The Winter Murder Case

Philo Vance #12

by S.S. Van Dine (Pseudonym), Willard Huntington Wright

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 house doesn’t quite trust his son’s friends—and is worried about the security of his precious emeralds. Sure enough, a guard is soon killed, the jewels are stolen, and then another guest dies, leaving Vance to make some cold calculations about who turned this gathering from festive to fatal . . .

“Mr. Van Dine’s amateur detective is the most gentlemanly, and probably the most scholarly snooper in literature.” — Chicago Daily Tribune

“The best of the American mystery men.” — The Globe

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Novella, Fiction, Detective, Classics, Whodunit

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

About the author

Pseudonym of Willard Huntington Wright

Reviews

[Alan (the Lone Librarian on semi-hiatus)) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Final Philo
Review of the Arni Books Kindle eBook edition (August 10, 2023) of the Scribner’s hardcover original (1939).

The girl, in a simple white skating costume, seemed unreal in the light of the moon and stars. She was going through one difficult skating figure after another with serious repetition, as if trying to perfect their intricacies. Vance suddenly became attentive.
“My word!” he whispered. “Magnificent skating!”
He stood fascinated by the girl’s proficiency as she executed various school figures and complicated free routines.
The phonograph ran down and, as the girl completed an involved jump and spiral spin, Vance approached her with a cheerful greeting. At first she was startled; then she smiled shyly.

This became the final Philo Vance novel by S.S. Van Dine aka Willard Huntington Wright (1888-1939) who passed away in the year that it was published. The Winter Murder Case was apparently designed as a screen treatment for a planned film to feature Norwegian champion ice skater Sonje Henie, who had a post-Olympics career as a screen actress. The plot therefore involves a woman with a talent for ice skating. It was published as a short length novella with Wright's "Twenty Rules For Writing Detective Stories" added as an addendum to bump up the book length.


The front cover of the original Scribner’s first edition (1939). Image sourced from Wikipedia.

Amateur sleuth Vance is called out to the Berkshires country estate of Carrington Rexon who is concerned that his emerald jewel collection will be burgled. Ella Gunthar is the companion to Rexon's invalid daughter and spends her spare time ice skating on a nearby rink on the estate. As Vance is in residence a murder and the theft of the emeralds occurs. Vance solves the case while relying on Ella's skating as a distraction for the house guests.

This was a very light and short read which didn't allow Philo Vance to do his usual taunting of District Attorney Markham (who is also a guest at the estate) or NYC homicide detective sergeant Heath (who does not appear at all, since the locale is out of his jurisdiction). So it was not as insufferable as some of the other late Vances and it also didn't have the disappointment of an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert.

Trivia and Links
Unlike almost all of the other Philo Vance books and although originally planned as a movie, The Winter Murder Case was not adapted into a film version. There is a listing of all the film adaptations under the Wikipedia entry for the fictional Philo Vance character here. The later films are not based on any of the books.

The Winter Murder Case is in the public domain and can be read or sourced online at various sites such as Faded Page.

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

[Kenchiin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end of a journey, that moment when you have read the whole saga and can't turn back.
Goodbye Vance <3

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 2 out of 5]

ENGLISH: Posthumous work by S.S. Van Dine, who left it unfinished shortly before his death, although the novel exists in an outline of 30,000 words, which can be considered as a complete summarized version, since it only remains to develop it a little more until it swells into an ordinary novel.

Twelfth and last of the novels starring Detective Philo Vance, this edition is followed by the article "20 Rules for Writing Detective Stories." "The Winter Murder Case" can be considered a good example of the application of these rules, which on the other hand are perhaps too strict, since The Clocks by Agatha Christie, a novel I reviewed a few days ago, does not comply with rules 3 and 5; Anthony Berkeley's "The Poisoned Chocolate Case" does not meet rule 9; and my own detective stories don't follow all of the rules.

ESPAÑOL: Obra póstuma de S.S. Van Dine, que dejó sin terminar poco antes de su muerte, aunque la novela existe en un esbozo de 30.000 palabras, que puede considerarse como una versión completa resumida, pues sólo falta desarrollarla un poco hasta convertirla en una novela ordinaria.

