The Mystillery blog

Monday, March 29, 2021

About S. S. Van Dine and Philo Vance

S. S. Van Dine is a pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright (1888-1939).

The six Collier spiderweb design books (at right in above photo) sat on my parents' bookshelf for years. My mother was a great book club joiner, so perhaps that's where they came from. The spiderweb design always seemed creepy to me as a kid. In later years I found there were six additional S. S. Van Dine titles, and picked them up one by one until I had all twelve. Apparently Colllier only produced six reprints in the spiderweb design.

This blog will give you a post for each one - characters and synopses. (click to see all) Perhaps you will find them interesting as well!

Title List:

Other resources:

Alias S. S. Van Dine by John Loughery
Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories by S. S. Van Dine
Philo Vance on The Thrilling Detective Web Site

You may find references online to a 13th novel, The Powwow Murder Case. Wright started outlining this story but died before it could be written. A publisher's dummy was made up as a salesman's sample (with the first four pages of the story inside), complete with a cover. Photos of this "13th Philo Vance" appear now and then. These photos were taken from an auction site which sold the item in October 2020.

The auction site described it thus:

S. S. Van Dine. The Powwow Murder Case. A Philo Vance Story. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1937. First edition, the only known copy of any printed portion of this unfinished novel. Octavo. viii, 1-4 pages. In the publisher's unusual binding of full black cloth, boards, stamped in red (the spine is so thin, that there is no stamping on the spine), with the usual format of text on the front board, but the rear board is stamped in two vertical lines in blind, with the intended layout for the spine stamped in red between the blind stamping. In the publisher's mock-up dust jacket, which had the intended layout of the front and rear covers as well as the spine (there isn't any text or artwork for the jacket flaps, which are blank).

Here's what we know about the story, taken from the file card image on the dust jacket:

Barrett Farmer, 99 East 66th Street. Murder: Stabbed and thrown over Fort George cliff. Body found near north end of Harlem River Speedway. Sergt. Heath (Homicide Bureau) and District Attorney's office.

Wright had begun dictating the story in 1937. It was "presumably to involve mysticism and ritual as the cabala is mentioned in the early pages."* He reportedly only finished two or three chapters before lapsing into a period of writer's block.

This artifact sold for $2500 in 1981*, so you can imagine what it brought in 2020!

*from Alias S. S. Van Dine by John Loughery

The Greene Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (1928) #3

dustjackets.com

Major characters:

Philo Vance, dilettante detective
John F. X. Markham, district attorney
Mrs. Tobias Greene, matriarch
Julia Greene, eldest daughter
Stella Greene, daughter
Ada Greene, youngest daughter
Chester Greene, eldest son
Rex Greene, younger son
Sproot, Greene family butler
Gertrude Mannheim, cook
Dr. Arthur Von Blon, family doctor

Locale: New York City

Synopsis:

It seems an intruder to the Greene home has shot and killed Julia Greene, and wounded her sister Ada Greene. Their brother, Chester Greene, asks District Attorney John F. X. Markham to investigate personally, as he feels the routine police inquiry is inadequate. Markham invites Philo Vance to come along. The intruder entered and left the home without leaving a trace other than footprints in the snow outside. The question is why the intruder - if bent on burglary - even bothered to go upstairs where the family was sleeping, when the valuables were downstairs?

As soon as the investigation begins, two more murders follow .. Chester Greene and Rex Greene. Now it seems someone is trying to wipe out the Greene family, one by one.

Review:

This is a good diminishing-pool-of-potential-victims novel as the Greenes are eliminated one by one, with no apparent motive. As Van Dine novels go, not overly complex and Philo Vance stays relatively focused without wandering off into abstract monologues on irrelevant matters too often.

Clues are provided throughout as to the murderer. Initially, they misdirect the reader into thinking a certain person must be it - a nice piece of red herring.

A numerical list of clues is provided (there are 98) which is a bit tedious for the summary-before-the-big-reveal.

