Philo Vance mysteries

This early work by S. S. Van Dine was originally published in 1927 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'The "Canary" 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....

Philo Vance unravels rhymes in a deadly key. “Without question one of Van Dine’s finest achievements. . . his construction of plot is really quite superb” (Tipping My Fedora).
After solving the Greene murders, Philo Vance has taken a well-earned holiday in Switzerland. Returning to New York City he finds his old chum, District Attorney Anthony Markham, up against a bizarre series of murders inspired by children’s...

A classic mystery featuring dogged detective Philo Vance. “An intricate puzzle . . . [Vance] has an uncanny insight into the subtler aspects of crime.” —The New York Times
Given all the rich people getting bumped off in Philo Vance’s Manhattan, it’s amazing there are enough left to support the symphony. Latest up: Arthur Coe, found dead in his own locked bedroom. Suicide? The ever-perceptive...

Bet on this Golden Age mystery from the author of The Dragon Murder Case. “One is tempted to say that this is the best of the Philo Vance stories.” —The New York Times
The “tremendous popularity” of the Philo Vance series stems in part from author S. S. Van Dine’s preference for ripping his plots from the headlines of the day (The New York Times). By the early ’30s, when Casino...

When a playboy is abducted, the highly educated detective “reveals himself as a gun-fighter who can pump hot lead with the best of them” (The New York Times).
Recently returned from a refreshing sojourn in Egypt and on his way out the door to enjoy a dog show, Philo Vance is stopped in his tracks by a visit from the New York district attorney. Notorious gambler and ne’er-do-well Kaspar Kenting has been kidnapped...

A murder in the mountains is the latest case for the Manhattan detective famed for his “highbrow manner and parade of encyclopedic learning” (The New York Times).
Wealthy and worldly-wise detective Philo Vance has been asked to keep watch at a house party in the snowy Berkshires of western Massachusetts, where he encounters an assortment of guests ranging from a treasure hunter to a race car driver. The owner of the...