The Scarab Murder Case

Philo Vance #5

by S.S. Van Dine

Philo Vance was drawn into the Scarab murder case by sheer coincidence, although there is little doubt that John F.-X. Markham-New York's District Attorney-would sooner or later have enlisted his services. But it is problematic if even Vance, with his fine analytic mind and his remarkable flair for the subtleties of human psychology, could have solved that bizarre and astounding murder if he had not been the first observer on the scene; for, in the end, he was able to put his finger on the guilty person only because of the topsy-turvy clews that had met his eye during his initial inspection.Those clews-highly misleading from the materialistic point of view-eventually gave him the key to the murderer's mentality and thus enabled him to elucidate one of the most complicated and incredible criminal problems in modern police history.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, New York, Golden Age Mystery, Egypt

582 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

Pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright

Reviews

[Alan (the Lone Librarian rides again) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Egyptology Mayhem
Review of the Avarang Kindle eBook edition (May 30, 2023) of the Scribner’s hardcover original (1930).

But surely I could have had not the slightest idea or suspicion of what was actually about to befall us. It was far too appalling and too bizarre for the casual imagination. It lifted us out of the ordinary routine of daily experience and dashed us into a frowsty, miasmic atmosphere of things at once incredible and horrifying - things fraught with the seemingly supernatural black magic of a Witches' Sabbat. Only, in this instance it was the mystic and fantastic lore of ancient Egypt - with its confused mythology and its grotesque pantheon of beast-headed gods - that furnished the background.

I'm reading too many of the Philo Vance series (1926-1939) after discovering them during my survey of the Golden Age of Crime writing. I grabbed a package deal from Kindle where they were about $1.33 Cdn each. So now I've got all 12 to deal with. But I've noticed a pattern in the last few which has made them become predictable and which has also led into Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™ territory. Somewhat spoilery summary: The apparently innocent but most obvious on-site suspect is in fact the actual culprit, even if it takes a long time to reveal their modus operandi + the culprit escapes a final confrontation & criminal justice in some way (accidental death, suicide, etc.). I've read two further novels into the series than I have yet reviewed so that I know this is proving to be the rule and not the exception.

The Scarab Murder Case finds amateur sleuth Vance pulled into yet another investigation alongside District Attorney Markham and Homicide Sergeant Heath with his personal 'Watson' & lawyer / assistant S.S. Van Dine in tow to document the proceedings. The wealthy benefactor of various Egyptology expeditions is found dead in a private museum underneath a statue of Sakhmet (aka Sekhmet) with a Scarab amulet beside the body. Was it an accident or murder? Some say it is fate and retribution for disturbing the tombs of the Pharoahs. Others say there is a monetary motive behind the act. Only Philo Vance can separate the false clues from the reality.

There is an enormous amount of Eqyptology trivia from the 1920s period which is communicated throughout this book, often through the helpful footnotes provided by Van Dine. They read with a high degree of authenticity giving the impression of a great deal of research. The overwhelming quantity of factual material is used as a distraction from the motives of the culprit and I've noticed this in the other books as well (physics, mathematics & chess in The Bishop Murder Case, dog breeding in The Kennel Murder Case, tropical fish & dragon legends in The Dragon Murder Case, etc.). Philo Vance is improbably an amateur expert in all of these areas. Still, the banter is entertaining and the explanations are clever.


Front cover of the original Scribner’s first edition (1930). Image sourced from Wikipedia.

Trivia and Links

The Scarab Murder Case was adapted as the same-titled film The Scarab Murder Case (1936) directed by Michael Hankinson and starring Wilfrid Hyde-White as Philo Vance. The setting of the film is moved to England with the American amateur detective assisting Scotland Yard in a museum murder investigation. The film is considered lost as no prints have been located. There is an archived article from the British Film Institute under the heading of its being one of the BFI’s Most Wanted lost films which you can read here.

Willard Huntington Wright aka S.S. Van Dine is also the author of the Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

"El asesinato puede ser en ocasiones la expresión más elevada del valor"

Benjamin H. Kyle aparece muerto en el Museo Egipcio de Nueva York. Los sospechosos: el señor Bliss, el egiptólogo al que el finado patrocinaba sus excavaciones, la señora Bliss, Hani, el "protector" de esta y opositor a las excavaciones, Salveter, sobrino de Kyle y ayudante de Bliss con fijación en su esposa y Scarlett, otro egiptólogo que descubre el cuerpo y se lo comunica a su amigo, el detective Philo Vance. Todas las pruebas apuntan al mismo sospechoso, pero, como dice el propio Vance, la explicación obvia es a menudo la equivocada.

