wagmore's review against another edition
3.0
Starting reading the "Philo Vance" series because of the movie adaptation of this book. One of the rare cases where I enjoyed the movie more than the book, strictly because of William Powell's likable interpretation of the protagonist.
swathi_narasimhan's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stunning stars !
A gem of a mystery during the Golden age.
This book is perfect for my taste since all the clues necessary to unravel the mystery is visible to the reader and its upto us to put two and two together, though it isn't simple.
Two murders and the murderer lurking around!!
Can our detective Philo Vance catch the culprit?!
A gem of a mystery during the Golden age.
This book is perfect for my taste since all the clues necessary to unravel the mystery is visible to the reader and its upto us to put two and two together, though it isn't simple.
Two murders and the murderer lurking around!!
Can our detective Philo Vance catch the culprit?!
grayxen's review against another edition
2.0
full of boring long-winded descriptions and explanations only to show off writer's snobbery.
so much filler, yet no real questions were answered until the last 2 pages.
so much filler, yet no real questions were answered until the last 2 pages.
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
4.0
There are a number of odd things going on in this sixth entry in the Philo Vance mystery series. There is Arthur Coe, found dead behind a bolted door in a room with locked windows and no other entry. He has a peaceful, restful look on his face and a bullet wound in his temple. There's a revolver held tightly in his hand (rigor mortis is well established), but the position of his arm relative to the chair in which he is seated and the table under his arm is rather odd. And, yes, the man has been shot--but he didn't die from the bullet wound. He was hit on the head before he was shot--but that didn't kill him either. He was stabbed with a rare Chinese dagger! Not only that, but the man was stabbed through clothes that he had since removed (or had removed for him) and was clothed in his dressing but still had his street shoes on.
Of course, the big question is: If this isn't suicide (and how could it be with three different types of wound?), then how did the murderer get in and out of the locked room? Then there are other trifling things, like the show-quality Scottie dog found wounded behind a curtain. The dog doesn't belong to the household and, in fact, no one in the house likes dogs. And there's the missing priceless Chinese vase which has been replaced by a much inferior piece and is later found broken with bloodstains. Oh, and don't forget the victim's brother, Brisbane, who has also been stabbed and bundled into the coat closet.
For suspects, we have the victim's niece, Hilda Lake, who disagreed most emphatically with her uncle's views on her money and who she should marry. Raymond Wrede is her chosen intended and he had an argument with Arthur shortly before the murder. Gamble, the butler, seems to be on the spot every time something happens--even though others were closer and should have heard various noises first. Liang Tsung Wei, the Chinese cook, who appears to be less of a cook and more an agent investigating his employer's plundering of rare Chinese artifacts. And Signor Eduardo Grassi from the Milan Museum of Oriental Antiquities who had an interest in both the deceased's collection and his niece. Grassi also had an argument with Coe over a deal on some of the collection--Coe had changed his mind and Grassi was not pleased at all.
Van Dine is not shy about his clues in this installment. He strews them about liberally--in fact, at one point Markham, the District Attorney, complains that there are too many clues. Van Dine frequently points out something in his narrative (such as the chair the victim was seated in and those heavy street shoes he wore with his dressing gown) and adds that this item "constituted one of the vital links in the evidential chain of this strange and perplexing case" or that "the answer to this question was also was to prove a vital point in the solution of the tragedy." The reader certainly can't complain that the clues are too obscure or too well-hidden. We can, however, complain that the kennel of the title isn't nearly as central to the murder as it should be. The kennel helps trace the Scottie dog to her owner and that does help Vance solve the case, but if we're going to hang the story title on that bit of the plot, then The Scottie Murder Case makes more sense.
This is an interesting mystery with several side-stories to make things just a bit complicated. We have the dog angle and the Chinese artifacts angle (both of which give Vance ample opportunity to educate Markham and company, as well as the reader). I found the plot to be enjoyable and the characters to be well-drawn. If I hadn't spotted the murderer and had a good idea of how it all worked out (not down to the last detail--but close), then I'd definitely rate this as a four-star effort or higher. Perhaps Van Dine should have shined the light a little less brightly on some of those clues... ★★★ and 1/2. (rounded up here)
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
Of course, the big question is: If this isn't suicide (and how could it be with three different types of wound?), then how did the murderer get in and out of the locked room? Then there are other trifling things, like the show-quality Scottie dog found wounded behind a curtain. The dog doesn't belong to the household and, in fact, no one in the house likes dogs. And there's the missing priceless Chinese vase which has been replaced by a much inferior piece and is later found broken with bloodstains. Oh, and don't forget the victim's brother, Brisbane, who has also been stabbed and bundled into the coat closet.
