Vance became a target for savaging. It reflects a different time for mystery reading and upper level education in the classics. Quote Odgen Nash. These promotions will be applied to this item: Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. There's a problem loading this menu right now. I don't know who is to "blame" for this. When a scheming young stockbroker is murdered – in a delicious locked-room scenario based on a real case of the day – Vance steps in to solve the puzzle not merely because he is bored and seeking new entertainment, but because honor compels him to point out the myriad ways in which the police are getting it wrong. Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2020. Needs a kick in the pants. Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2019. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Also there is no interaction between the story narrator and the detective like Sherlock and Watson . –Ogden Nash Given the state of my vision I intentionally stay away from mm. I read this book 50 years ago and it has stayed with me. As he tells an astonished police detective, "My specialty is scarab-cartouches of the Ptolemaic dynasties." As he tells an astonished police detective, "My specialty is scarab-cartouches of the Ptolemaic dynasties." Frankly, if I were the D.A., I would have shot Philo Vance. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Something went wrong. I haven’t read any of this series before, which is set in New York, with Philo Vance as a character who shares some traits with Lord Peter Wimsey. A wealthy financier has been shot dead in his home, the handbag of an actress lying nearby. Something went wrong. Will read other mysteries by author. From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia. Verified Purchase. Philo Vance. I enjoyed the Gracie Allen Murder Case much more. Quite frankly, I’m in total agreement with Mr. Nash. Other contemporaries tended to write with rather less elegance than Nash. In this mystery, he is taken to a crime scene by his friend, the District Attorney, Markham. S.S. Van Dine, pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright, (1888-1939) was an American critic, editor, and author of a series of best-selling detective novels featuring the brilliant but arrogant sleuth Philo Vance. The Benson Murder Case (Volume 1) (Philo Vance (1)). Absolutely terrible. But not as likable. I enjoyed it as a period piece, but I don't think I'd read a second one. If it's a mass market book, why isn't it being sold as one?