"Chacun à son cheval"
And trouble there is. Woode Swift, Floyd's cousin, is in over his head, laying out ten thousand dollars on Equanimity to win, money he doesn't have, and money he desperately needs. But after Equanimity fails to even show, Woody (to his friends) is found dead, with a bullet to the head. It looks like suicide.
But, of course, you didn't fall for that, and neither did Philo Vance, who immediately announces it's murder.
Various romantic entanglements and inheritance questions supply the needed number of suspects for this one. Floyd's mother is also murdered before Vance solves it. One suspect falls in love with Vance and another tries to murder him. Or are they the same suspect?!
Philo Vance may very well be best known nowadays because Ogden Nash said, "Philo Vance needs a kick in the pance." 😉 At one point I tried to figure out where and when that Nash quote came from, but never succeeded. But now I do know when Van Dine first read it: as he was writing this 1935 novel. He alludes it four times over the course of the novel... (I think it may have got to him.)
"She shrugged and then added: 'I'm beginning to think that maybe Ogden Nash had the right idea.'"
That's the suspect who fell in love with him.
I finished the novel a week or so ago. I was going to watch the movie, which is available-ish on YouTube, but, alas, is geo-blocked out of Canada. Which is too bad because the preview looks pretty amusingly crazed:
i blush at a hidden affection for Philo Vance... Van Dine's detective is certainly an elitist figure, but there's something alluring about him. i liked the one about the Dragon the most, so far... altho they're all good...
ReplyDeleteThe Dragon is a good one, though I think my favorite is the Canary.
DeleteClassic mysteries are always fun. That'll be the easiest classics category for me to fill this year. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a little shocking it wasn't the first category I filled!
DeleteOh Ogden Nash is witty, isn't he? "God in his wisdom made the fly; and then forgot to tell us why." That made me laugh. In any case, bravo for finishing a Back to the Classics title. I'm almost through my first one too; a mystery as well. I perhaps should have targeted a longer/harder one but at least I have one knocked off the list!
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to get a fast start out of the gate, isn't it? (To keep up the horse racing theme!) I always knew that was going to be the easy one.
DeleteOgden Nash is so much fun. The Termite! The Seagull! ;-)
Ha! Doesn't sound like Vance had much of a sense of humour.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe Van Dine didn't...
ReplyDeleteHe's pretty light-hearted about it, but four! times. That's the giveaway... ;-)
DeleteGah, it's so frustrating when you think you are going to be able to sink into an older film on YT only to be slapped with that "not in Canada" screen. So unfriendly!
ReplyDeleteYes...argh!
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