La idea de partida es atrayente, un caso de asesinato, sí, mas con cierto misticismo egipcio. Me ha gustado bastante, porque me ha resultado curioso e interesante, que varias pistas consistieran en jeroglíficos y que se incluyeran como tal en el libro. No obstante, aunque desde la primera página se anuncia el asesinato, he tardado en engancharme al misterio. Una vez que lo he hecho, no he podido parar de leer, pero al principio sentía la novela un pelín tediosa, lo que achaco al estilo de la narración (mucho diálogo) o a que la acción, casi por completo, ha transcurrido en el mismo escenario. Eso sí, una vez que me he metido en la investigación, Vance me ha entretenido.

Philo Vance, el detective arrogante, cultísimo, pedante e impertinente, es el que ha logrado mantenerme en el caso. En la vida real, no me caería nada bien un tipo como él, pero en el libro, a pesar de que había momentos en los que se hacía de rogar demasiado y por eso me sacaba de quicio, me ha hecho gracia. Creo que es el elemento que más funciona de esta novela y por esta razón no me importaría leer otro de sus casos.

La resolucion del caso, que acerté, correcta, lógica, pero esperada ya que era lo inesperado. Eso sí, algunas acciones de unos personajes no las he acabado de entender, pero bueno, es verdad que si esos personajes hubieran hablado desde el inicio, no hubiese habido libro.

Para ser de 1930, está muy bien.

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pese a la magnífica edición de Reino de Cordelia (de hecho, es lo que más me ha gustado del libro), creo que esta novela ha envejecido mal.
Y eso que soy una gran aficionada a los murder misteries, pero en este caso la trama me ha resultado muy poco convincente y su protagonista, Philo Vance, completamente enervante: repelente, pedante, redicho... en fin, que me ha sacado de mis casillas.
Una pequeña decepción

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Egyptologist lies murdered. He lies embracing the feet of Anubis, the god of the underworld. The murder weapon is Sakhamet the goddess of vengeance. Is the killer a vengeful goddess, a jealous husband, a dedicated servant, a greedy relative, a dissatisfied wife, an opportunistic intruder, or the ‘English gentleman”? Obviously, only the incomparable Philo Vance can sort out this Gordian knot. Well, who else could have read the incriminating letter written in Egyptian hieroglyphics?
Ancient Egyptian Sarcophagi, ancient weapons, smuggled antiquities, opium, cryptic witnesses, and an erudite detective, what could make a better setting? That part was really fun. He made it a real part of the mystery.
It’s a pulp mystery. Don’t expect much. The vocabulary was really good if you’re into the overuse of the thesaurus. Here are just the words I looked up: habiliments, majolica, sistra, totemistic, narcotized, alack and welladay, technic, obfuscating, adumbrated, mizzle, nubiferous, nephological , coadjutors, quidnunc, coruscating, carnelian intaglio ring, maundering, tapis , oubliettes, ineluctable, lamaic, malfic, parazonium, quiescent, stultifying,aesthete, enervating, cyanosed, abecedarian, quixotism, palimpsest, temerarious, echolalia.
If it wasn’t for the foul language, I would have really liked it. I finished this book, but wouldn’t look for anymore. I would say the foul language is comparable with some of Agatha Christie’s more foul works.
It was both fun and scary to read some of the dated material in it. How about this for serious medical advice?
“You need a tonic, Brush. A combination of iron, arsenic, and strychnine would build you up.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve been thinking of consulting a doctor…It’s a lack of fresh air, sir.”
Or for an old name for a flashlight, “push button flash”
One more note, I’ve never read a mystery that has footnotes in it. He uses them to catch up on who’s who if you haven’t read the first books. I like that it doesn’t slow the story down with a bunch of repetition. He uses them to give ‘facts’ about the careers of his characters, their research, or accomplishments, and the facts surrounding the Egyptology they discuss.
There weren't many illustrations but it did have this gem

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philo Vance, the sometimes arrogant, sometimes dilettante, Regie-smoking, g-droppin' (see what I mean!) amateur sleuth, gets involved in the death of a famous Egyptologist patron Benjamin H Kyle.

All the action takes place in the space of 36 hours and in that time Van Dine packs in plenty of action, red herrings, suspects, humour and lessons in Egyptian history (even correcting Rider Haggard about a character in one of his novels). He is joined by his friend John F-X Markham the New York County District Attorney and his able sidekick Sergeant Ernest Heath.

