# Tony Skeel — The Canary Murder Case character guide > Tony Skeel in The Canary Murder Case by S. S. Van Dine. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Skeel, Mr. Skeel, Dude, Tony **First appearance:** 0007-iv-the-print-of-a-hand ## Snapshot A jewel thief with a gentleman's polish and a liar's instinct, Skeel was seen near the Odell apartment the night of the murder — and his alibi smells worse than his reputation. ## Who they are Skeel moves through the case as the most obvious suspect: a known cracksman with a taste for fine stones and finer lies. He claims he was absorbed in a Khun Khan picture show when Margaret Odell died, but his nervous evasions and the jewel-case left pried open in her rooms make his story a sieve. Vance half-believes Skeel witnessed the killing without committing it — a theory so maddening it nearly breaks his reason, and one that keeps the reader guessing whether the thief is predator or paralyzed spectator. ## Relationships ### [John F.-X. Markham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/john_f_x_markham) _professional_ Skeel, a shady underworld figure and former lover of the victim, is a prime suspect repeatedly questioned by Markham. ### [Philo Vance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/philo_vance) _psychological_ Vance manipulates and outmaneuvers Skeel in a battle of wits, treating him as a psychological puzzle to be solved. ### [Ernest Heath](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/ernest_heath) _rivalry_ Heath views Skeel as a hardened criminal and pursues him aggressively, leading to open hostility between them. ### [Ernest Heath](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/ernest_heath) _rivalry_ Heath views Skeel as a hardened criminal and pursues him aggressively, leading to open hostility between them. ### [Philo Vance](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/philo_vance) _psychological_ Vance manipulates and outmaneuvers Skeel in a battle of wits, treating him as a psychological puzzle to be solved. ### [John F.-X. Markham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/john_f_x_markham) _professional_ Skeel, a shady underworld figure and former lover of the victim, is a prime suspect repeatedly questioned by Markham. ## In the story ### [The Canary Murder Case](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/the-canary-murder-case) A suspect with a criminal background, later arrested on fingerprint evidence. ### [IX: The Pack in Full Cry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/ix-the-pack-in-full-cry) Identified as the owner of the fingerprints on the Odell box; his criminal record is read aloud. ### [XII: Circumstantial Evidence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xii-circumstantial-evidence) Arrested for pawning Odell's ring; maintains a consistent alibi and resists interrogation, but shows unease under Vance's questioning. ### [An Erstwhile Gallant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xiii-an-erstwhile-gallant) Discussed as a possible witness to the murder, hiding in the closet. ### [XIV: Vance Outlines a Theory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xiv-vance-outlines-a-theory) Mentioned as the suspect the police are focusing on; Vance implies Skeel is not the real murderer. ### [Four Possibilities](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xv-four-possibilities) Mentioned as the prime suspect whose guilt Vance repudiates. ### [Significant Disclosures](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xvi-significant-disclosures) Mentioned as the prime suspect the police are considering; Alys dismisses him as a 'cheap crook' lacking nerve. ### [The Doctor Explains](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xix-the-doctor-explains) Discussed as the primary suspect due to fingerprints and chisel marks, though Vance argues against this. ### [XXII: A Telephone Call](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxii-a-telephone-call) Calls Markham and agrees to come in the next day, claiming to know who killed Odell. ### [XXIII: The Ten O'Clock Appointment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxiii-the-ten-o-clock-appointment) Expected to confess but found strangled in his room; his death mirrors Margaret Odell's. ### [An Arrest](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxiv-an-arrest) Murdered; Vance argues Skeel himself manipulated the side door lock. ### [XXV: Vance Demonstrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxv-vance-demonstrates) Referenced as the one who used the tweezers-and-twine method; his evening clothes contained the apparatus. ### [XXVI: Reconstructing the Crime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxvi-reconstructing-the-crime) Described as the hidden witness who saw the murder from the closet and later devised an escape plan. ### [XXIX: Beethoven's "Andante"](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/chapters/xxix-beethoven-s-andante) Described as hiding in the closet during the murder, later blackmailing Spotswoode, and ultimately being killed by him. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters/tony_skeel - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_canary_murder_case_se/characters