Overview

The novel that introduced Philo Vance and helped define the Golden Age puzzle mystery.First published in 1926, The Benson Murder Case is the debut novel in S. S. Van Dine's influential Philo Vance series. When the seemingly motiveless murder of a wealthy art collector stuns New York society, the investigation quickly becomes a test of logic, psychology, and intellectual discipline. Philo Vance approaches the crime with a method unlike that of conventional detectives, applying cultural knowledge, behavioral analysis, and strict reasoning to uncover the truth. As the case unfolds, Van Dine establishes the hallmarks of the fair-play detective story, presenting readers with all the clues needed to match wits with the investigator. Measured, cerebral, and meticulously constructed, The Benson Murder Case laid the groundwork for one of the most important American mystery series of the twentieth century. This Impact Books edition presents the novel as a clean, fast-reading classic for modern readers who enjoy traditional whodunits built on logic rather than action.

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S. S. Van Dine (1888-1939), the pen name of Willard Huntington Wright, was a leading figure of the Golden Age of detective fiction. He created the character of Philo Vance and helped establish the intellectual, fair-play mystery as a dominant form of crime fiction in the 1920s.Van Dine is also remembered for his influential ""Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories,"" which emphasized logic, transparency, and reader participation in solving the crime.

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