--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of all the criminal cases in which Philo…" description: "\"Of all the criminal cases in which Philo Vance participated as unofficial investigator, the most sinister, the most bizarre, the seemingly most incompr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/s-s-van-dine-52963_bizarre_of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo_2815798.jpg" --- # Of all the criminal cases in which Philo Vance… ![“Of all the criminal cases in which Philo Vance participated as unofficial investigator, the most sinister, the most bizarre, the seemingly most incomprehensible, and certainly the most terrifying was the one that followed the famous Greene murders.” quote by S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/s-s-van-dine-52963_bizarre_of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo_2815798.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/s-s-van-dine-52963_bizarre_of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo_2815798.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/s-s-van-dine-52963_bizarre_of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo_2815798.jpg) > “Of all the criminal cases in which Philo Vance participated as unofficial investigator, the most sinister, the most bizarre, the seemingly most incomprehensible, and certainly the most terrifying was the one that followed the famous Greene murders.” [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The most terrifying case is the one that follows an already infamous crime, showing how investigations can become increasingly bizarre and unsettling. **In simple terms:** A case after a famous murder becomes especially terrifying. Key Takeaway Beware how fame can amplify fear. Themes crime investigation psychology Mood tense intrigued Type literary analytical When to use this quote - reading mystery novels - studying criminal psychology - writing crime fiction Key Concepts suspense detective fiction Questions to Reflect On - What makes a case feel more sinister after a famous crime? - How does notoriety affect investigative focus? A Different Perspective Even famous cases may have mundane explanations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bizarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bizarre/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Certainly Terrifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainly-terrifying-3551950/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Detective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detective/) [Greene Murders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greene-murders-3551947/) [Investigator Sinister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investigator-sinister-3551949/) [Investigators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investigators/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Sinister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinister/) [Sinister Bizarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinister-bizarre-1712024/) [Terrifying Followed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrifying-followed-3551948/) ## Related quotes > [I moved further and further away from mass entertainment. The sexual element became increasingly sinister and bizarre. Don't blame me! The bastards drove me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-moved-further-and-further-away-from-mass-entertainment-the-sexual/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [In philosophical anthropology, ... where the subject is man in his wholeness, the investigator cannot content himself, as in anthropology as an individual science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/in-philosophical-anthropology-where-the-subject-is-man-in-his/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [The main purpose of a significance test is to inhibit the natural enthusiasm of the investigator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-mosteller/the-main-purpose-of-a-significance-test-is-to-inhibit-the-natural/) [Frederick Mosteller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-mosteller/) > [In the early days of my child labor activities I was an investigator with a camera attachment... but the emphasis became reversed until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hine/in-the-early-days-of-my-child-labor-activities-i-was-an-investigator/) [Lewis Hine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hine/) > [The fact that knowledge endlessly recedes as the investigator is about to grasp it is what constitutes at the same time his torment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/the-fact-that-knowledge-endlessly-recedes-as-the-investigator-is/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [We must remain, in a word, in an intellectual disposition which seems paradoxical, but which, in my opinion, represents the true mind of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/we-must-remain-in-a-word-in-an-intellectual-disposition-which-seems/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [As a vital link in the conversion process, we should bear our testimonies that the gospel is true; our testimonies may well be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/as-a-vital-link-in-the-conversion-process-we-should-bear-our/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [Theism tells men that they are the slaves of a God. Atheism assures men that they are the investigators and users of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-haldeman-julius/theism-tells-men-that-they-are-the-slaves-of-a-god-atheism-assures/) [E. Haldeman-Julius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-haldeman-julius/) > [Science even more than the Gospel teaches us humility. She cannot look down on anything, she does not know what superiority means, she despises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/science-even-more-than-the-gospel-teaches-us-humility-she-cannot-look/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [The history of science knows scores of instances where an investigator was in the possession of all the important facts for a new theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mayr/the-history-of-science-knows-scores-of-instances-where-an/) [Ernst Mayr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mayr/) > [If I had multiple lives, I'd like to do many things, including being a homicide investigator. I'm not brave enough to chase people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veena-sud/if-i-had-multiple-lives-i-d-like-to-do-many-things-including-being-a/) [Veena Sud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veena-sud/) > [Do experimental work but keep in mind that other investigators in the same field will consider your discoveries as less than one fourth as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-manning-child/do-experimental-work-but-keep-in-mind-that-other-investigators-in-the/) [Charles Manning Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-manning-child/) > [Not many appreciate the ultimate power and potential usefulness of basic knowledge accumulated by obscure, unseen investigators who, in a lifetime of intensive study,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenie-clark/not-many-appreciate-the-ultimate-power-and-potential-usefulness-of/) [Eugenie Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenie-clark/) > [I am myself by inclination an investigator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/i-am-myself-by-inclination-an-investigator/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Ardent desire for knowledge, in fact, is the one motive attracting and supporting investigators in their efforts; and just this knowledge, really