Kyle is found dead in Egyptologist Dr Mindrum W C Bliss's private museum at the foot of a large statue of Anubis with a smaller statue of Sakhmet (the Goddess of Venegeance) seemingly having fallen on his skull from the top of an adjacent shelf.

Was it an accident or has someone killed him? Donald Scarlett, a technical expert on the Bliss expeditions, calls in Vance who in turn contacts Markham and they all meet at the Museum. Thereafter most of the action centres on the Museum and the house in which it is located.

Suspects include Dr Bliss's devoted Egyptian wife, Meryt-Amen, Robert Salveter, assistant-curator at the Museum and an admirer of Meyt-Amen, Anupu Hani, an Egyptian retainer of the Blisses and Dr Bliss himself. Hani, seemingly a dark, trouble-making gent, is the prime suspect, closely followed by Salveter. Vance, in his educated, sometimes affected way, quizzes them all and soon makes up his mind as to what has happened.

However, he does not pass this information on to Markham, who forms his own opinion and wants to make an immediate arrest. Vance prevents him from doing so and leads him a merry dance as he unravels the mystery, which he eventually brings to a satisfactory conclusion ... but not without plenty of thrills and spills along the way.

One last thought is that poet and humorist Ogden Nash's couplet 'Philo Vance/Needs a kick in the pance' is somewhat harsh for Vance is certainly a detective to be considered with the best and in the late 1920s/early 1930s he was regarded as the most popular detective in literature. He may be a bit dated now in these days of more hard-nosed crime but he is still great fun!

[Antonella Imperiali · Rating 3 out of 5]

In principio il caso era sembrato semplice e il numero dei sospettati decisamente limitato. Ma, nonostante questi due fatti, la faccenda presentava una sottile e misteriosa inafferrabilità che rendeva impossibile prendere una decisione drastica. Gli elementi erano troppo inconsistenti, i moventi troppo contraddittori. Vance era stato il primo a intuire le complicazioni, il primo a indicare i paradossi invisibili; e aveva additato con sicurezza i punti essenziali del piano, predicendone accuratamente alcuni sviluppi.

Molto macchinoso: una girandola di indizi messi a bella posta, un ambiente ristretto, poche le persone coinvolte, qualche modesto colpo di scena in un lasso di tempo veramente breve. Il tutto condito con elementi provenienti dal magico affascinante mondo egizio dove si sa la vendetta è di casa.

E nonostante il machiavellico castello di supposizioni e l’attesa che accadano gli eventi previsti per costruire un’accusa che regga tanto da incriminare il colpevole, la soluzione è facilmente intuibile ed anche il movente appare chiaro.
Tempistica, imprevisti ed effetti collaterali a parte…

Finale amaro, che non ho ben tollerato (almeno da un punto di vista morale), ma che non poteva essere altrimenti (se proprio si vuol far pendere l’ago della bilancia verso un vago senso di giustizia).

Philo Vance mi piace molto, ma a volte lo strozzerei… per mia fortuna, solo sulla carta!

3,5/5


🌎 LdM - Sfida 2023: USA
✍️ SSVD

[Kenchiin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It isn't bad, but I prefer the other stories he wrote before this.
There are enough clues to notice the "plot twist", so I am happy with that.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve thought about reading a Philo Vance mystery for quite some time now and this title finally rose to the top of my ever-growing TBR roster. It’s an excellent example of its type of vintage mystery. Not really my cup of tea, as it consists mostly of a murder investigation conducted via interviews and Vance reviewing the facts and edifying the police. What little action occurs takes place off-page and its remnants are discovered after the fact. Like Sherlock Holmes, Vance is super smart, and although he is the amateur sleuth on the case, he leads the investigation and directs the woefully, almost bumbling, police detectives.

This particular novel is packed full of Egyptology, complete with footnotes to clarify context. It all seems authentic and you have to marvel at the level of Van Dine’s knowledge of the subject. It’s also a pleasure to discover his expansive vocabulary. The novel is loaded with obscure descriptors and inventive word extensions.

Despite its lack of action and verbose style, the writing is crisp, imaginative, and holds your attention for the most part. I probably won’t revisit another Philo Vance original, but I’m very glad to have seen what they’re all about.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scarab Murder Case
5th in the Philo Vance mystery series set during July 13-14, 1930. Vance, an independently wealthy college educated, amateur detective, uses his deductive skills and psychological knowledge to help his New York City District Attorney friend to unravel the murder of the financial backer of an Egyptologist and his work in Egypt. As usual, the action is set in New York City. His methods are unconventional and go against the more rigid police investigative methods and lawyer legal requirements.