Duodécima y última de las novelas del detective Philo Vance, en esta edición va seguida por el artículo "20 reglas para escribir novelas policiacas". "The Winter Murder Case" puede considerarse un buen ejemplo de la aplicación de esas reglas, que por otra parte son quizá demasiado estrictas, pues "Los relojes" de Agatha Christie, novela que revisé hace unos días, no cumple las reglas 3 y 5; "La caja de bombones envenenada" de Anthony Berkeley no cumple la regla 9; y mis propias novelas policiacas no cumplen todas las reglas.

[Come Musica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un caso di duplice omicidio e di furto.
Interessante il modo in cui si svolgono le indagini.
Vance raccoglie gli indizi e il colpevole si scopre nell'ultimo capitolo, intuendolo un paio di capitoli prima.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vance is invited to the Rexon Estate as the owner, Carrington Rexon, is concerned about the safety of his emerald collection, but soon deaths occur.
An enjoyable historical mystery
(Originally published in 1939)

[Raquel Santos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mais um policial relativamente inócuo.

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purtroppo incompiuto, ma comunque in una forma tale da essere pubblicabile, questo romanzo vede per la prima volta Vance lasciare la sua Manhattan per proteggere un ricco collezionista e i suoi smeraldi. Ma la morte entrerà nel maniero di montagna di questo magnate, e la perspicacia di Vance permetterà di dipanare il mistero. Nessuno spunto geniale ma complessivamente un bel giallo, dove Vance gigioneggia poco per fortuna e dove il lettore può passare alcune ore di sana evasione, svelando enigmi e mettendosi alla prova contro il dandy di Manhattan

[Livros de Vidro]

Vance, é um detective que é enviado para uma mansão onde decorre um encontro e festa para eventual anúncio de noivado do filho do magnata. Magnata este, que é possuidor de um conjunto de jóias.

Vance chega ao local e as mortes começam a surgir. Escusado será dizer que se envolve na descoberta do seu autor.

Continuação e classificação: https://livrosdevidro.blogs.sapo.pt/o...

[Eduarda De Carli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get that the book wasn't exactly finished, as it was only on its second stage of writing, but I found it was quite easy to figure out the culprit, especially if we take into consideration his 20 rules. This was the first book by Van Dine I read and it let me down, but I might give him another chance.

[F · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am giving 2 stars because this is an incomplete book, only a short summary of events that would have been developed in a full book. Not exactly interesting but at least the culprit's plan is eventually clear and the murders follow some logic, which is more than what I can say for many other of the author's exploits.

[Toglietemi tutto, ma non i miei libri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recensione: https://chelibroleggere.blogspot.com/...

[Chazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philo Vance’s last case in the 12 book series by S.S. Van Dine.

District Attorney John F-X. Markham has an offer for Philo Vance — “a brief vacation in ideal surroundings — winter, sports, pleasing company and a veritable mansion in which to relax.” In truth, it is a request by Carrington Rexton, owner of Rexton estate.
Seems the estate is full with many of son Richard’s friends. The influx of guests is due to a celebration of Richard’s return from Europe. Carrington is a big collector of fine gems stones and a nice selection of emeralds is the center piece of the collection. He isn’t comfortable or trusting with the strangers.

Vance’s detection expertise is shortly put to work.

Murder — two bodies, an international jewel their an invalided girl, a girl who ice skates like a dream, a variety of characters makes for a fascinating read. Set in 1939, it is being back in time.

A preface gives the reader the background of S.S. Van Dine. There is also a postface, “Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories” written by Van Dine. Another fun read…and informative.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the last book written by "Van Dine," which was a pen name, as he died before the book was published. There were some problems with the dialogue not being polished, but other than that, it was a good, but short, read. There are stolen emeralds, murders, unrequited love, and a weekend house party where everyone ice skates. There is also a section in the book where the author instructs the reader on how to write a murder mystery. He tells us that the reader and the hero should both have the same clues and should both be able to solve the mystery. Right!? Good Luck with that!

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so much a novel as the outline of a novel. According to the preface, the novel in this form was found after his death. As I read I found myself mentally filling in descriptions, extra dialogue, and more details because the book as written is only about a hundred pages although it is clearly meant to be a full length novel. To pad the rest out, so to speak, the book also contains chapters of another S.S. Van Dine book, an essay on writing detective stories, and three chapters of Patricia Moyes's novel Dead Men Don't Ski. It was a disappointing end to the Philo Vance mysteries.

