called to help solve particularly difficult cases by his friend District Attorney Markham but the brutal murder of a Broadway vamp has him stumped. Based on the victim of a real-life front-page murder, Margaret Odell-known as the "Canary" because of a part she had played in "an elaborate ornithological ballet in the Follies"-is found strangled in her apartment.The problem is that it would have been impossible for anyone to have gained access to her rooms without being seen by the building's telephone operator, who was in easy and constant sight of her door for the entire night on which she met her end.The police perform a thorough search of her apartment to ensure that no one could have been hiding in her room and that there is no entrance beyond the one under constant surveillance. Vance performs a similar search confirming that the murder seems to be impossible-until he discovers a key clue that unlocks the mystery.S.S. Van Dine, the first important and wildly successful mystery writer to launch the Golden Age of the detective novel in America, has produced a masterpiece with one of the most extraordinary locked room puzzles ever created.

The first novel in one of the most influential detective series of the early twentieth century, The Benson Murder Case introduces iconic amateur sleuth Philo Vance with a plot loosely based on the true-life murder of a famous bridge player. Its aristocratic Golden Age New York setting, obscure art cultural references, and devilishly complicated puzzle plot make this a must-read for nostalgia buffs and for anyone who appreciates a classic mystery. All of Wall Street and Manhattan high society is abuzz after playboy stockbroker Alvin Benson is discovered dead in his brownstone mansion, slumped over in an easy chair with a bullet in his head. The man's body is found in a room locked from the inside, and his head is missing the toupee that usually adorned it. Ballistics experts, detectives, and the NYPD's top brass can't solve the crime, but luckily they don't have to: New York's leading flaneur and art connoisseur, Philo Vance, is on the case, and he's got precisely the far-flung and esoteric knowledge needed to interpret the clues and determine whodunnit. By carefully examining the crime scene and reconstructing the deadly shooting, Vance determines a number of things about the murderer, including his or her height-and this is only the first of many deductive feats that he will pull off before the investigation comes to a close. But will he be able to pierce the alibi of the true killer and prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

'The perfect sleuth for the Jazz Age' Crimereads'With his highbrow manner and his parade of encyclopaedic learning, Philo Vance is not only a detective; he is a god out of the machine' New York Times'Probably the most asinine character in detective fiction' Raymond Chandler__________In one of the most well-known classic American puzzle mysteries, amateur detective Philo Vance must solve a baffling series of murders based on nursery rhymesA series of gruesome murders has left the glittering world of Jazz Age Manhattan in shock.With every new victim, the perpetrator sends a taunting note to the press, simply signed 'The Bishop'. New York's District Attorney turns to the only man who can crack the case: the dapper and brilliant detective Philo Vance.With his razor-sharp intellect and impeccable style, Vance sets out to track down the killer before more lives are lost, and soon uncovers a dark pattern to the murders. As the investigation takes him from the mansions of the city's elite to the seedy underworld of speakeasies and jazz clubs, Vance must use all his wits to stay one step ahead of The Bishop. Will he be able to solve the case in time, or risk becoming the killer's next victim?

Delve into the intricate world of the crime fiction genre as S. S. Van Dine provides an in-depth analysis and critique of what makes a great detective story. In this essay, S. S. Van Dine examines the various elements that make a brilliant detective novel, including plot, characterisation, and setting. Exploring the works of famous detective novelists such as Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, and G. K. Chesterton, Van Dine provides insights into the styles, techniques, and themes used by these writers. First published in Scribner's Magazine in 1926 under Van Dine's pseudonym, Willard Huntington Wright, The Detective Novel provides a comprehensive overview of the genre. Whether you're a seasoned reader of detective novels or a newcomer to the genre, this essay offers an engaging and thought-provoking look at one of the most popular and enduring forms of fiction.

This early work by S. S. Van Dine was originally published in 1938 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'The Gracie Allen Murder Case' is one of Van Dine's novels of crime and mystery. S. S. Van Dine was born Willard Huntington Wright in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1888. He attended St. Vincent College, Pomona College and Harvard University, but failed to graduate, leaving to cultivate contacts he had made in the literary world. At the age of twenty-one, Wright began his professional writing career as literary editor of the Los Angeles Times. In 1926, Wright published his first S. S. Van Dine novel, The Benson Murder Case. Wright went on to write eleven more mysteries. The first few books about his upper-class amateur sleuth, Philo Vance, were so popular that Wright became wealthy for the first time in his life. His later books declined in popularity as the reading public's tastes in mystery fiction changed, but during the late twenties and early thirties his work was very successful.

This early work by S. S. Van Dine was originally published in 1939 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'The Winter Murder Case' is one of Van Dine's novels of crime and mystery. S. S. Van Dine was born Willard Huntington Wright in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1888. He attended St. Vincent College, Pomona College and Harvard University, but failed to graduate, leaving to cultivate contacts he had made in the literary world. At the age of twenty-one, Wright began his professional writing career as literary editor of the Los Angeles Times. In 1926, Wright published his first S. S. Van Dine novel, The Benson Murder Case. Wright went on to write eleven more mysteries. The first few books about his upper-class amateur sleuth, Philo Vance, were so popular that Wright became wealthy for the first time in his life. His later books declined in popularity as the reading public's tastes in mystery fiction changed, but during the late twenties and early thirties his work was very successful.