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| Plot Summary of The Benson Murder Case |
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"S.S. Van Dine is a pseudonym for Willard Huntington Wright. THE BENSON MURDER CASE is the first Philo Vance mystery. Vance is an amateur detective and young aristocrat who is a close friend of the new District Attorney, John F.X. Markham. Vance mentions to Markham that he may enjoy going with him on a murder investigation. When Alvin Benson is found slain, Markham invites Vance to join him while he inspects the crime scene. A preliminary investigation reveals that Benson was murdered about 12:30 AM while sitting in a chair in the middle of his living room. The murder weapon appears to be a Colt .45 automatic army pistol. Benson has one bullet wound in the head.
Benson was a bachelor, but Mrs. Anna Platz, a housekeeper, slept upstairs. Benson left his apartment at 6:30 PM telling Mrs. Platz she need not wait up for him. Mrs. Platz did not discover the body until 7:00 AM.
Besides Mrs. Platz there are several other suspects. Leading the list is Muriel St. Clair, whose gloves and handbag are found in Benson's living room. Muriel's fiance, Captain Philip Leacock, is known to have threatened Benson in public. The notorious womanizer Leander Pfyfe seems to have the strongest motive for the crime since he owed Benson $10,000. To make matters even more confusing, the jewelry of Pfyfe's girl friend ends up in the hands of Benson's brother and business partner, Major Anthony Benson. Vance seems to know who the killer is early in the investigation but he prefers to present several competing theories of the case as the various suspects are interviewed. By this method Vance is able to diplomatically lead Markham to the solution of the crime."
Peter Kenney, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Benson Murder Case |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1900-1920's
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Special suspect?
- relative
Murder of certain profession?
- businessmen
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- local police w/ IQ of a houseplant
- "All in the family" murder
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- grudge
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- wealthy
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has special powers?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- business executive
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
City?
Yes
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Click here for more information about this book
S.S. Van Dine Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Peter Kenney
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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