[Antonio Fanelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decisamente il migliore di tutti :)
Sarà perché incompiuto e quindi privo di tutti quei paragrafi sull'eleganza la cultura e l'intelligenza di Philo Vance.
C'è l'indagine, i personaggi, i dialoghi; tutto molto asciutto e appassionante.
Philo Vance è un personaggio che non riesce a decollare: troppo finto, palesemente costruito.

[Gu Gu · Rating 3 out of 5]

İlk yazılan crime öykülerinden, arayış, gözlem, kanıtların ortaya çıkışı ve çözüm. Beğendim.

[Giancarlo Marquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too crowded for such a short novel.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

muy bueno mas que nada para salir del bloqueo aunque adivine a mitad del libro el final
una estrella mas porque lo leí como cabala ganadora en la semi y final ESTUDIO
Aguante ESTUDIANTES

[Unagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un giallo carino e piacevole, senza infamia e senza lode. Letto velocemente, preso in prestito perché nella mia biblioteca comunale era sotto un cartello che recitava "FATECI USCIRE! Questi libri non sono mai stati presi in prestito, ma forse immeritatamente." E mi sono intenerita. E ne ho preso un altro.
Però giallo non risolvibile dal lettore con tutti gli elementi a disposizione, quindi 3 stelle su 5.

[Bev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carrington Rexton is a bit nervous. His son Richard has just returned from medical studies in Europe and there's a house party going on to hail the conquering hero...so to speak. So, what's making Papa Rexton nervous? Well...he doesn't quite get these young folks and there's a fellow that Richard has brought back with him who seems a bit suspicious. And...oh yeah...Rexton has a bunch of sparkly emeralds and a rare necklace that aren't exactly as secure as they ought to be.

Rexton arranges (through District Attorney Markham) to have his old friend Philo Vance on the premises to look everything (and everybody) over and see if his fears are groundless. Vance meets the guests and inhabitants of the Rexton manor--from son of the house and the invalid daughter Joan to Ella Gunther, companion to Joan and a secret ice skating star; from Carlotta Naesmith, society girl and Richard's intended--at least intended by Papa Rexton--to Stanley Sydes, man about town and avid treasure-hunter. Also in the wings are the family doctor, a famous singer, a race car drive, a gentleman jockey, a famous aviatrix, and a host of others.

Vance barely has time to discover who's who and take a peek around the premises before Lief Wallen, a guard stationed to guard the Gem Room, is found at the base of a cliff dead from a blow to the head. Accident? Or was he hit and tossed over the edge. The emeralds disappear and then there is another death--this time it is Jacques Bassett, the suspicious friend of Richard's. The local lieutenant is sure that Ella and her father--particularly her father--are the ones to watch, but while Vance admits that things look rather black for the father and daughter, he asks the lieutenant to wait for one more ice skating exhibition. Vance has a few tricky moves of his own to put on display.


The Winter Murder Case (1939) is the final book in S. S. Van Dine's (Willard Huntington Wright) Philo Vance series. It actually represents the second stage of his writing process--a process that included first, a 10,000 word outline; second a draft that filled out the dialogue; and a final draft to complete the details and descriptions. Van Dine died before he could complete the final draft of his twelfth book. There are many critics, with Julian Symons in Bloody Murder chief among them, who say that Van Dine's work was in steady decline throughout his last six novels. Symons writes: "The decline in the last six Vance books is so steep that the critic who called the ninth of them one more stitch in his literary shroud was not overstating the case."

I, on the other hand, didn't think the book was so very awful. It is true that it is very bare bones. Vance speaks in very short, clipped sentences...and there seems to be a lot left unspoken that should be explained, particularly when you realize that Vance is not working with his usual brothers-in-arms, Markham and Sergeant Heath. But the story well-plotted and even in the bare bones stage there are enough clues that the reader has a fair chance to discover the culprit. I must confess--I did spot the culprit, but I couldn't have pointed to any particular clue that led me to my choice. At least, I couldn't until after I had completed my read-through and went back to find them. Two and a half stars for a pleasant read.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the last Philo Vance novel, and it is actually incomplete. Evidently Van Dine wrote in three stages. First was a very rough draft; second was a fuller draft with most of the dialogue; last was a final draft with a lot of other details and narrative info added in. When he died, the second draft of this novel was completed; the final draft was not. So it's a bit hard to read at times, although the overall flow of the plot is easy enough to follow. Interestingly, it would seem that stripping out a lot of the extraneous information would make the mystery easier to solve, or at least easier to follow, but I'm not sure that's the case.

