Download or read book The Kidnap Murder Case written by S. S. Van Dine and published by . This book was released on 2021-12-19 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new Van Dine kidnap-murder case deals with two of the most unusual crimes in the whole record of Philo Vance's criminological researches. Kasper Kenting, a playboy and ne'er-do-well, disappears from his ancestral home, the 'Purple House,' in West 86th Street, with all the indications pointing to a kidnapping. Both District Attorney John F.-X, Markham and Sergeant Ernest Heath of the Homicide Bureau participate, with Philo Vance, in the exciting investigation. In The Kidnap Murder Case Philo Vance runs into the gravest personal danger, and it is through the accuracy of his aim, at the crucial moment, that he saves Sergeant Heath's life as well as his own. The locale of this amazing crime shifts from one of the most fascinating residential landmarks in mid-town Manhattan to a sordid and obscure hovel on the upper east side.

Download or read book The Kidnap Murder Case written by S.S. Van Dine and published by FelonyandMayhem+ORM. This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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 from his uptown home, and the culprits are demanding that the fifty-thousand-dollar ransom be left inside a hollow tree at midnight. But things don’t go well—and the sophisticated and aristocratic detective is about to pick up a pistol and get down in the muck with some very unpleasant characters in this witty, suspenseful Golden Age mystery classic. “Mr. Van Dine’s amateur detective is the most gentlemanly, and probably the most scholarly snooper in literature.” —Chicago Daily Tribune

Download or read book Burned Alive written by Kieran Crowley and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ash Wednesday Beautiful, bubbly, 20-year-old Kim Antonakos was returning to her New York City apartment after a night of clubbing with a friend. A business major with wild black hair, long polished fingernails, and a new Honda her loving father had bought her, Kim took good care of herself and looked forward to a bright future. But on her way home in the early morning darkness of that Ash Wednesday, Kim was abducted-and her mysterious kidnappers would be the last people to see her alive. Scorching Betrayal As Kim's father, wealthy computer executive Tommy Antonakos, launched a widespread, feverish search for his daughter, he had no idea that her abductors were right under his nose. A cold mastermind had ordered had ordered Kim to be bound, gagged and left in the freezing basement of an abandoned house, hoping to extract ransom from her father. When the plans fell through, he and his henchman panicked, returned to the basement and doused a near-frozen Kim with gasoline, setting her on fire. Burned Alive When the fire was extinguished, all that was left of the lovely coed were her charred, lifeless remains. What would drive the kidnappers to commit such a cruel and senseless murder? How did their plans to cover their tracks result in another killing? And how were the murderers finally snared? Read all of the fascinating facts in a startling expose of extortion, murder, and ultimate justice.

Download or read book Philo Vance s Cases written by S.S. Van Dine and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-11-13 with total page 2375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo Vance is a stylish, even foppish dandy, a New York dilettante and bon vivant possessing a highly intellectual bent he likes to use for solving some quite complicated crimes. His methods are unusual and often in contradiction to the firm police rules and official requirements, but his wit always gets him a step further. Philo Vance novels were chronicled by his friend Van Dine, who appears as a kind of Dr. Watson figure in the books. This edition includes: The Benson Murder Case The Canary Murder Case The Greene Murder Case The Bishop Murder Case The Scarab Murder Case The Kennel Murder Case The Dragon Murder Case The Casino Murder Case The Garden Murder Case The Kidnap Murder Case The Gracie Allen Murder Case The Winter Murder Case S. S. Van Dine is the pseudonym used by American art critic Willard Huntington Wright when he wrote detective novels. He was an important figure in avant-garde cultural circles in pre-WWI New York, and under the pseudonym he created the immensely popular fictional detective Philo Vance.

