S.S. Van Dine

Recently finished reading Alias S.S. Van Dine, a biography by John Loughery of the man who wrote The Canary Murder Case. I enjoyed the book a good deal, and would recommend it to those interested in 20th century American cultural history. Willard Huntington Wright (aka S. S. Van Dine) was an interesting, though perhaps disagreeable, person who knew many leading figures of the time. (Louise Brooks is mentioned in passing in this book; she had the left the set of the Canary Murder Case by the time Van Dine arrived to lend his then considerable fame to the film.) Having finished the biography, I then decided to read the celebrated mystery novel which served as the basis for the 1929 film. As of today, I am nearly through with the book. Just about 50 pages to go. I will finish it, though I find the book somewhat tedious.