It is hard to judge this novel against the earlier entries in the series, although it certainly didn't seem like it was on the way toward being appreciably better than the last few weak ones (but I should mention this is the only one not set in New York City--it's at a rural farm in the dead of winter). It probably deserves 2 stars but I gave another star because the book is traditionally published with Van Dine's "twenty rules for aspiring mystery writers." As one who has read a lot of mystery novels, I found his advice quite germane, and I wish more writers would read it! It's a lot of "don'ts," and I'll list a few: don't have the detective turn out to be the perp; if there are multiple murders, don't have multiple murders; red herrings are fine, but the clues need to be such that the careful reader has a chance to solve the murder; don't have the butler do it, or any other minor character, etc.

This book is hard to find but I found a complete PDF from a Canadian source online that was easy to read.

[Ayşen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Winter Murder Case" by S.S. Van Dine is a classic murder mystery novel that will satisfy fans of the genre. The book follows the famous detective Philo Vance as he investigates the murder of wealthy businessman Haskell, who is found dead in his mansion on a winter night.

One of the most impressive aspects of the book is Van Dine's skillful plotting. The mystery is complex and intriguing, with multiple suspects and twists that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Vance's deductive reasoning and attention to detail are on full display, making him a compelling and intelligent protagonist.

The setting of the novel, a snowy winter night in a secluded mansion, adds an extra layer of atmosphere to the story. Van Dine's descriptions of the mansion and its inhabitants are vivid and immersive, and the reader will feel like they are right there alongside Vance as he investigates the case.

The writing in "The Winter Murder Case" is rich and detailed, with Van Dine's use of language adding to the book's overall charm. Additionally, the secondary characters, including the suspects and witnesses, are well-developed and add depth to the story.

However, some readers may find the book's pacing slow, as Van Dine takes his time in building the tension and developing the characters. Additionally, the book's dated language and attitudes towards race and gender may be off-putting to modern readers.

Overall, "The Winter Murder Case" is a classic murder mystery novel that will delight fans of the genre. Van Dine's skillful plotting and immersive setting make this book a must-read for those looking for a classic whodunit.

[Lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

"La costumbre entorpece nuestros sentidos, nos impide ver y oír una cosa o un sonido repetido. ¿Cuántos de nosotros nos damos cuenta de que un reloj da la hora, a menos que nos interese prestarle atención? Dejamos pasar el tiempo sin fijarnos, pero si hay que tomar un tren o hacer algo a una hora determinada, el tictac del reloj adquiere una importancia enorme."

El principal problema que le encuentro a la obra es que no te puedas llegar a encariñar con los personajes exceptuando al protagonista, Philo Vance. Por lo tanto cuando se descubre que x es el malo malísimo y, lo que pasa posteriormente que no voy a decir pero no es moco de pavo, no te importa ni te sientes mal por ello (tampoco feliz de la vida, pero ya me entendéis). Y cuando pasa lo segundo que he mencionado (lo que no es moco de pavo ni de ninguna ave) no se inmuta nadie, lo que hace que no te creas lo que está pasando y te saca un poco de la historia; pierde cualquier impacto en el lector. El misterio está bien pero necesitas sentir algo, aunque sea poco, por los personajes.
El libro es entretenido y tiene sus momentos pero está lejos de ser memorable.
PD: La obra fue publicada por la editorial Bruguera en 1981 y consta de 191 páginas. No he podido evitar reparar en más de una errata que he ido encontrando mientras leía, lo siento pero así soy yo.

[Sharron · Rating 1 out of 5]

I suspected this title would be dated as I last read one nearly 40 years ago and it was a bit outmoded then. Well, the intervening decades didn't improve matters. At times the dialogue recalls the witty repartee of the Nick and Nora movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy set back in the 1930s. Not surprising actually, given the fact that this book was published in that same period. Regrettably, unlike a good wine, this series has not held up well over the years. It did, however, include one small gem as an appendix - S.S. Van Dine's 20 Rules for Writing Detective Stories.