Download or read book The Collected Works of S S Van Dine written by Willard Huntington Wright and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2023-12-29 with total page 2721 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Collected Works of S.S. Van Dine represents a significant anthology that spans both the rich tapestry of early twentieth-century detective fiction and the nuanced development of literary form within the genre. Showcasing an array of narratives that oscillate between the intricately plotted whodunits and psychological thrillers, this collection underscores the versatility and depth of S.S. Van Dine (a pseudonym for Willard Huntington Wright) in shaping and challenging the conventions of detective fiction. Notable for its intellectual rigor and the cultivation of the fictional detective Philo Vance, the anthology stands out for its blend of sophistication with the intricate puzzles of crime and mystery, marking a pivotal moment in the literary landscape of its time. The contributing figure, Willard Huntington Wright, brought to his pseudonymous works an eclectic background as a critic, art historian, and intellectual, bridging diverse cultural and artistic movements into the realm of detective fiction. His work, under the guise of Van Dine, intersects with the broader currents of modernism, incorporating elements of art, philosophy, and science into the detective genre, thereby elevating it beyond mere entertainment to a form of social commentary and literary experimentation. This blend of highbrow intellectualism with the populist demands of detective fiction reflects a unique fusion that was revolutionary at the time. For enthusiasts of detective fiction and scholars alike, The Collected Works of S.S. Van Dine offers a compelling journey through the evolution of the genre, highlighted by the cerebral and complex investigations of Philo Vance. This collection is not merely a testament to the ingenuity of Wright as an author, but also serves as an invaluable resource for understanding the dynamic interplay between genre, culture, and literature in the early twentieth century. Readers are encouraged to delve into this anthology to appreciate the breadth of perspectives and narrative techniques that contribute to the rich tapestry of detective fiction, making it a must-read for those seeking depth and sophistication within this genre.

Download or read book Zero at the Bone written by John Heidenry and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2010-06-22 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This haunting true crime tale brings to life the infamous 1953 kidnapping and murder of Bobby Greenlease. The son of a wealthy Kansas City automobile dealer, Bobby was just six years old when a pair of grifters, Carl Austin Hall and Bonnie Heady, snatched him away-and set what was then the country's highest ransom ever paid. Six hundred thousand dollars later, Bobby was killed anyway, setting off a chain of events that would culminate in notorious mobster Joe Costello stealing half the ransom and Hall and Heady's eventual double execution. Told by acclaimed journalist John Heidenry in bone-chilling detail, and featuring a cast of characters ranging from underground crime bosses and hard-boiled detectives to the victim's family and the murderers themselves, this is the story of one of the most complex and least understood crimes in American history. Book jacket.

Download or read book The Canary Murder Case written by S. S. Van Dine and published by Standard Ebooks. This book was released on 2023-06-23T19:01:37Z with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo Vance, the snobbish art collector who happens to be the longtime friend of District Attorney John Markham, once more finds himself drawn into a criminal investigation. Margaret Odell, the beautiful and talented theatrical singer nicknamed “The Canary,” has been strangled during the night, and from the very beginning there are signs that nothing in the case is quite what it appears to be. Accompanied once more by Sergeant Heath, the unlikely trio struggle to make sense of the evidence. S. S. Van Dine found even more success with this novel, his sophomore outing as a mystery writer. Spending months on the bestseller lists, it was also the first of his books to be made into a movie, with William Powell starring as Philo Vance. At a time when a majority of successful mystery writers were English, Van Dine’s novels evoked an atmosphere that was distinctly American, with Vance’s cultured perspective colliding with Markham’s pragmatic sensibilities and Heath’s no-nonsense street smarts. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

Download or read book The Popular Press Companion to Popular Literature written by Victor E. Neuburg and published by Popular Press. This book was released on 1983 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this pioneering work Victor Neuberg has assembled a wealth of information about popular literature, from the invention of the printing press to the present. This guide, by judicious selection, gives a vivid picture of the range and variety of popular literature and its producers. Besides describing the main genres, the author has also included the social, cultural and commercial background to the production of popular literature, factors that were crucial in influencing the forms it took.

