Scientific Detective Monthly

The Bishop Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine This issue presents the opening section of "The Bishop Murder Case," a mystery featuring the amateur detective Philo Vance as he investigates a series of murders linked to nursery rhyme references. After returning from Switzerland in early April, Vance is interrupted from translating Menander when District Attorney Markham calls with urgent news of a crime. The victim is Joseph Cochrane Robin, killed by arrow—connecting to the nursery rhyme "Who Killed Cock Robin?" Vance quickly consults references on archery, a German dictionary, and children's verse compilations, deducing the case involves a killer using Mother Goose themes as inspiration. He theorizes the murders follow a pattern based on nursery rhymes, making this a "medieval tragedy in modern New York." The narrative establishes the mystery's unusual methodology and Vance's deductive process as he prepares to investigate what promises to be a complex, seemingly incomprehensible series of crimes.