#1 - " The reader must have an equal opportunity with the detective for solving the mystery." I also liked #3 - "There must be no love interest in the story. To introduce amour is to clutter up a purely intellectual experience with irrelevant sentiment." Clearly, S.S. Van Dine is a man of strong principles, one who would never dream of pandering to the reading public simply to sell more books. Admirable.

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last book by SS Van Dine, and it wasn't exactly finished before he died. The preface in this book tells you that his process was to write a 10K word outline, then fill out dialogue, then a third draft to fill out the description. The book you see here is on the second stage. You have most of the info you need to get the flow of the story, but it would have been helped a great deal with the descriptive skin that holds the mysteries together.

That said, it is interesting to see his process. Also, in this book are his 20 rules to writing mystery, which are pretty solid rules. And ones that anyone who loves the mystery genre will understand. If you don't understand the genre and expect to write it... READ THESE RULES.

The sad part of this book is knowing that it is the end of the series.

What is the story about - Vance is sent to help ease jitters of a wealthy man who has a expensive collection of emeralds. The sudden need is due to party of the rich man's son and his fiancee with people unknown. Vance arrives and of course, someone is murdered.

[Laura Rye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book...not his best, but it was his last. The preface describes his writing process, and how this book was published the way it was found at his death. Van Dine (Wright) wrote his novels in three stages..each stage producing a complete novel with the next stage adding more detail. The third stage seems to be the one where his famous asterisks and footnotes were added, along with character detail and more involved conversations.This book was published after the second stage...the asterisks were greatly missed...(emeralds, ice skating..etc..)...the plot does jump a bit, and its obvious that there was more work to be done--especially regarding the motive for the crime--but, at was, at least, one more Philo Vance mystery. I am grateful the publishers decided to release it in its original state....such an insight into his writing process. Also, at the end is included is his "Twenty Rules For Writing Detective Stories"...an article he wrote in the twenties...Too bad he died so young (50)...I could have used another seven or eight of these stories...

[Rick Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biography of Willard Wright ("Alias S. S. Van Dine") says that Wright hurried to complete this novel and left it ready to publish after his death. The only thing which differentiates it from his previous works is the change of venue - this one takes place in the snowy Berkshires rather than Manhattan. It has the standard S. S. Van Dine formula: discovery of a body, theft of a valuable object, a love triangle, and the slow process of alibi breakdown. Fortunately, it does leave out the long pedantic speeches on irrelevant topics, which makes the action more concise. A distraction is the batch of one-dimensional filler characters (the "guests") who do nothing more than dilute the pool of potential suspects.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

12th in the Philo Vance mystery series set during January 14 - 20 sometime in the 1930’s. Vance, an independently wealthy college educated, amateur detective, uses his deductive skills and psychological knowledge to help his New York City District Attorney friend deal with the mystery. A weathly individual asks Vance to come to his Birkshires estate because he fears a welcoming home get together for his adult son might be a cover to steal his expense emerald collection. Vance’s methods are unconventional and go against the more rigid police investigative methods and lawyer legal requirements.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoy this high brow series.

I first read a Philo Vance book in grade school. One of my parents books. Thoroughly enjoyed it. And now I can get the rest. Thank you. They are fake, though, to modern readers. The rich, I t’éloignent man with no need to earn a living. The careful droppin of g’s at the end of words as I just did, to show his general superiority…he can afford to break the rules, everyone knows how superior he is. Wait till you read the rules…and the comment about who can get murdered…so someone of consequence that would matter…not a servant of course! So very blasé.

[Agosto2010 fermare l'esecuzione di Ahmadreza Djala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Piccolo gioiellino, ma Il titolo italiano trae in inganno. Breve giallo, S. S. Van Dine (pseudonimo di Willard Huntington Wright) non ha potuto terminare la terza revisione causa sua morte, non quella del suo eroe.
In questo volume Philo Vance è meno blasè e meno antipatico, probabilmente a causa della mancata terza revisione in cui l’autore rimpolpava la trama.
Giallo classico dove prevale la razionalità dell’investigatore che risolve il giallo servendosi della logica e non con la ricerca delle prove.