tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post4417030365193024113..comments2024-03-27T11:26:20.466-07:00Comments on The Passing Tramp: Philo Fidelis: Death Stops the Manuscript (1936), by Richard M. BakerThe Passing Tramphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-27381286338967440682019-10-25T22:23:17.552-07:002019-10-25T22:23:17.552-07:00Love him or hate him, at least you remember him!Love him or hate him, at least you remember him!The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-8505200038369653462019-10-25T22:21:55.926-07:002019-10-25T22:21:55.926-07:00Yeah, I remember you kind of hated it. I think I ...Yeah, I remember you kind of hated it. I think I liked it better than you, but you have to be ready for dry detection. I might be able to get them reprinted, but I'm interested to see what the other two are like. The third doesn't even seem to have a plan, which I kind of expect in these things.The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-56320696123784574752019-10-25T15:38:32.335-07:002019-10-25T15:38:32.335-07:00My review of Baker's third book is here, assum...My review of Baker's third book is here, assuming that this link works:<br /><br />http://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=44347<br /><br />Mediocre at best, and it didn't prompt me to seek out the first two.<br />Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10679390247854141025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-79650221088997092182019-10-24T01:12:24.849-07:002019-10-24T01:12:24.849-07:00I've always rather liked Hammett's review ...I've always rather liked Hammett's review of "The Benson Murder Case"<br /><br />"This Philo Vance is in the Sherlock Holmes tradition and his conversational manner is that of a high-school girl who has been studying the foreign words and phrases in the back of her dictionary. He is a bore when he discusses art and philosophy, but when he switches to criminal psychology he is delightful. There is a theory that any one who talks enough on any subject must, if only by chance, finally say something not altogether incorrect. Vance disproves this theory; he manages always, and usually ridiculously, to be wrong. His exposition of the technique employed by a gentleman shooting another gentleman who sits six feet in front of him deserves a place in a How to be a detective by mail course."Bevishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10052265072511397644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-41499602529322219792019-10-22T18:39:09.990-07:002019-10-22T18:39:09.990-07:00The consensus seems to be that the best is the sec...The consensus seems to be that the best is the second one, but we'll see. It's definitely dry, but a perfectly valid example of that sort of detective novel. Scribner's certainly tried to make '36 the year of Van Dine. But it was all downhill from there, artistically, even if Van Dine managed to squeeze a lot of money out of Fox for a Sonja Henie film treatment!The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-46761917224806946982019-10-22T18:36:05.740-07:002019-10-22T18:36:05.740-07:00You should write a parody, old dear!"You should write a parody, old dear!"The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-22007539641726165712019-10-22T18:35:32.728-07:002019-10-22T18:35:32.728-07:00I'll be checking it out soon!I'll be checking it out soon!The Passing Tramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09830680639601570152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-30613670156230711382019-10-21T09:54:57.861-07:002019-10-21T09:54:57.861-07:00Russell is also a French teacher. The character co...Russell is also a French teacher. The character couldn't be more modeled on the author himself. I tried this book back in July, but for me it's an inert detective novel. Nothing actually happens. It's too cerebral and dry. I got bored and couldn't finish it. In the summer I spent a good four days doing research into Baker for a piece on my blog which never happened because I lost interest in the book and didn't think he was worth writing about. One thing I discovered about Baker -- there is a prize for the best French student at Kent named in his honor that is still awarded at the school. Utterly coincidental that you were doing exactly the same thing. The Van Dine similarities are hard to miss for a diehard mystery fan familiar with those books. Is it a coincidence that Scribner published the Philo Vance books and Baker's books? Not at all. I thought the essay was written purely as a gimmick and was most likely the publisher's idea, not Wright's.<br /><br />I have the last book about bell ringing and murder and was going to try that one to see if he improved his storytelling ability by his last book. Still have yet to crack it open. Interestingly, my copy of DEATH STOPS THE BELLS was formerly owned by Bill Pronzini. His stamp is on the front endpaper.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-58309630886375378122019-10-21T00:37:44.507-07:002019-10-21T00:37:44.507-07:00If this were a Philo Vance case...
"Roland? ...If this were a Philo Vance case...<br /><br />"Roland? Surely you geste, old dear! Eheu, Calais," he chortled in his joy.<br />Nick Fullerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05668031989499870182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137677673775151256.post-43336355160164053562019-10-20T14:45:10.156-07:002019-10-20T14:45:10.156-07:00I have the second (Rehersal) book. Interesting plo...I have the second (Rehersal) book. Interesting plotAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02310550830900337392noreply@blogger.com