A murder in the mountains is the latest case for the Manhattan detective famed for his โhighbrow manner and parade of encyclopedic learningโ (The New York Times).
Wealthy and worldly-wise detective Philo Vance has been asked to keep watch at a house party in the snowy Berkshires of western Massachusetts, where he encounters an assortment of guests ranging from a treasure hunter to a race car driver. The owner of the house doesnโt quite trust his sonโs friendsโand is worried about the security of his precious emeralds. Sure enough, a guard is soon killed, the jewels are stolen, and then another guest dies, leaving Vance to make some cold calculations about who turned this gathering from festive to fatalย .ย .ย .
โMr. Van Dineโs amateur detective is the most gentlemanly, and probably the most scholarly snooper in literature.โ โChicago Daily Tribune
โThe best of the American mystery men.โ โThe Globe