Download or read book The Gracie Allen Murder Case written by S.S. Van Dine and published by FelonyandMayhem+ORM. This book was released on 2021-07-18 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The beloved 1930s comedienne becomes the famed detective’s sidekick in the series that “transport[s] the reader back to a long-gone era of society” (Mystery Scene). During a glamorous night on the town, Gracie Allen finds a dead body—and a cigarette case nearby that belongs to her date for the evening. Detective Philo Vance is on the scene, but questioning Gracie is causing more confusion than enlightenment. To prevent her from creating more chaos, Vance decides to keep her close by as his unofficial sleuthing partner. Now, with the help of the zany star—or in spite of it—he intends to find the real killer . . . “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

Download or read book Twice in a Blue Moon written by Patricia Moyes and published by FelonyandMayhem+ORM. This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 167 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mr. and Mrs. Tibbetts pop into a pub for lunch but get served a murder case in this novel with “all the proper ingredients for a cozy whodunit” (The New York Times). What could be more delightful than a long-forgotten relative who dies and leaves you a tidbit in his will? How about if that tidbit is in fact a charming country pub, and that pub is now yours—lock, stock, and barrels of beer? Susan Gardiner is delighted, even when it becomes clear that the establishment has a lineup of regulars, not all of them as endearing as one might prefer. No, she doesn’t love all her new customers, but she certainly didn’t intend for one of them to be poisoned by a bad batch of mushrooms. The outlook is dire for both Susan and the Blue Moon . . . until Inspector Henry Tibbett steps in. He and Emmy just want a spot of lunch, but they are, as ever, willing to take on more than they had bargained for, in this compelling British mystery by the Agatha Award-winning “new queen of crime” (Daily Herald) . “Intricate plots, ingenious murders, and skillfully drawn, often hilarious, characters distinguish Patricia Moyes’ writing.” —Mystery Scene

Download or read book The Scarab Murder Case written by S. S. Van Dine and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book 24 Days written by Ruth Halimi and published by Behrman House Publishing. This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On January 20, 2006, Ilan Halimi, chosen because he was Jewish, was kidnapped and taken to an apartment in Bagneux, France. He was held and tortured there for over three weeks before being thrown into the woods by his executioners. Found naked along a railroad track, he did not survive his ordeal. In this poignant memoir, originally published in French, Ruth Halimi, Ilan's mother, recalls the twenty-four days of this nightmare during which she received over 600 phone calls, ransom demands that constantly changed, insults, threats, and pictures of her tortured son. Police procedures repeatedly failed. The case was eventually solved and the kidnappers, who later earned the name of "le Gang des Barbares," led by an Ivorian immigrant, Youssouf Fofana, were arrested by police. What shocked the public at the time was that Fofana and his gang members claimed openly that they thought Jews were wealthy and united, and for this reason they imagined the Jewish community would pull together to pay a large ransom for Halimi's release. The English edition"€"a joint publication of Behrman House, Inc. and the Anti-Defamation League"€"includes a new foreword and modern-day news vignettes that show the alarming rise of anti-Semitism across countries and cultures everywhere.

Download or read book The Kidnap Murder Case written by S. S. Van Dine and published by . This book was released on 2020-05-22 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo Vance, as you may remember, took a solitary trip to Egypt immediately after the termination of the Garden murder case. He did not return to New York until the middle of July. He was considerably tanned, and there was a tired look in his wide-set grey eyes. I suspected, the moment I greeted him on the dock, that during his absence he had thrown himself into Egyptological research, which was an old passion of his."I'm fagged out, Van," he complained good-naturedly, as we settled ourselves in a taxicab and started uptown to his apartment. "I need a rest. We're not leavin' New York this summer--you won't mind, I hope. I've brought back a couple of boxes of archæological specimens. See about them tomorrow, will you?--there's a good fellow."Even his voice sounded weary. His words carried a curious undertone of distraction; and the idea flashed through my mind that he had not altogether succeeded in eliminating from his thoughts the romantic memory of a certain young woman he had met during the strange and fateful occurrences in the penthouse of Professor Ephraim Garden. My surmise must have been correct, for it was that very evening, when he was relaxing in his roof-garden, that Vance remarked to me, apropos of nothing that had gone before: "A man's affections involve a great responsibility. The things a man wants most must often be sacrificed because of this exacting responsibility." I felt quite certain then that his sudden and prolonged trip to Egypt had not been an unqualified success as far as his personal objective was concerned.

