S. S. Van Dine - The Benson Murder Case - A Philo Vance Story
Audiobooks by Librivox
Episodes
25
Avg. Duration
25m
Activity
Dormant
Since
Feb 2026
Latest Episode
Feb 2026
Publishing Details
Schedule
Hourly
Format
Serial
Hosting
www.spreaker.com
Contact & Outreach
About This Podcast
The Benson Murder Case – A Philo Vance Story is the first of a series of twelve popular mysteries set in New York during the Jazz Age. S. S. Van Dine is the nom de plume of prominent art critic, and member of New York’s avant-garde, W. H. Wright. He rapidly became one of the country’s best-selling authors and the series remained immensely popular for decades, as Philo Vance was featured in dozens of movies, plays and radio shows.
Van Dine’s novels marked a sharp departure from earlier detective fiction. To begin with, the hero represents the antithesis of the familiar hard-boiled detective. He is an eccentric and volatile loner; a highly erudite aesthete; a debonair bon vivant; a fop. Indeed, Van Dine even flirts with his hero’s sexuality where, for instance, a friend tells Vance: “I trust you won’t wear your green carnation,” – then the symbol of homosexuality. Moreover, Philo Vance approaches crime from a totally new standpoint, more or less ignoring the sorts of evidence and inference generally used to solve mysteries. His perspective is primarily psychological. Thus, he tells his friend Van: “The truth can be learned only by an analysis of the psychological factors of a crime, and an application of them to the individual. The only real clues are psychological—not material.” (The author casts himself in the role of the narrator, “Van,” Vance’s old college friend, now his lawyer, advisor and general agent.)
Within minutes of viewing the scene of the crime, Vance throws out veiled hints and innuendos that he knows who murdered Alvin Benson. D. A. John Markham good-humoredly ignores these intimations and soon finds there is enough evidence to make an arrest, when Vance convinces him that his suspect could not possibly be guilty. After developing a strong evidential case against someone else, Vance proves that this second suspect, too, must be innocent. And so, it goes with several more suspects. In the end Vance identifies, and explains how his reasoning immediately pointed to, the actual murderer. (Summary by Kirsten Wever)
Van Dine’s novels marked a sharp departure from earlier detective fiction. To begin with, the hero represents the antithesis of the familiar hard-boiled detective. He is an eccentric and volatile loner; a highly erudite aesthete; a debonair bon vivant; a fop. Indeed, Van Dine even flirts with his hero’s sexuality where, for instance, a friend tells Vance: “I trust you won’t wear your green carnation,” – then the symbol of homosexuality. Moreover, Philo Vance approaches crime from a totally new standpoint, more or less ignoring the sorts of evidence and inference generally used to solve mysteries. His perspective is primarily psychological. Thus, he tells his friend Van: “The truth can be learned only by an analysis of the psychological factors of a crime, and an application of them to the individual. The only real clues are psychological—not material.” (The author casts himself in the role of the narrator, “Van,” Vance’s old college friend, now his lawyer, advisor and general agent.)
Within minutes of viewing the scene of the crime, Vance throws out veiled hints and innuendos that he knows who murdered Alvin Benson. D. A. John Markham good-humoredly ignores these intimations and soon finds there is enough evidence to make an arrest, when Vance convinces him that his suspect could not possibly be guilty. After developing a strong evidential case against someone else, Vance proves that this second suspect, too, must be innocent. And so, it goes with several more suspects. In the end Vance identifies, and explains how his reasoning immediately pointed to, the actual murderer. (Summary by Kirsten Wever)
Explore Statistics
Recent Episodes
Chapter 1 - Philo Vance at Home
Feb 18, 2026
28m
Chapter 21 – Sartorial Revelations
Feb 18, 2026
26m
Chapter 2 - At the Scene of the Crime
Feb 18, 2026
28m
Chapter 4 - The Housekeeper's Story
Feb 18, 2026
24m
Chapter 7 – Reports an Interview
Feb 18, 2026
32m
Chapter 10 – Eliminating a Suspect
Feb 18, 2026
21m
Chapter 14 – Links in the Chain
Feb 18, 2026
17m
Chapter 6 – Vance Offers an Opinion
Feb 18, 2026
26m
Transcript
Chapter 17 – The Forged Check
Feb 18, 2026
23m
Transcript
Chapter 13 – The Grey Cadillac
Feb 18, 2026
19m
Transcript
Chapter 8 – Vance Accepts a Challenge
Feb 18, 2026
28m
Chapter 3 - A Lady's Hand-bag
Feb 18, 2026
24m
Chapter 5 – Gathering Information
Feb 18, 2026
22m
Chapter 15 – Pfyfe – Personal
Feb 18, 2026
25m
Transcript
Chapter 20 – A Lady Explains
Feb 18, 2026
23m
Transcript
Chapter 16 – Admissions and Suppressions
Feb 18, 2026
28m
Transcript
Chapter 12 – The Owner of a Colt-.45
Feb 18, 2026
18m
Chapter 11 – A Motive and a Threat
Feb 18, 2026
26m
Chapter 25 – Vance Explains His Methods
Feb 18, 2026
27m
Chapter 19 – Vance Cross-Examines
Feb 18, 2026
28m
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does S. S. Van Dine - The Benson Murder Case - A Philo Vance Story have?
S. S. Van Dine - The Benson Murder Case - A Philo Vance Story has published 25 episodes since February 2026, covering topics in Arts.
Is S. S. Van Dine - The Benson Murder Case - A Philo Vance Story still active?
S. S. Van Dine - The Benson Murder Case - A Philo Vance Story is currently dormant with new episodes hourly. Average episode length is 25m.
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