It is a bit disappointing when things are revealed in the dénouement which had not been revealed to the reader previously. It seems the house has a unique architectural feature which is kept a secret from the reader until the end. Also a complicated mechanical device - which I found hard to believe - is used to give the murderer an alibi.

Extensive footnotes (many in German, no less!) are provided. I had often wondered whether the names/events in the footnotes were real or just made up - and one caught my eye: a reference to the book Murder at Smutty Nose by Edmund Lester Pearson; since Smutty Nose Island and its famous murder are only about 10 miles away from me. A quick lookup found the book and author are, indeed, factual.

Notable quotes:

"This affair is too complicated to be untangled by the unravelling of details."

"The person who sat in that library night after night and read strange books by candlelight is the key to everything."

Philo Vance: "The intruder must have left the room."
Sibella Greene: "I suppose he must have, if he's not there now."

The Bishop Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (1929) #4

dustjackets.com

Major characters:

Philo Vance, dilettante detective
John F. X. Markham, district attorney
Professor Bertrand Dillard, physicist
Belle Dillard, his niece
Sigurd Arnesson. his adopted son, professor of mathematics
Adolph Drukker, scientist, author, and hunchback
Mrs. Otto Drukker, his mother
John Pardee, mathematician and chess expert
J. C. Robin, archer
Raymond Sperling, civil engineer
John E. Sprigg, college student
Madeleine Moffat, a little girl

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Philo Vance and D. A. Markham are called out to a report of murder on a long narrow archery range, sandwiched between the Dillard home and the Drukker home. The deceased is J. Cochrane "Cock" Robin, and immediate suspicion falls on Raymond Sperling who was present. It is noted that "Sperling" means "sparrow", and the murder follows the nursery rhyme of "Who killed Cock Robin?"

The Dillard house and the Drukker house back up to one another. Professor Dillard lives with his daughter Belle (here is a love triangle, both Sigurd Arnesson and John Pardee enamored of her). Adolph Drukker is a strange sort who prefers to spend his days playing games with the neighborhood kids, and lives with his mother who may have seen the murder.

Other murders follow, with nursery rhyme tie-ins. After each, a note is sent to the newspapers signed "The Bishop".

Review:

This is my third read, and each time I like it better. There is a small cast of characters, so it is easy to keep track of the players.

The description of the houses/archery range plan in Chapter 2 cries out for the customary S. S. Van Dine crime scene map. It is even mentioned as being "attached" on p. 28 but it is not there. In my hardcover Collier spiderweb edition it finally appears in Chapter 18 (p. 241). So if you are just starting the book, check ahead to Chapter 18 to see if you have a crime scene map.

The book is heavy with higher mathematics and chess references, but still understandable even if you are neither a mathematician nor a chess player. You can skip the mathematics/chess/footnotes and not lose any of the story; in fact, eliminate them and this could be an Agatha Christie or Ellery Queen plot.

As usual, plenty of irrelevant footnotes take up valuable space. Several times while reading Van Dine I have thought "this footnote can't be real", and looked up some of his references; to find they are factual. If he had left these additional research bits out, he likely could have written several more books!

Chapter XXI ("Mathematics and Murder") can be skipped entirely if you are not into space-time continuums, as it is a lecture on that subject. The only relevant piece is the last sentence.

The dénouement is enjoyable, fooling the reader by seeming to point at one person after another, with a surprise twist on each.

Vance's method of dealing with the killer at the end is an eyebrow-raiser, certainly out of bounds today; but S. S. Van Dine readers are used to the killer never making it to an arrest.

