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| AUTHOR: | Dine Van |
| CATEGORY: | Book |
| MANUFACTURER: | Scribner Paper Fiction |
| ISBN: | 0684179768 |
| TYPE: | Fiction, Fiction - Mystery/ Detective, Mystery & Detective - General, Mystery/Suspense |
| MEDIA: | Board book |
| # OF MEDIA: | 1 |
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Customer Reviews of The BENSON MURDER CASE (Benson Murder Case Ppr)
The Benson Murder Case Someone was shocked that I liked this old mystery, and called the writing "creakily dated". Hmmm, well, maybe you could say that. But when I read a crime novel from 1926, I don't expect Ed McBain or Joseph Wambaugh. I would like to be transported back to an earlier era, and the "creakily dated" style of S. S. Van Dine certainly helps do that.
Amateur sleuth Philo Vance makes a strong impression when you first meet him; with the arrogance of a Nero Wolfe, and the ability to be verbally disarming in an instant, like, uh, Uncle Fred, say, from a Wodehouse book. Characters do a lot of confering in this book, so there's a lot of drawing-room or lunchtime chat, as the crime against that rascal Benson is mulled over, but there are some wonderful moments in the story. The best may be when Vance presents what is an airtight case against a suspect, sells the idea completely to a confidant, and then tears the entire scenario to shreds a moment later, so as to prove the ridiculousness of circumstantial evidence.
As for the final revelation--Van Dine does weaken the shock at the end by choosing a certain structure to the book which, in my opinion, starts to point to the killer the farther along the novel progresses.
I don't feel this is five-star mystery-writing, but it will be hard to disregard Philo Vance after this introductory meeting.
The First of the Philo Vance Mysteries
This book is the first of Van Dine's mysteries, and it introduces Van Dine's sleuth, Philo Vance. Vance is a wealthy, but rather cynical, connoisseur in the arts and finer things of life. He has another hobby, though, helping the New York assistant district attorney solve complex murders.
This book focuses more on Philo Vance, showing the reader what to expect in the mysteries to follow. S.S. Van Dine, whose real name was Willard Hunting Wright, while writing mysteries, was also an art critic, and it shows in this book. The whole first chapter concerns Vance's view of the art world.
The plot involves that of Alvin Benson who found dea sitting in a chair in his living room. He still has a book in his hand and seems at first glance to be enjoying a leisurely read. It is up to Philo Vance to help the police discover who shot him at close range with a Colt 45 pistol.
The book is rather dated but is also an enjoyable read.
A Simpler New York City
S.S. Van Dine is a pseudonym for Willard Huntington Wright. THE BENSON MURDER CASE is the first Philo Vance mystery. Vance is an amateur detective and young aristocrat who is a close friend of the new District Attorney, John F.X. Markham. Vance mentions to Markham that he may enjoy going with him on a murder investigation. When Alvin Benson is found slain, Markham invites Vance to join him while he inspects the crime scene. The story is set in a simpler New York City of the roaring twenties before the 1929 stock market crash. This may be the best of the mystery novels written by Van Dine.