Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
New York, C. Scribner's sons, 1928.
Description
Philo Vance solves the case of a family whose members are being killed in this 1928 mystery classic.
User reviews
LibraryThing member mmyoung
Very disappointing. Van Dine's Philo Vance books were financially successful and influenced a number of other mystery writers not least of whom was Ellery Queen. The first two books in the Vance series were rather stiff and self-aware but that is not surprising. This book, the third, lacks any good
SPOILER WARNING:
The only reason the first murder was not committed within hours of its taking place was due to the fact the police did almost nothing. The simplest aspects of police routine were not carried out. It wasn't a difficult to solve crime it was a crime that should have been solved before the next dawn. Most of the book is smoke and magic to make us think that Vance is clever detective. Vance and the police basically do nothing until the viable suspects are down to 2 and then when they make a move of these two tries to kill the other. No deductions necessary at all.
The writer loses additional points for going out of his way in his attempts to demonstrate the Vance is extraordinarily well educated and then misuses words that should be part of any decently educated person's vocabulary.
The greatest mystery of this series, to me, is that it was successful and influential.
Show More
excuse for its shortcomings. SPOILER WARNING:
The only reason the first murder was not committed within hours of its taking place was due to the fact the police did almost nothing. The simplest aspects of police routine were not carried out. It wasn't a difficult to solve crime it was a crime that should have been solved before the next dawn. Most of the book is smoke and magic to make us think that Vance is clever detective. Vance and the police basically do nothing until the viable suspects are down to 2 and then when they make a move of these two tries to kill the other. No deductions necessary at all.
The writer loses additional points for going out of his way in his attempts to demonstrate the Vance is extraordinarily well educated and then misuses words that should be part of any decently educated person's vocabulary.
The greatest mystery of this series, to me, is that it was successful and influential.
Show Less
LibraryThing member antiquary
Mrs, Greene is a wealthy widow who lives wth three daughters and two sons in an elaborate New York mansion until murder strikes.
LibraryThing member EricCostello
Arguably the most successful of the Philo Vance novels, largely because van Dine quite successfully creates a poisonous setting; that of a decaying mansion on the East River in Manhattan, populated by a mother and five children that all hate each other. There is a fair ration of pseduo-scholarship
Show More
that can tend to hold things up -- van Dine is addicted to inflicting the original German on us in spots, especially during the explication of the solution. I'm not sure I buy, 100%, Vance's solution to the crime. It's one of those amazing mechanical crimes you'd never see in real life. And the disposition of the criminal is disappointing (though probably not to the survivors). As I say. the best of the Philo Vance novels -- and some critics say the series goes straight down hill from here. Caveat lector. (NOTE: one of the other reviewers here makes a cogent point: there's very little actual detecting until many of the killings have taken place, and it's questionable whether the police did a good job in investigating the first murders. Fair points, both, but that goes more to mechanics rather than the stage-setting van Dine does.) Show Less
LibraryThing member ritaer
Philo Vance "solves" case by letting murderer kill all but one and almost doesn't save that one. Clever, not! This has to be one of the dopiest mysteries I have ever read. No wonder Ogden Nash said "Philo Vance needs a kick in the pance." The idea that the police would stand back and let a murder
Show More
scene be searched only superficially is a little unbelievable. Show Less
Awards
Julian Symons' 100 Best Crime Stories (1927 — 1928)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1927
Physical description
388 p.; 20 cm