The Gracie Allen Murder Case

The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1938) is a detective novel by S. S. Van Dine featuring his famous fictional detective of the 1920s and 1930s, Philo Vance. It is in many ways an experimental novel. It includes not just real-life Hollywood stars in its plot (George Burns and Gracie Allen) but also such characters as Gracie's mother and brother. This gives the book an unusual feel. So does the comic tone of much of Gracie's dialogue. This tone suddenly shifts in a later chapter to one character's philosophically anguished speculations, and then back again to Gracie.

Related Topics:
S. S. Van Dine - 1920 - 1930 - Philo Vance - George Burns - Gracie Allen

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For some readers the whole thing works oddly wonderfully, and shows S. S. Van Dine's skill at combining his traditional approach with some unusual forms. Other readers found this book both disconcerting and disappointing. It did not enjoy anything near the commercial success of Van Dine's earlier novels and most critics considered it a failure.

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