grasped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/ardent-desire-for-knowledge-in-fact-is-the-one-motive-attracting-and/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) ## More by S. S. Van Dine > [Giving full rein to one's cynicism as one goes along produces a normal outlet and maintains an emotional equilibrium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/giving-full-rein-to-one-s-cynicism-as-one-goes-along-produces-a/) [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) > [There are few punishments too severe for a popular novel writer,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/there-are-few-punishments-too-severe-for-a-popular-novel-writer/) [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) > [There simply must be a corpse in a detective novel, and the deader the corpse the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/there-simply-must-be-a-corpse-in-a-detective-novel-and-the-deader-the/) [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) > [A detective novel should contain no long descriptive passages, no literary dallying with side-issues, no subtly worked-out character analyses, no 'atmospheric' preoccupations. Such matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/a-detective-novel-should-contain-no-long-descriptive-passages-no/) [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) > [It has long been a source of wonder to me why the leading criminological writers--men like Edmund Lester Pearson, H. B. Irving, Filson Young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/it-has-long-been-a-source-of-wonder-to-me-why-the-leading/) [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) > [Only, as long as we're going insane we may as well go the whole way. A mere shred of sanity is of no value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/only-as-long-as-we-re-going-insane-we-may-as-well-go-the-whole-way-a/) [S. S. Van Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) [Explore all 7 S. S. Van Dine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/) ## More Bizarre quotes > [“but 20 years from now it will be bizarre if you walk into a store and the store doesn’t know who you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scoble/but-20-years-from-now-it-will-be-bizarre-if-you-walk-into-a-store-and/) [Robert Scoble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scoble/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [Even the two times that I left, I never really felt like I left the band. It's very bizarre. It's like there's sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wakeman/even-the-two-times-that-i-left-i-never-really-felt-like-i-left-the/) [Rick Wakeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wakeman/) > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The single greatest pleasure that I have in doing ('Bizarre Foods') is when I meet families with 6, 7, 8-year-olds, or teenagers, who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-zimmern/the-single-greatest-pleasure-that-i-have-in-doing-bizarre-foods-is/) [Andrew Zimmern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-zimmern/) > [Someone once bought me loads of clothes from a charity shop - and sent them to me in a black bin liner. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-shaw/someone-once-bought-me-loads-of-clothes-from-a-charity-shop-and-sent/) [Suzanne Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-shaw/) > [I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-wrote-the-script-of-patton-i-had-this-very-bizarre-opening-where-he/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [The Kuiper belt region, which I call the third zone because it lies beyond the rocky terrestrial planets and beyond the giant planets, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/the-kuiper-belt-region-which-i-call-the-third-zone-because-it-lies/) [Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/) > [How I keep trying to force our story into a fairy tale, but from the beginning, it's been more like a nursery rhyme." "Bizarre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/how-i-keep-trying-to-force-our-story-into-a-fairy-tale-but-from-the/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Entropy The Disintegrating Integration of Cheez-Whiz Squirts Insipid Inspiration Quoth the Oblong Eclipse of Nether-Knowledge Never Knowing Decaying Matter in a Decaying Orbit Orangutans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ubiquitous-bubba/entropy-the-disintegrating-integration-of-cheez-whiz-squirts-insipid/) [Ubiquitous Bubba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ubiquitous-bubba/) > ['Aiyyaa' was a bizarre film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prithviraj-sukumaran/aiyyaa-was-a-bizarre-film/) [Prithviraj Sukumaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prithviraj-sukumaran/) > [My wife and I have created our own language. We can be at a table with six other people and have an argument without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/my-wife-and-i-have-created-our-own-language-we-can-be-at-a-table-with/) [Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/) > [I'm quite a good reader of people; I like to meet people, and I can tell if they're lying or not, and I've certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-darby/i-m-quite-a-good-reader-of-people-i-like-to-meet-people-and-i-can/) [Rhys Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-darby/) > [On 'Undeclared,' I was actually the only person who had gone to college. Here we are doing this college show, and no one had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-gallo/on-undeclared-i-was-actually-the-only-person-who-had-gone-to-college/) [Carla Gallo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-gallo/) > [Our workforce is very co-operative, very flexible, easy to work with and one of the big selling points. The idea that Britain is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-cable/our-workforce-is-very-co-operative-very-flexible-easy-to-work-with/) [Vince Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-cable/) [Browse all 717 Bizarre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bizarre/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Of all the criminal cases in which Philo Vance participated as unofficial investigator, the most sinister, the most bizarre, the seemingly most incomprehensible, and certainly the most terrifying was the one that followed the famous Greene murders.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "S. S. Van Dine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo-vance-participated-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bizarre" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo-vance-participated-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/s-s-van-dine-52963_bizarre_of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo_2815798.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/s-s-van-dine-52963_bizarre_of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo_2815798.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca8/s-s-van-dine-52963_bizarre_of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo_2815798.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of all the criminal cases in which Philo Vance participated as unofficial investigator, the most sinister…” — S. S. Van Dine", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "S. S. Van Dine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-s-van-dine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Of all the criminal cases in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo-vance-participated-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-s-van-dine/of-all-the-criminal-cases-in-which-philo-vance-participated-as/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```