[Maria Carmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this new crime story by SS Van Dine. It is true that Philo Vance strikes one as a bit arrogant, but it cannot be denied that the whole complexity of the plot, the exotic flavor granted by all the Latin and Egyptian phases and the personality of Heni, give this book a special atmosphere full of mystery. At the very end, there is a certain "amorality" which I am not sure would be right, if it were a REAL case... But I do not want to give out any "spoilers"! All in all, I really loved this Philo Vance thriller.

Maria Carmo,

Lisbon 22 January 2018.

[Klaus Mattes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der fünfte Fall mit den New Yorker Sherlock Holmes Philo Vance dürfte der letzte noch wirklich gelungene sein. Der Autor, durch die multimediale Verwertung seiner Figur unglaublich reich geworden, allerdings seinen verschiedenen Drogen-Usancen auch höriger, schreibt überraschend locker, mit viel Dialog, einer reduzierten Neigung seines Gentleman-Detektivs zu seitenlangen (kunst-)historischen Vorträgen, die später für die Aufklärung des Mords gar nicht von Belang sind. Es brauchte allerdings ein gerüttelt Maß Frechheit – und man hat sie ihm von Anfang auch vorgeworfen, ich finde sie genial –, den Leser davon überzeugen zu wollen, man könne einen Mord in Abwesenheit verüben, bei dem eine halb Meter hohe massive Steinfigur einem Mann den Hinterkopf einschlägt, wenn er einen Vorhang von einem Museumsregal zieht, bei dem ein Ring von der Stange genommen und oben unter die Figur geklemmt wurde, während das Ding hinten kippelig auf einem abgeschnittenen Bleistiftstück balanciert.

Worauf dann, in guter Holmes-Tradition, der Meisterdenker erst einmal eruieren muss, mit welcher Marke Bleistifte die Leute im Haus arbeiten. Das große Problem bei dieser Romankonstruktion war, dass es mehr als vier Verdächtige gar nicht geben kann. Es sei denn, man würde die junge Frau des von der Polizei vorgeschlagenen Mörders Bliss auch noch in Erwägung ziehen, weil sie nämlich von gleich zwei jüngeren Männern umschmeichelt wird, dem im Hause wohnenden Ägyptologen Salveter, Neffe und Erbe des getöteten Millionärs und Mäzens Kyle, und dem mit allerlei pseudo-sektiererischen Geschwätz hantierenden Ägypter Hani, der ein Agent der ägyptischen Regierung zur Ausforschung von Grabräubern sein könnte, sich jedenfalls seit der Kindheit von Mrs Bliss (Ehefrau des Hausherren, des von Kyle geförderten Ägyptologen Dr. Bliss) als deren Pate geriert. Hani ist eine jener, in den 1920-er Jahren beliebten zwielichtigen Orientalen-Gestalten (siehe Dr. Fu Man Chu und Sax Rohmers Roman „Die Feuerzunge“). Aber eine Frau, die einen Mord begeht? Das wäre eine Revolution in der Romanwelt des hoch gebildeten ehemaligen Journalisten S.S. Van Dine (eigentlich hieß er Willard Huntington Wright und war der Bruder des Malers Stanton Macdonald Wright). Irgendwann spricht es Vance beiläufig aus: „Der Gentleman, der diese Tat geplant hat ...“

Tja, wieder einmal, auch das bei Sherlock Holmes schon gesehen, deutet der Meisterdenker und Meisterbeobachter vor der Hälfte des Buchs schon an, es sei eine einfach zu durchschauende Intrige (danach sieht's für den Leser gar nicht aus), nur beweisen lasse sie sich noch nicht – und laufe vielleicht auf eine zweite, noch schrecklichere Tat hinaus. Wieder diese Unverschämtheit, weder deutet Vance an, hinter wem er her ist, noch ist er, als er besagtes Bleistiftstück findet, willens, es für die nächsten paar Stunden dem Untersuchungsteam zu zeigen. Die Spannung im Krimi muss erst noch zum Glühen gebracht werden. Das, obwohl Sergeant Heath und Staatsanwalt Markham gesehen haben, dass er etwas in seine Tasche gesteckt hat! Wie schon angedeutet: Die Glaubwürdigkeit der Van-Dine-Bücher gerät, wie später dann immer mehr, ziemlich ins Schwanken. Aber noch bin ich bereit, gerade dieses für Vergnüglichkeit zu halten. Etwa so: Es ist doch alles Komödie, absoluter Quatsch, aber bis zur letzten Seite spannend und amüsant. (Und nicht mal besonders unfair dem Leser gegenüber, wie es dann bei Van Dines Schüler John Dickson Carr gelegentlich werden sollte.)