For suspects, we have the victim's niece, Hilda Lake, who disagreed most emphatically with her uncle's views on her money and who she should marry. Raymond Wrede is her chosen intended and he had an argument with Arthur shortly before the murder. Gamble, the butler, seems to be on the spot every time something happens--even though others were closer and should have heard various noises first. Liang Tsung Wei, the Chinese cook, who appears to be less of a cook and more an agent investigating his employer's plundering of rare Chinese artifacts. And Signor Eduardo Grassi from the Milan Museum of Oriental Antiquities who had an interest in both the deceased's collection and his niece. Grassi also had an argument with Coe over a deal on some of the collection--Coe had changed his mind and Grassi was not pleased at all.
Van Dine is not shy about his clues in this installment. He strews them about liberally--in fact, at one point Markham, the District Attorney, complains that there are too many clues. Van Dine frequently points out something in his narrative (such as the chair the victim was seated in and those heavy street shoes he wore with his dressing gown) and adds that this item "constituted one of the vital links in the evidential chain of this strange and perplexing case" or that "the answer to this question was also was to prove a vital point in the solution of the tragedy." The reader certainly can't complain that the clues are too obscure or too well-hidden. We can, however, complain that the kennel of the title isn't nearly as central to the murder as it should be. The kennel helps trace the Scottie dog to her owner and that does help Vance solve the case, but if we're going to hang the story title on that bit of the plot, then The Scottie Murder Case makes more sense.
This is an interesting mystery with several side-stories to make things just a bit complicated. We have the dog angle and the Chinese artifacts angle (both of which give Vance ample opportunity to educate Markham and company, as well as the reader). I found the plot to be enjoyable and the characters to be well-drawn. If I hadn't spotted the murderer and had a good idea of how it all worked out (not down to the last detail--but close), then I'd definitely rate this as a four-star effort or higher. Perhaps Van Dine should have shined the light a little less brightly on some of those clues... ★★★ and 1/2. (rounded up here)
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
baylee_lasiepedimore's review against another edition
4.0
Puoi trovare questa recensione anche sul mio blog, La siepe di more
La prima cosa da dire su Il caso del terrier scozzese è che ho trovato adorabili le attenzioni di Vance nei confronti della povera cagnolina che, suo malgrado, si è ritrovata implicata in questi delitti e in queste indagini – pressoché ignorata da chiunque a parte il buon Vance che tra lo sconcerto generale la ritiene subito un elemento fondamentale per risolvere il caso.
Poi anche questa volta, complice la stanchezza, non sono riuscita a stare dietro alle indagini ed è stato interessante scoprire come e perché sono avvenuti i delitti.
Infine – e questo vale anche per La dea della vendetta – sono contenta di non dovermi ricredere sull’intelligenza di Vance, che ai miei occhi avrebbe perso diversi punti se avesse seguito i vari pregiudizi razziali che sono disseminati nei romanzi – il che immagino sia il massimo ottenibile da romanzi scritti negli anni Trenta del Novecento.
La prima cosa da dire su Il caso del terrier scozzese è che ho trovato adorabili le attenzioni di Vance nei confronti della povera cagnolina che, suo malgrado, si è ritrovata implicata in questi delitti e in queste indagini – pressoché ignorata da chiunque a parte il buon Vance che tra lo sconcerto generale la ritiene subito un elemento fondamentale per risolvere il caso.
Poi anche questa volta, complice la stanchezza, non sono riuscita a stare dietro alle indagini ed è stato interessante scoprire come e perché sono avvenuti i delitti.
Infine – e questo vale anche per La dea della vendetta – sono contenta di non dovermi ricredere sull’intelligenza di Vance, che ai miei occhi avrebbe perso diversi punti se avesse seguito i vari pregiudizi razziali che sono disseminati nei romanzi – il che immagino sia il massimo ottenibile da romanzi scritti negli anni Trenta del Novecento.
vmrtori7's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
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