Like <i>The Gracie Allen Murder Case</i> before it, <i>Winter</i> was first written as a screenplay, in this case a vehicle for the figure skater Sonja Henie. However, while Allen's scatterbrained persona made a charming foil for Philo's stuffed-shirt pretensions, Ms. Henie provided no such inspiration. Van Dine did not live long enough to see her outed as a Nazi supporter, but her ice-princess act offered less for Philo to play against. It should be noted that <i>Winter</i> was published posthumously to close out the series, and though it went to press without Van Dine's usual repeated revisions, it is true vintage Philo--utterly distinctive in style and its own very genuine kind of pleasure.
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