
A seasoned attorney recounts his years beside the brilliant detective Philo Vance, chronicling a string of cases that shocked New York’s legal world. In this collection, he turns his keen observations to the “Canary” murder, the brutal slaying of a famous Broadway beauty whose life had glittered as brightly as the stage lights she once owned. The victim’s sumptuous apartment is found in disarray, a single green index card hinting at the mystery that will grip the city’s police and press alike.
From the initial police briefing to the early theories that swirl among detectives, prosecutors, and society’s elite, the narrative follows Vance’s methodical, almost obsessive, pursuit of truth. Readers are drawn into the layered clues—a ransacked room, cryptic footprints, and a circle of suspects ranging from glamorous actresses to shadowy burglars—while Vance’s analytical mind begins to piece together a puzzle that seems impossible to solve. The stage is set for a classic cerebral duel between intuition and evidence, inviting listeners to join the investigation from the very first step.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (482K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United States: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1927.
Credits
Transcribed and produced by Brian Raiter.
Release date
2023-05-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1888–1939
Best known for creating the elegant detective Philo Vance, this American writer helped shape the classic puzzle mystery in the 1920s and 1930s. Before turning to crime fiction, he built a reputation as an art critic and editor, which gave his novels their polished, high-society flavor.
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