An der Künstlichkeit dieser klassischen Whodunits besteht kein Zweifel. Das gesamte Buch ereignet sich innerhalb von zwei Tagen mitten in New York, aber in einer Welt für sich. Die praktischerweise aus zwei zusammengebauten dreistöckigen Häusern besteht, wobei das eine zu einem Museum umgestaltet wurde, sodass es fürs ganze Anwesen nur einen Zugang gibt, der, seltsam, seltsam, zum Zeitpunkt der Auffindung der Leiche offenstand, während er sonst stets verschlossen ist. Die frühere Trennung der zwei Häuser sorgt dafür, dass es zwischen dem Tatort im Museum und den Wohnräumen der Familie auch nur zwei Türen gibt, sodass, wie ein adeliger Gutsherr, Philo Vance schon einmal ein, zwei Viertelstunden den Schauplatz in Augenschein und Zeugen befragen kann, bevor dem Hausherr Dr. Bliss überhaupt gemeldet wird, dass unten ein Toter liegt und dass Polizei im Haus ist. Von da an setzen Vance und Staatsanwalt Markham die verschiedenen Figuren schön getrennt in ihre Zimmer, lassen sie nach und nach, Kapitel um Kapitel, einzeln neben der Leiche antreten, damit sie dann immer einen unerwarteten Clou zum Kapitelende beisteuern. Das ist mechanisch, konventionell, aber halt auch übersichtlich. Krimis gearbeitet, als sähe man sie auf einer Theaterbühne! (Hollywood mochte sie dann ja auch.)

Der Leser braucht nicht lange, bis er ahnt, dass nur zwei der Figuren wirklich in Frage kommen. Es gibt zwar noch Hauspersonal, aber das ist in solchen Gentleman-Mordfällen weniger tatberechtigt als Frauen. Auch hier bewundere ich, wie konsequent der Autor daran gearbeitet hat, wenigstens diese Zwei bis auf die allerletzten Seiten für den Leser als hypothetische Trumpfkarte im Spiel zu halten. Dazu gehört, dass Vance in seiner großen Enthüllungs-Rede kein Wort darüber verliert, dass er selbst erst vor Kurzem noch Anordnungen getroffen hat, die doch wohl nur den Zweck hatten, den Unschuldigen weiter als Mörder erscheinen zu lassen.

Gut gemacht. Und man muss einfach sagen: Wer, wie ich, John Dickson Carrs „Mord aus Tausendundeiner Nacht“ (Mord in einem Privatmuseum) und Ellery Queens „Der Sarg des Griechen“ (reicher Sammler, verschlossener Raum mitten in Manhattan) vorher gelesen hat, wird, wenn er den „Mordfall Skarabäus“ liest, immer wieder mal denken: Aber das kenne ich doch! Das ist hier doch wie dort! Aber ha, jene zwei Romane kamen erst danach, 1933 und 1936. Sie haben bei S.S. Van Dine abgeschrieben. S.S. Van Dine hat man hinterher vergessen, zumindest das Ellery-Queen-Team nie mehr!

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 3 out of 5]

dated but interesting.

[Gigli · Rating 4 out of 5]

»»» A aquisição:
Comprei em 2.ª mão no Trade Stories, porque gosto desta coleção e porque tinha um bom preço e uma boa capa e título.

»»» A aventura:
Num pequeno museu inglês de relíquias egípcias o milionário patrono do mesmo e do seu curador aparece morto aos pés da estátua de Hórus.
A seu lado pegadas e o alfinete de gravata com um escaravelho egípcio que pertence ao curador, um professor e explorador do antigo Egipto de renome.
Philo Vance, um homem da alta sociedade que se tem revelado com queda para a resolução de mistérios, é chamado por um conhecido, um dos homens que faz parte da equipa que cuida da exposição e que é amigo do professor.
A intriga começa, com a jovem esposa egípcia do professor, o seu criado pessoal egípcio, que detesta os ingleses que exploram a sua cultura, o filho do milionário que tem um fraquinho pela jovem, e os criados, peças do puzzle que aponta para o professor como o suspeito óbvio… se não acreditarmos na vingança dos deuses egípcios.