Download or read book Making the Detective Story American written by J.K. Van Dover and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2010-04-19 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This critical text examines the fiction of Earl Derr Biggers, S. S. Van Dine, and Dashiell Hammett during a crucial half-decade when they transformed the detective story. The characters they created, including Charlie Chan, Philo Vance, and the Continental Op, represented a new style of detective solving crimes in fresh ways. Their successes would push crime and detective fiction in startling and rejuvenating directions. Topics covered include the highbrow detective, the ethnic detective, the exploitation of contemporary sensations, and the exploitation of women. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Download or read book JonBenet written by Steve Thomas and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2011-04-01 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finally, the information you've been waiting for: who really killed JonBenet? Perhaps the most compelling murder case of our day, the death of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey galvanized the nation-and years after it occurred, the mystery still endures. Who killed the young beauty queen and why? Who is covering up for whom and who is simply lying? In JonBenet, the most authoritative and comprehensive study of the Ramsey murder, a former lead Boulder Police detective, Steve Thomas, explores the case in vivid and fascinating detail-pointing the way toward an analysis of the evidence some deem too shocking to consider. Here, Thomas raises these and many other provocative questions: -How was the investigation botched from the beginning-and why did police so carelessly allow the crime scene to be tampered with? -Why were John and Patsy Ramsey protected from early questioning and any lie-detector tests, even though their stories and behavior were erratic, suspicious and inconsistent? -Why was crucial evidence ignored, why were certain key witnesses unquestioned by detectives, and why were the Ramseys privy to sensitive information about the case and even police reports?

Download or read book Literary Afterlife written by Bernard A. Drew and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2010-03-08 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an encyclopedic work, arranged by broad categories and then by original authors, of literary pastiches in which fictional characters have reappeared in new works after the deaths of the authors that created them. It includes book series that have continued under a deceased writer's real or pen name, undisguised offshoots issued under the new writer's name, posthumous collaborations in which a deceased author's unfinished manuscript is completed by another writer, unauthorized pastiches, and "biographies" of literary characters. The authors and works are entered under the following categories: Action and Adventure, Classics (18th Century and Earlier), Classics (19th Century), Classics (20th Century), Crime and Mystery, Espionage, Fantasy and Horror, Humor, Juveniles (19th Century), Juveniles (20th Century), Poets, Pulps, Romances, Science Fiction and Westerns. Each original author entry includes a short biography, a list of original works, and information on the pastiches based on the author's characters.

Download or read book The Philo Vance Megapack written by S.S. Van Dine and published by Wildside Press LLC. This book was released on 2013-09-19 with total page 2486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo Vance is a fictional character featured in 12 crime novels written by S. S. Van Dine (the pen name of Willard Huntington Wright), published in the 1920s and 1930s. During that time, Vance was immensely popular in books, movies, and on the radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, even foppish dandy, a New York bon vivant possessing a highly intellectual bent. The novels were chronicled by his friend Van Dine (who appears as a kind of Dr. Watson figure in the books as well as the author). Also included is the bonus essay, "Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories." Novels included are: The Benson Murder Case (1926) The "Canary" Murder Case (1927) The Greene Murder Case (1928) The Bishop Murder Case (1928) The Scarab Murder Case (1930) The Kennel Murder Case (1933) The Dragon Murder Case (1933) The Casino Murder Case (1934) The Garden Murder Case (1935) The Kidnap Murder Case (1936) The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1938) The Winter Murder Case (1939) And don't forget to search this ebook store for "Wildside Megapack" to see more entries in this series, covering classic authors and subjects like mysteries, science fiction, westerns, ghost stories -- and much, much more!