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The Greene murder case

Chapter 2: Characters of the Book
By S. S. Van Dine
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About This Book

The narrative follows a sequence of mysterious deaths within a wealthy family's mansion that confound police and the public; an urbane amateur detective applies forensic detail, psychological analysis, and careful reasoning alongside official investigators to unravel staged scenes, missing weapons and poisons, locked-room puzzles, and misleading traces. As successive tragedies escalate tension, methodical reconstruction of timelines, attention to small physical clues, and probing of motives expose an unexpected mechanism and the perpetrator's ingenuity, culminating in a logical but startling explanation of how the crimes were committed and why.

Murder most foul, as in the best it is;
But this most foul, strange and unnatural.

—Hamlet.

Characters of the Book

Philo Vance
John F.-X. Markham
District Attorney of New York County.
Mrs. Tobias Greene
The mistress of the Greene mansion.
Julia Greene
The eldest daughter.
Sibella Greene
Another daughter.
Ada Greene
The youngest daughter.
Chester Greene
The elder son.
Rex Greene
The younger son.
Dr. Arthur Von Blon
The Greene family physician.
Sproot
The Greene butler.
Gertrude Mannheim
The cook.
Hemming
The senior maid.
Barton
The junior maid.
Miss Craven
Mrs. Greene’s nurse.
Chief Inspector O’Brien
Of the Police Department of New York City.
William M. Moran
Commanding officer of the Detective Bureau.
Ernest Heath
Sergeant of the Homicide Bureau.
Snitkin
Detective of the Homicide Bureau.
Burke
Detective of the Homicide Bureau.
Captain Anthony P. Jerym
Bertillon expert.
Captain Dubois
Finger-print expert.
Dr. Emanuel Doremus
Medical Examiner.
Dr. Drumm
An official police surgeon.
Marie O’Brien
A Police nurse.
Swacker
Secretary to the District Attorney.
Currie
Vance’s valet.