The Bishop Murder Case

By S.S. Van Dine

Book Overview

Murder cloaked in rhyme and terror grips New York in The Bishop Murder Case, the fourth thrilling entry in S. S. Van Dine's legendary Philo Vance Mystery series. A fiendish killer is on the loose-one who leaves behind cryptic nursery rhymes at the scenes of his crimes. Each victim falls according to a chilling verse, and the press soon dubs him "The Bishop."

Enter Philo Vance, the most brilliant and enigmatic sleuth of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. With his razor intellect, mastery of psychology, and disdain for conventional police work, Vance takes on a case unlike any other. As the body count rises and the city trembles, he must untangle a web of symbolism, riddles, and hidden motives before the Bishop claims his final victim.

Packed with noir atmosphere, ingenious puzzles, and page-turning suspense, The Bishop Murder Case stands alongside the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Ellery Queen as one of the cornerstones of classic American detective fiction. A dazzling blend of high society intrigue, literary allusion, and relentless murder mystery, it is a must-read for fans of whodunits, crime thrillers, and pulp-era mysteries.

About the author:

S. S. Van Dine was the pen name of Willard Huntington Wright (1888-1939), an American art critic, editor, and novelist whose influence on Golden Age detective fiction remains profound. Trained as a literary critic and steeped in art and philosophy, Wright turned to mystery writing during a period of convalescence-and reinvented himself as one of the most sophisticated voices in the genre.

In 1926, he introduced the world to Philo Vance, the aristocratic amateur sleuth whose razor intellect, biting wit, and refined tastes set him apart from more conventional detectives. Beginning with The Benson Murder Case, Van Dine's novels quickly became international bestsellers, praised for their intricate plotting, psychological depth, and stylish prose.

Beyond the page, Van Dine's influence extended to the silver screen. His Philo Vance mysteries inspired a series of popular Hollywood films in the 1930s, starring actors such as William Powell, Basil Rathbone, and Warren William. Today, his work endures as both an essential part of American crime fiction history and a window into the glittering yet shadowed world of 1920s New York high society.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1515468097
• ISBN13: 9781515468097
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Positronic Publishing
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Mathematics and Nursery Rhymes = Good Myster

The Bishop Murder book focuses around a series of murders that are connected to nursery rhymes in the house of a mathematics professor. All of the victims are themselves mathematicians, and Philo Vance is attracted to this case because of mathematics solutions are connected to these nursery rhymes. He solves the equations, thereby producing the murderer. Philo Vance in his complex explanation of the crime says, "In order to understand these . . . we must consider the stock-in-trade of the mathematician, for all his speculations and computations tend to emphasize the relative insignificance of this planet and the unimportance of human life." This is the focus of the mind and personality of Philo Vance, the human intellect at work solving the crime.

Mathematics and Nursery Rhymes = Good Mystery

This book is the first of Van Dine's mysteries, and it introduces Van Dine's sleuth, Philo Vance. Vance is a wealthy, but rather cynical, connoisseur in the arts and finer things of life. He has another hobby, though, helping the New York assistant district attorney solve complex murders. This book focuses more on Philo Vance, showing the reader what to expect in the mysteries to follow. S.S. Van Dine, whose real name was Willard Hunting Wright, while writing mysteries, was also an art critic, and it shows in this book. The whole first chapter concerns Vance's view of the art world. This book plot, though, focuses around a series of murders that are connected to nursery rhymes in the house of a mathematics professor. All of the victims are themselves mathematicians, and Philo Vance is attracted to this case because of mathematics solutions are connected to these nursery rhymes. He solves the equations, thereby producing the murderer. Philo Vance in his complex explanation of the crime says, "In order to understand these . . . we must consider the stock-in-trade of the mathematician, for all his speculations and computations tend to emphasize the relative insignificance of this planet and the unimportance of human life." This is the focus of the mind and personality of Philo Vance, the human intellect at work solving the crime.

5 Stars for Silliness

"Cozy" mysteries don't get much sillier than this, but it's probably the most entertaining of the Philo Vance novels in spite of the hokum. Ultimately, nearly all of the suspects are killed off, so figuring out whodunit isn't a major...uh, undertaking. But if you enjoy a good old-fashioned mystery, complete with bizarre (and not quite believable) goings-on, you'll probably like this one.

Van Dine A Master-Juggler

S. S. Van Dine was one of the leading practitioners of the American detective story, and who inspired Ellery Queen and C. Daly King to write. This book, dealing with a series of murders taking place at secluded houses along Riverside Drive, New York, is similar to Van Dine's earlier "Greene Murder Case," in that the murders are committed to a pattern - in the former book, Grost's handbook on criminology; in "Bishop," according to Mother Goose (the original title was "The Mother Goose Murders," though Van Dine changed them, as he did not want his readers to believe that he was writing for children). Besides being one of the first of the nursery-rhyme murders (c.f. both Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen), the book is also ingenious and bizarre, both in the commission of the murders and the unmasking of the murderer. Some of the scenes, though, owe small ideas to H. C. Bailey, as in the "Little Miss Muffet" murder (c.f. "The Violet Farm," "The Little House," "The Bird in the Cellar," etc.). People have claimed to view Philo Vance as an infuriating snob, but he is no worse in this respect than Dorothy L. Sayer's Peter Wimsey, and a great deal better - Van Dine, for one, did not think of Philo Vance as the ultimate lover. In short, plenty of detection, plenty of atmosphere (despite Van Dine's rules, contained in "The Winter Murder Case"), and a fascinating glimpse of old-fashioned New World.