The Scarab Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (1930) #5

dustjackets.com

Major characters:

Philo Vance, dilettante detective
John F. X. Markham, district attorney
Dr. Mindrum W. C. Bliss, head of the Bliss Museum of Egyptian Antiquities
Meryt-Amen Bliss, his mysterious young wife
Benjamin H. Kyle, philanthropist and art patron; dead as story begins
Robert Salveter, assistant curator of the museum, nephew of Benjamin Kyle
Donald Scarlett, technician for the Bliss expeditions
Anapu Hani, family retainer of the Blisses, a mysterious Egyptian
Brush, butler for the Blisses
Dingle, cook for the Blisses

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Benjamin Kyle, wealthy art patron, is discovered dead in the Bliss museum, having been struck in the head by a heavy statue. Immediate evidence points at Dr. Bliss as the murderer: a scarab stickpin belonging to Dr. Bliss is found with the body.

Kyle had been financing the Bliss expeditions to Egypt. His will leaves his fortune equally to his nephew, Robert Salveter, and Meryt-Amen; much younger wife of Dr. Bliss. Salveter and Meryt-Amen enjoy writing each other secret little notes in hieroglyphics which no one else can read, leading to an assumption of intimacy. Anapu Hani is also closely attached to Meryt-Amen.

It turns out Dr. Bliss was drugged at the time of the murder, by addition of opium into his coffee.

Review:

This is a tight mystery, with the action confined to just these few characters. The characters are enjoyable - sleepy professor Bliss, his much younger ingenue wife, who has a couple of other male interests Robert Salveter and the inscrutable Hani. It is enjoyable as suspicion passes around from one to another. There are several instances of things-not-as-they appear which are all clearly explained at the end. A lot of Egypt-ese, but that does not detract from it. As Philo Vance novels go, he sticks to relevant investigation and does not wander off for pages at a time displaying his erudite knowledge.

Enjoy reading mysteries? Check out my mystery reading challenges at The Mystillery.

The Dragon Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (1933) #7

dustjackets.com

Major characters:

Philo Vance, the dilettante detective
John F. X. Markham, District Attorney
Ernest Heath, sergent, Homicide squad
Sanford "Monty" Montague, engaged to Bernice Stamm
Rudolf Stamm, hard-drinking fish collector, and owner of the Stamm estate
Matilda Stamm, his mother, who seems to predict the future with 100% accuracy
Bernice Stamm, his daughter
Gale Leland, neighbor and friend of the family
Alex Greeff, stockbroker and guest of the Stamms
Kirwin Tatum, guest of the Stamms
Teeny McAdam, guest of the Stamms
Ellen Bruett, writer of love letter to Sanford Montague
Ruby Steele, actress
Trainor, the Stamm butler
Mrs. Schwarz, nurse-companion to Mrs. Stamm
Doctor Holliday, Stamm family physician

Locale: Inwood (northern Manhattan), New York City

Synopsis: This is a locked-room mystery, but the room is a pool! Sanford Montague dives into the "Dragon Pool" (a small pond) on his property and never comes up. Where did he go? Is he dead or alive? He is thought to have run off with Ellen Bruett, who wrote a note arranging a meeting that night. When he does not reappear, the pool is drained, and his body is not in it. However, there are strange foot and claw marks on the hard bottom of the pool.

Matilda Stamm, elderly mother of hard-drinking Rudolf Stamm, is convinced there is a dragon that lives in the pool, and protects the Stamm family by killing its enemies. This is supported by the fact there have been two deaths in the pool already. She states the dragon then flies away with its victims to dispose of their bodies elsewhere.

Nearby are several deep glacial pot-holes. The body of Montague is found in one, mutilated by claws, and apparently dropped from a height. Some time later, Alex Greeff goes missing. His body is likewise found in the same place, again mutilated and dropped.

Philo Vance rounds up the key to a family vault located near the pool, and enters it to find that it is connected with the deaths.

Review:

This is my favorite Philo Vance novel. The murders are so unique and outlandish, and all evidence points to the legendary dragon being the culprit. Philo Vance seeks out the truth by eliminating all other possibilities. The novel stays on topic for the most part, except for a several page diversion as Vance displays his knowledge of various tropical fish.

See also this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.

