The Winter Murder Case (1939) is a Philo Vance novella that S. S. Van Dine intended to expand into his twelfth full-length book, a project cut short by his death.

"The decline in the last six Vance books is so steep that the critic who called the ninth of them one more stitch in his literary shroud was not overstating the case."

[1] "This is [Van Dine's] last work, left in an only semi-expanded outline form at the time of his death.

Philo Vance is still the detective but the pseudo-scholarly footnotes are not in evidence nor is the pearl-handled telephone.

In fact, this short book is pleasant reading; add your own nostalgia if you wish.