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Charlie Chan #1-2 omnibus
Charlie Chan Collection The House Without a Key and The Chinese Parrot 1974
Both paperbacks have some edge wear and shelf wear. Previous owner name was written on 1st page of 1 book which I erased however a hint remains. No other writing in either books. The Chinese Parrot has a crease down center of cover. Both paperbacks have some creases on the spines. Pages have tanned. Please see my posted photos for additional information. 1974
496 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2007
29 people want to read
About the author
Earl Derr Biggers
223 books85 followersEarl Derr Biggers was born in Warren, Ohio on August 24, 1884. Years later, while attending Harvard University, Biggers showed little passion for the classics, preferring instead writers such as Rudyard Kipling and Richard Harding Davis. Following his graduation from Harvard in 1907, he worked briefly for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and at Bobbs-Merrill publishers. By 1908, Biggers was hired at the Boston Traveler to write a daily humor column. Soon, however, he became that paper's drama critic. It was at this time that he met Elanor Ladd, who would later become his wife and who would have a marked influence in his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 30, 2017
This coupling of the first two entries in Earl Derr Biggers’ Charlie Chan series, is a great way to become acclimated with his adept blending of romance and mystery. The writing style is refreshingly old-fashioned, with wonderful descriptive prose which creates atmosphere you can almost feel in a tangible way while you "watch" Chan solve a mystery, while he helps out young lovers.
THE HOUSE WITHOUT A KEY
You can almost feel the gentle trade winds of Hawaii during the 1920s in this classic novel by Earl Derr Biggers. Romantic and full of atmosphere, this is a most enjoyable read that was our first introduction to Charlie Chan. Biggers was always a great romance writer who simply incorporated mystery into his books to propel the story forward. This is never more evident than in The House Without a Key.
The story centers on young and proper John Quincy Winterslip of Boston, who has been sent to retrieve the elder Minerva Winterslip from the 'semi-barbaric' Pacific Islands of Hawaii. When his ship stops in San Francisco on its journey to the islands, however, John Quincy's idea of who he is begins to change. The possibility that there is a world outside of Boston and Beacon Hill, has begun to take shape in Quincy's soul. A mysterious errand in an exciting and mysterious San Francisco for the black sheep of the family, Dan Winterslip, who is also living in Hawaii, will kick off an adventure that will, in the end, turn John into a man.
A murder shortly before John's arrival will reveal old family secrets from a time when Hawaii was wild and dangerous, and a port for all the world. John Quincy does not understand the nostalgia Minerva and others feel for this time in Hawaii's history, but soon discovers for himself that romance is alive in those trade winds blowing the palms fronds. John will meet Carlota Egan, a girl who could not be further away from the fiancée awaiting him back in Boston. As John Quincy begins to help his lovely cousin Barbara and Minerva get to the bottom of the murder, Boston seems more and more like a distant memory.
Luckily for John, Hawaii's best police detective will become his friend while helping to unravel the clues. That detective, of course, is Charlie Chan. An Asian who has been in Hawaii many years, Chan navigates the mystery with little to go on, but with much wisdom and humor. The Charlie Chan of The House Without a Key is subtle and endearing. Chan may be Chinese, but his very American take on a piece of pie with which he is unhappy he is a hoot!
Biggers truly makes both his characters and the islands of Hawaii come alive in the first novel in which Charlie Chan appeared. His descriptions of Hawaii as seen through the eyes of the characters are both nostalgic, and filled with beauty. The House Without a Key is that rare novel which can be read with pleasure by those who love a good mystery, or those who love a light and atmospheric romance. If both are your cup of tea, this great classic is definitely for you. It is a great read during summer, when things are bright and cheery, or during winter, when you want a tropical escape. The writing style is of another era, of course, but all the lovelier for it. A true mystery classic.
THE CHINESE PARROT
"Trifles sometimes blossom big. Detective business consist of one unsignificant detail placed beside other of same. Then with sudden dazzle, light begins to dawn." -- Charlie Chan to Bob Eden
Charlie's first trip to the Mainland is a sparkling adventure full of mystery and old-fashioned romance. It will take the Honolulu detective from exciting 1920s San Francisco to the purple desert.
As in the first Charlie Chan novel, The House Without a Key, Biggers writes a mystery and romance in which Charlie plays an integral part while not being the main focus. Beginning with Behind That Curtain, Charlie would be more at the forefront, the author using his romantic style to frame the mystery rather than the other way around. I must confess a special affection for the first two Charlie Chan novels featuring Charlie as the secondary lead. In The Chinese Parrot, it will be young Bob Eden who works hand-in-hand with our favorite Hawaiian detective from China, finding adventure and romance in one of Charlie's most perplexing cases.
San Francisco's Bob Eden is a young man about town until his father brokers Sally Jordan's expensive string of pearls. He is sent to meet her former houseboy, Charlie Chan, who is bringing them across the ocean on the President Pierce. From the moment he's shadowed at the dock, the young man without a care in the world finds himself in the greatest adventure of his life. He and Charlie will head to the desert to meet the buyer, with Charlie posing as a Chinese cook. They decide to stall rather than part with the pearls, however, after the words of a Chinese parrot indicate something terrible may have happened prior to their arrival. Harboring suspicions that a man has been murdered in this purple desert, the difficulty for Bob and Charlie rests in discovering who the victim was and who did the deed.
