9 h 33 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 9 h 33 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A broker lies shot in his Manhattan home. Can the clues tell the truth about the people around him?
Alvin Benson has money, enemies, and tangled loyalties. When he is found dead, District Attorney John F.-X. Markham brings his friend Philo Vance to the scene. Sergeant Ernest Heath follows the physical evidence. Vance, a wealthy amateur with a taste for art and philosophy, looks harder at character.
Women, business partners, and family all come under scrutiny. Muriel St. Clair's connection to Benson draws attention, while Captain Philip Leacock faces questions about his own actions and secrets. Vance's friend and lawyer, S. S. Van Dine, records the inquiry as it unfolds. At stake is more than finding a suspect: Markham wants the right person charged.
What you’ll discover
- A detective who reads people Meet Philo Vance, whose study of character challenges the official reading of the crime.
- Clues that invite doubt Consider why a fingerprint can show contact without explaining the reason behind it.
- A circle of suspects Follow the inquiry through Benson's dealings with women, business partners, and his own family.
- Two ways to investigate Watch practical Sergeant Heath clash with Vance over evidence and the clearest suspect.
- Appearances against truth Question what the crime scene seems to reveal as Vance weighs people against clues.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love a classic whodunit with a fair set of suspects, a witty amateur detective, and lively talk about art and human nature.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two friends disagree about truth
- A handbag makes suspicion look simple
- A measurement unsettles the police theory
- The Captain looks increasingly guilty
- Borrowed jewels reveal another hidden story
- A crime carries its maker’s character
- Loyalty explains many of the lies
- The narrator watches while Vance notices
- Evidence needs more than an obvious story
Who’s who
- Philo VanceA wealthy art collector and cool observer of people who solves the case by reading character rather than clues.
- John F.-X. MarkhamThe honest District Attorney of New York County, who trusts evidence and grudgingly lets his friend guide him.
- Sergeant Ernest HeathA tough, proud Homicide Bureau detective who wants the case solved by good police work and a quick arrest.
- Muriel St. ClairA young singer who dined with Benson on his last night and refuses to explain herself to the District Attorney.
- Captain Philip LeacockHer tall Southern fiancé, hot-tempered and chivalrous, who once threatened the dead man and owns an army pistol.
- Leander PfyfeA perfumed, smooth-talking friend of Benson who hides his car and his dealings behind elaborate manners.
- Mrs. Anna PlatzBenson's loyal housekeeper, who heard a bang that night and keeps a worried secret about her own family.
- Colonel Bigsby OstranderA pompous retired officer and gossip who knows everyone in Benson's circle and talks endlessly about them.
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The Benson Murder Case
by S. S. Van Dine · 1926
A bored art lover tags along to a murder scene and bets he can name the killer from character alone.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
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In short
What would you do if the District Attorney of New York asked a man who sleeps until noon to come and look at a corpse? On a bright June morning, Alvin Benson, a Wall Street broker, is found shot through the forehead in his own armchair.
The Benson Murder Case at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 30 min4 h 25 min fast, 6 h 35 min slow
- Length
- 78,800 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1926by S. S. Van Dine
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A breakfast interrupted by a murder
The story opens on a Friday morning in June in Philo Vance's apartment. The narrator, Van Dine, is his lawyer and friend, and he has come to talk about buying Cézanne watercolors. Vance sits in a silk dressing gown and complains about the plebeian hour.
We learn who Vance is before we learn of the crime. He owns Chinese prints, Greek vases and African masks, and he has studied psychology under famous teachers. He regards people the way a scientist regards a specimen, with interest but without sentiment.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1926
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Van Dine, S. S. The Benson Murder Case. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-benson-murder-case.
Van Dine, S. S. (2026). The Benson murder case. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-benson-murder-case (Original work published 1926)
Van Dine, S. S. The Benson Murder Case. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-benson-murder-case.
@book{vandine2026benson,
author = {Van Dine, S. S.},
title = {The Benson Murder Case},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-benson-murder-case},
note = {First published 1926}
}
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What is The Benson Murder Case about?
It follows the investigation into the shooting of Alvin Benson, a Wall Street broker, in his own living room. Art lover Philo Vance helps the District Attorney sort through suspects, clues and false confessions to find the real killer.
Who is Philo Vance?
Philo Vance is a rich, cultured amateur detective with a taste for art and psychology. He solves crimes by studying character, speaks in a drawling, witty style, and is his lawyer friend's chief interest. He first appears in this novel.
Who is S. S. Van Dine?
S. S. Van Dine is the pen name of the author, and also the name of the narrator, Vance's lawyer friend who records each case. The book appeared in 1926 and began the Philo Vance series of detective novels.
The author
S. S. Van Dine
1888–1939 · American detective novelist
S. S. Van Dine was the pen name of Willard Huntington Wright, an American art critic and writer. He was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1888 and died in New York City in 1939. He wrote detective novels, including The Benson Murder Case (1926) and The Bishop Murder Case (1928).
More by S. S. Van Dine
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