»»» Sentimento final:
Boa leitura.
Uma morte simples, rodeada por algum mistério e investigado por homens bem pensantes e bem vestidos.
A atmosfera de elegância e de mistério egípcio está lá, tal como o facto de quase poder ser uma pequena peça de teatro ou um filme sem grandes gastos em cenários, dado que tudo se passa em pouco tempo e praticamente sempre no mesmo local, a grande mansão onde vivem os suspeitos e onde fica o museu nos pisos de baixo.
O frenesim de perguntas e interrogações do nosso elegante e erudito investigador são o que me cativa e, apesar de ser um enquadramento simples, tenho que admitir que no final já não conseguia parar de ler o livro por querer muito saber a quem apontavam as suspeita. Isso é um feito da escrita, que até a mim me surpreendeu e por isso tive que dar 4*, quando a meio do livro iria para umas 3*, por parecer uma boa leitura, mas sem grandes rasgos, mas enganei-me.
O facto de o nosso investigador ter conhecimento de egiptologia e até ter sido um colaborador de uma escavação do professor no Egipto ajuda na resolução do crime e torna tudo ainda mais empolgante.
Foi um excelente limpa palato depois do horrendo policial que li antes deste.
Primeiro livro que li deste autor e certamente não será o último

[Germán · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 que redondeo hacia abajo porque, aun habiéndome hecho pasar un buen rato, si la comparo con las cuatro historias anteriores de Philo Vance esta probablemente sea la que menos me ha gustado. También es cierto que las leí siendo, como mínimo, un par de décadas más joven, y quizás mi impresión hoy en día fuese un poco más floja, pero como por aquel entonces me dejaron tan buen sabor de boca llevaba ya un tiempo queriendo hincarle el diente a un nuevo misterio suyo. Y bueno, como digo palidece un poco en comparación con el recuerdo, pero en cualquier caso nos encontramos con una meritoria historia de detectives que engancha, con muy buen ritmo, y que aunque para el lector experimentado puede resultar un poco predecible, sigue estando por encima de libros con más pretensiones.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever Golden Age mystery, albeit anachronism lends itself to unfavourable readings of the repeated racism against Egyptians. I liked that the killer and plot were well-founded by the story rather than the solution being something that turns up out of nowhere, as in other 1930s/40s murder mysteries. I enjoyed this one and it was a bit of a speed read as well.

4

[Frasqua74 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un finanziatore di scavi archeologici viene ucciso nel museo egizio di un appassionato newyorkese che viene in un primo momento accusato del delitto. Misteri, antiche divinità, tradimenti si alternano fino alla spiazzante risoluzione finale. Interessante, ma l’ho trovato un po’ lento.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and quick museum mystery. A bit too heavy on the Egyptology details and I skipped a lot of the footnotes. Also um sure Philo Vance can read Egyptian hieroglyphics? 🤨

Still, fun murder mystery, and I like the museum and ancient Egypt topics.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Egyptolist patron of the Bliss Museum is found dead at the museum by Donald Scarlett. He informs Philo Vance, an old friend, along with the police they arrive to investigate. But Vance becomes suspicious of the many clues pointing to one suspect.
An enjoyable historical mystery
Originally published in 1929

[Dmbfm · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit too long for what it is (as Philo Vance novels often are), but the ending is pretty good and makes up for that.

[Jaapou]

Good read

Watch the movies to visualize the look and sound of the characters. It really helps. I really don't like this review program.

[Luca C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

La scrittura non è male, ma tutto lo svolgimento della vicenda appare essere forzato. Il finale è prevedibile e un po' cinico.

[Greg Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mannered who done it. Philo Vance is an amateur who outshines everyone on the police force and the district attorneys office. Lots of juicy details about Egyptian antiquities.

[Margaret Young · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is interesting for me to return to Philo Vance after reading several of the early Ellery Queen novels. Even if we did not have the evidence of the Queen writers own statements it is textually clear that the early characterization of Ellery Queen was influenced by that of Philo Vance. Indeed it seems at times that characters within the Queen universe are indirectly responding to characters and situations in the Vance universe. Given that both seem to be functioning in New York City at roughly the same time I look forward for evidence that Van Dine is directly or indirectly responding to the direct or indirect challenges that arise from having two such similar characters functioning in what should be the same universe.

