S S Van DineS. S. Van Dine (1888-1939) was the pen name of American writer and critic Willard Huntington Wright. He was one of the most influential figures in the Golden Age of detective fiction and the creator of Philo Vance, one of the era's most recognizable ictional detectives.Van Dine is also known for formulating the famous "Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories," which emphasized logic, fair play, and intellectual rigor. His Philo Vance novels were bestsellers in the 1920s and helped define the modern puzzle mystery. Read More Read Less