The Benson Murder Case

novel by Van Dine

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July 15, 2026

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The Benson Murder Case (1926) is a detective novel by S.S. Van Dine, featuring the amateur sleuth Philo Vance. Vance is a wealthy, educated, and somewhat arrogant detective known for his meticulous gathering of clues and his use of psychological insight and physical evidence to solve crimes. The novel is part of a series of twelve detective stories by Van Dine, who was a critic, editor, and author. Detective stories, a genre that introduces a crime and its investigation, typically involve a seemingly perfect crime, a wrongly accused suspect, the police's shortcomings, and the detective's superior observation skills leading to a surprising resolution.123

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detective story
Van Dine’s The Benson Murder Case (1926); Albert Campion, in Margery Allingham’s The Crime at Black Dudley (1929; also published as The Black Dudley Murder); and Ellery Queen, conceived by Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, in The Roman Hat Mystery (1929).
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Van Dine’s The Benson Murder Case (1926); Albert Campion, in Margery Allingham’s The Crime at Black Dudley (1929; also published as The Black Dudley Murder); and Ellery Queen, conceived by Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, in The Roman Hat Mystery (1929).
Read More