The Scarab Murder Case begins with the ever vexing problem of how to insert civilians into murder mysteries without the risk of the reader coming to suspect that your detective is, in truth, a serial murderer. Although Van Dine does not want the reader to believe that Vance is a murderer he clearly wants that same reader to believe that Vance’s New York is a world in which the police are clearly incompetent at the most basic aspects of their jobs. The reader has come to understand that if Vance does not arrive quickly at the scene the police will be likely to miss the most important of clews [sic:] and to make too much of the least of them. Within the first few pages of the book Vance is brought onto the scene of a murder by a third person and he (and the reader) get a chance to see just how badly the New York police are equipped to handle this case.

Van Dine, in this book, falls into a “tell don’t show” pattern in which the reader is continuously told that the case is fiendishly difficult to understand and that no one but Vance could possibly understand the nature of problem. Vance’s known of Egyptology is waved before the reader to distract them from the rather straight-forward nature of the case. It is rare that I nail the murderer (and the reason why some clews should be discounted) almost as soon as the murder scene is described and even less often that I can predict the final denouement of the case--yet both are true for The Scarab Murder Case. Unless the next book in the series indicates otherwise I am tempted to write that it is with this book that Van Dine begins to fall the victim of his own PR to the detriment of the plotting of his mysteries.

A note to the unsuspecting reader who stumbles across this book more than 80 years after it was published--it gives a rather clear, and often quite unpleasant, insight into the attitudes and prejudices that led to the widespread despoiling of Egyptian tombs by westerners.

Further than this there is little I can write that would not function as a spoiler. The murder takes place in a private museum and the principals in the case are, with two exceptions, male members of the upper middle class who seem to practice their archaeology without even the level of scientific rigour common among the many Americans and Englishmen who descended on the tombs of Egypt in the first several decades of the last century. The fact that Vance is their equal in the ability to read hieroglyphics and judge the provenance of statuary does more to diminish the qualifications of the archaeologists than it does to demonstrate Vance’s erudition. The murder (and subsequent attempted murders) are actually quite straight forward and it is only Vance’s insistence that they are not that makes the case go on long enough to write a book about it.

[Rick Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

#5 of 12 Van Dines, and he is writing at his peak.

Major characters:

Philo Vance, dilettante detective
John F. X. Markham, district attorney
Dr. Mindrum W. C. Bliss, head of the Bliss Museum of Egyptian Antiquities
Meryt-Amen Bliss, his mysterious young wife
Benjamin H. Kyle, philanthropist and art patron; dead as story begins
Robert Salveter, assistant curator of the museum, nephew of Benjamin Kyle
Donald Scarlett, technician for the Bliss expeditions
Anapu Hani, family retainer of the Blisses, a mysterious Egyptian
Brush, butler for the Blisses
Dingle, cook for the Blisses

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Benjamin Kyle, wealthy art patron, is discovered dead in the Bliss museum, having been struck in the head by a heavy statue. Immediate evidence points at Dr. Bliss as the murderer: a scarab stickpin belonging to Dr. Bliss is found with the body.

Kyle had been financing the Bliss expeditions to Egypt. His will leaves his fortune equally to his nephew, Robert Salveter, and Meryt-Amen; much younger wife of Dr. Bliss. Salveter and Meryt-Amen enjoy writing each other secret little notes in hieroglyphics which no one else can read, leading to an assumption of intimacy. Anapu Hani is also closely attached to Meryt-Amen.

It turns out Dr. Bliss was drugged at the time of the murder, by addition of opium into his coffee.

Review: This is a tight mystery, with the action confined to just these few characters. The characters are enjoyable - sleepy professor Bliss, his much younger ingenue wife, who has a couple of other male interests Robert Salveter and the inscrutable Hani. It is enjoyable as suspicion passes around from one to another. There are several instances of things-not-as-they appear which are all clearly explained at the end. A lot of Egypt-ese, but that does not detract from it. As Philo Vance novels go, he sticks to relevant investigation and does not wander off for pages at a time displaying his erudite knowledge.

Enjoy reading mysteries? Check out my mystery reading challenges at The Mystillery.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for the mystery, but Vance spends even more time than usual dropping useless hints and refusing to tell anyone (especially the police) what he knows.

[Jaymee Woolhiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

S. S. Van Dine is at it again with a plot filled with more twists than a back country road.

Taking place in a brownstone mansion equipped with its very own Egyptian museum, The Scarab Murder Case involves murder, love, jealousy, and corruption. All important ingredients to a truly excellent murder mystery.

When an Egyptologist's patron is found murdered at the feet of Anubis inside his personal museum hobby detective Philo Vance is forced to play a deadly game of real life chess with the murderer. With only his intuition to guide him, Vance predicts the ensuing actions of a deranged and desperate killer, but will he be able to do so before they kill again?

