The House Without a Key
The novel that introduced Charlie Chan, published in 1925, opens with a proper young Bostonian, John Quincy Winterslip, arriving in Honolulu to fetch an aunt and instead finding his cousin Dan murdered in a beachfront house. The local police send a stout, courteous detective of the Honolulu force, Charlie Chan, whose patience and shrewd eye gradually untangle a killing rooted in old scandals and buried history. Around the mystery Biggers sets Boston reserve against the warmth and pull of the islands, and lets his young hero grow up in the bargain. Chan, based on a real Honolulu policeman, would go on to headline five more novels and a long run of films. Available here as a free PDF and EPUB edition.
About the Author
Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933) was an American novelist and playwright from Ohio. He created the Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan, inspired by a real Honolulu policeman, in six best-selling mysteries that broke with the era’s stereotypes and launched a long-running film series.
See all books by Earl Derr Biggers →