The Kennel Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (1933) #6

dustjackets.com

Major characters:

Philo Vance, the dilettante detective

John F. X. Markham, District Attorney

Ernest Heath, sergent, Homicide squad

Archer Coe, collector of Chinese ceramics

Brisbane Coe, his brother

Raymond Wrede, friend of the Coes

Hilda Lake, niece of Archer Coe, engaged to Raymond Wrede

Signor Eduardo Grassi, officer in the Milan Museum of Oriental Antiquities

Liang Tsung Wei, the Coe cook

Gamble, the Coe butler

Luke Enright, an importer

Major Julius Higginbottom, dog breeder

Miss MacTavish, a Scottie dog

Doris Delafield, owner of Miss MacTavish

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: District Attorney John F. X. Markham is summoned to the scene of a murder, and as usual, invites his more perceptive friend Philo Vance along. At the residence of Archer Coe, they find he is apparently dead in a locked room - they can see him sprawled through the keyhole. They break in to find he has been shot. The medical examiner arrives, and finds Coe was dead long before he was shot, adding another mystery.

During the investigation an injured Scottie dog is discovered in the house, and no one recognizes it, or knows how it got in. There is also evidence a valuable Chinese vase has been broken, and an inferior piece substituted in its place. A search is started for Coe's brother, Brisbane Coe, who was in the house when all this happened. Eventually he is found - dead - in a closet in the home.

The Scottie dog seems to be the key. If they can trace the dog and find its owner, some light can be shed on the murders.

Review:

Despite the title, the book does not have any connection to a kennel, other than a brief visit to one late in the book. This is a locked-room mystery with a pile of loose ends: a victim who was dead before he was shot, a brother also murdered, a mystery dog injured, a broken vase, a missing weapon.

While delving into the worlds of ancient Chinese ceramics as well as dog breeding, the reader need not be knowledgable of either to enjoy the book. These side topics are minor. The big mystery is why and how is a dead man shot inside a locked room. The rundown of clues is standard police procedure and leads to the solution.

The book includes the usual S. S. Van Dine lectures and footnotes on obscure topics which may be skipped over. Was he being paid by the word?

See also this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.

The Kasino Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine (1934) #8

dustjackets.com

Mar 29 2021: I have intentionally misspelled the C-word here, as automated bots were finding this page and posting links to gambling sites. RM

Major characters:

Philo Vance, the dilettante detective
John F. X. Markham, District Attorney
Ernest Heath, sergent, Homicide squad
Mrs. Anthony Llewellyn - prominent social worker
Richard Kincaid - her brother, and owner of the Kasino
Amelia Llewellyn - her daughter, an art student
Lynn Llewellyn - her son, a night club lizard and gambler
Virginia Llewellyn - Lynn Llewellyn's wife, formerly Virginia Vale, stage star
Smith, the Llewellyn butler
Morgan Bloodgood - croupier at Kincaid's Kasino
Dr. Allan Kane, friend of the Llewellyns
Dr. Rogers

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Philo Vance receives an anonymous letter indicating some harm is to come to members of the Llewellyn family and they should be watched, especially on a certain date. Vance contacts D.A. John F. X. Markham. Vance then visits Kincaid's Kasino on the indicated date, to keep an eye on Lynn Llewellyn. While gambling, Lynn collapses and a doctor immediately recognizes it as poison. No sooner is he hospitalized when word comes that his wife, Virginia Llewellyn, has died at home from poisoning.

Soon after that, Amelia Llewellyn also is poisoned, but recovers. The common thread to the poisonings is that each victim drank water just before falling ill.

Review:

This mystery is quite enjoyable for a S. S. Van Dine story. Philo Vance is more human and less pedantic than we have seen him in previous books, with none of the long, diversionary sermons on antiquities or other unrelated topics. As this is the eighth book in the series, perhaps the writer had taken some of the reviews into consideration by this point.

The plot takes on an interesting twist as suspicion is placed in one direction, and it appears the solution is at hand - but at the last moment it turns out to be a false trail. The final scene contains high tension and an alarming development as Vance unmasks the killer.

See also this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.