This was a particularly fun read because of the subject matter. Van Dine certainly went into considerable depths to research the history of Egypt's pharaohs and ancient artifacts to bring readers a comprehensive murder mystery that felt full and complete rather than relying on the murder itself as a crutch. The mystery itself, however, is not without merit. While my own intuition pointed toward a particular suspect I found myself in the same evidence lacking boat as Vance.

The Scarab Murder Case was a quick read, loaded with motivation and page turning hooks. I recommend this book (and any of Van Dine's Philo Vance works) to anyone who enjoys a good, clean murder without all the sensationalism of gore. You won't be disappointed.

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Il caso, vedete, è chiuso per quel che riguarda la soluzione " Adoro quando il detective nei gialli classici esce con queste parole di solito a qualche decina di pagine dalla fine, parole che lasciano stupefatto il suo interlocutore (che sia Hastings, Goodwin o come qui Markham) e costringono il lettore attento ed esperto a riflettere a sua volta, in questo caso giungendo alla stessa conclusione di Vance.
Uno strano omicidio in un museo, nel mondo degli egittologi dove naturalmente naturalmente Vance si trova a suo agio come se leggere geroglifici sia la cosa più naturale del mondo. E immedesimandomi in Markham ne ammiro il sangue freddo che gli permette di trattenersi dallo strangolare l'amico quando fa sfoggio di se. Io non ne sarei capace.
Personaggi ben delineati, uno schema già usato e pertanto relativamente facile da riconoscere per il lettore esperto, ma con varianti interessanti, false piste consistenti e interessanti e un finale (al di la dell'identità, prevedibile, di chi ha ucciso la prima vittima) inatteso e carico di implicazioni morali che verranno poi usate anche dai suoi successori. È il papà e il precursore della GAD e si legge sempre con piacere.

[Ad · Rating 4 out of 5]

S.S. van Dine wrote 12 detective novels in the late 1920s and 1930s centered on private detective Philo Vance, a wealthy aesthete and connoisseur of the arts. The first six are very good: The Benson Murder Case (1926), The Canary Murder Case (1927), The Greene Murder Case (1928), The Bishop Murder Case (1929), The Scarab Murder Case (1930) and The Kennel Murder Case (1933). Less good but still interesting enough (although in declining order) are four more novels: The Dragon Murder Case (1933), The Casino Murder Case (1934), The Garden Murder Case (1935) and The Kidnap Murder Case (1936). Forgettable are the last two novels, both based on film scripts: The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1938) and The Winter Murder Case (1939).

S.S. van Dine was enormously popular between 1926 and 1936, something which is also demonstrated by how quickly Hollywood adapted his novels to the screen with such famous actors as William Powell. But in the 1930s Hammett and Chandler started the hard-boiled genre with violent detectives who would make Van Dine’s intellectual sleuth seem insignificant and a bit preposterous.

[Maik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro muy centrado en egiptología, que si bien no es de real interés en el lector, puede ofrecerse una lectura tediosa y lenta, pero que como todos los casos anteriores, ofrece un enramado de giros y situaciones para que la cabeza no deje de estar en funcionamiento de principio a fin. Si bien peca del fácil engaño con una resolución de encontrar al culpable pobre, no termina con eso, como nos tiene acostumbrado S.S. Van Dine, los desenlaces de todos los casos logra estabilizar la balanza a favor.

Philo Vance en este libro sí que me ha parecido demasiado "sobrado" podría decir, se excede demasiado en posiciones que no le toca, lejos de ser el arrogante, presumido y sabelotodo, alcanza un nivel de repelente en varios momentos que no agrada y que no le caracteriza.

Dicho esto, lo recomiendo como cualquier otro libro suyo anterior, pese a que no alcance el mismo nivel de excelencia en narración y desarrollo.

[Baylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puoi trovare questa recensione anche sul mio blog, La siepe di more

Sapete che c’è? Penso di aver fatto la pace con Philo Vance. Nei primi quattro romanzi della serie la mia opinione ha oscillato tra che palle e va be’, niente di che, mentre La dea della vendetta mi è piaciuto molto e mi sono divertita un sacco a leggerlo.

Poi sarà che l’ho letto in un momento in cui ero stanchissima e faticavo anche solo a tenere gli occhi aperti, ma questa volta non ho capito nulla fino alla fine e quindi mi sono divertita di più a seguire le indagine di Vance.

Infine, ho apprezzato molto il fatto che il delitto si intrecciasse alla mitologia egizia, ha reso la storia molto suggestiva.