Van Dine is very dry, and very British (despite his being an American). I wouldn't really recommend him unless you're already a die hard mystery fan.
For some nice follow-ups to Umineko, try John Dickson Carr's "The Three Coffins", or Nicholas Blake's, "Thou Shell of Death". Or try some hard-boiled stuff - Dashiell Hammett's "Maltese Falcon" or Raymond Chandler's "The Long Goodbye".
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