Just as John Quincy was at the heart of the action in The House Without a Key, so Bob Eden finds adventure and mystery far from home. Romance is found with Paula, a location scout for the movies. Biggers, who always had a fascination with the movies, works it deftly into this Chan entry when a murder weapon proves to have belonged to legendary silent Western star, William S. Hart.
A secretary, a gambling house, a dead man's clothes, and a second murder with a tangible body make up a complex and confusing mystery which has Charlie and Bob Eden stumped, not to mention the reader. Reporter Will Holley becomes an ally but just when they think they know who was killed at the ranch, and why, their theory is turned upside down and there seems to be no course of action but to hand over the pearls.
The exciting twist which follows, augmented by the only trick Charlie was ever to learn from the Japanese, makes for a fine and surprising end to all the intrigue and mystery in the desert. The blend of romance and mystery perfected by Biggers is one no modern mystery writer has ever come close to attaining. The Chinese Parrot is an old-fashioned and delightful mix of fun for mystery fans.
SUMMATION
If you’re a fan of romance blended with mystery, engaging stories with magical descriptive prose and laced with tremendous charm, you can’t go wrong reading Biggers. The style of writing is, in my opinion, a lovelier narrative style than much of today’s pretentious dribble. You’ll marvel at how enjoyable the first two Charlie Chan books were, and still remain so after all these decades. Fabulous stuff.
THE HOUSE WITHOUT A KEY
You can almost feel the gentle trade winds of Hawaii during the 1920s in this classic novel by Earl Derr Biggers. Romantic and full of atmosphere, this is a most enjoyable read that was our first introduction to Charlie Chan. Biggers was always a great romance writer who simply incorporated mystery into his books to propel the story forward. This is never more evident than in The House Without a Key.
The story centers on young and proper John Quincy Winterslip of Boston, who has been sent to retrieve the elder Minerva Winterslip from the 'semi-barbaric' Pacific Islands of Hawaii. When his ship stops in San Francisco on its journey to the islands, however, John Quincy's idea of who he is begins to change. The possibility that there is a world outside of Boston and Beacon Hill, has begun to take shape in Quincy's soul. A mysterious errand in an exciting and mysterious San Francisco for the black sheep of the family, Dan Winterslip, who is also living in Hawaii, will kick off an adventure that will, in the end, turn John into a man.
A murder shortly before John's arrival will reveal old family secrets from a time when Hawaii was wild and dangerous, and a port for all the world. John Quincy does not understand the nostalgia Minerva and others feel for this time in Hawaii's history, but soon discovers for himself that romance is alive in those trade winds blowing the palms fronds. John will meet Carlota Egan, a girl who could not be further away from the fiancée awaiting him back in Boston. As John Quincy begins to help his lovely cousin Barbara and Minerva get to the bottom of the murder, Boston seems more and more like a distant memory.
Luckily for John, Hawaii's best police detective will become his friend while helping to unravel the clues. That detective, of course, is Charlie Chan. An Asian who has been in Hawaii many years, Chan navigates the mystery with little to go on, but with much wisdom and humor. The Charlie Chan of The House Without a Key is subtle and endearing. Chan may be Chinese, but his very American take on a piece of pie with which he is unhappy he is a hoot!
Biggers truly makes both his characters and the islands of Hawaii come alive in the first novel in which Charlie Chan appeared. His descriptions of Hawaii as seen through the eyes of the characters are both nostalgic, and filled with beauty. The House Without a Key is that rare novel which can be read with pleasure by those who love a good mystery, or those who love a light and atmospheric romance. If both are your cup of tea, this great classic is definitely for you. It is a great read during summer, when things are bright and cheery, or during winter, when you want a tropical escape. The writing style is of another era, of course, but all the lovelier for it. A true mystery classic.
THE CHINESE PARROT
"Trifles sometimes blossom big. Detective business consist of one unsignificant detail placed beside other of same. Then with sudden dazzle, light begins to dawn." -- Charlie Chan to Bob Eden
Charlie's first trip to the Mainland is a sparkling adventure full of mystery and old-fashioned romance. It will take the Honolulu detective from exciting 1920s San Francisco to the purple desert.
As in the first Charlie Chan novel, The House Without a Key, Biggers writes a mystery and romance in which Charlie plays an integral part while not being the main focus. Beginning with Behind That Curtain, Charlie would be more at the forefront, the author using his romantic style to frame the mystery rather than the other way around. I must confess a special affection for the first two Charlie Chan novels featuring Charlie as the secondary lead. In The Chinese Parrot, it will be young Bob Eden who works hand-in-hand with our favorite Hawaiian detective from China, finding adventure and romance in one of Charlie's most perplexing cases.
San Francisco's Bob Eden is a young man about town until his father brokers Sally Jordan's expensive string of pearls. He is sent to meet her former houseboy, Charlie Chan, who is bringing them across the ocean on the President Pierce. From the moment he's shadowed at the dock, the young man without a care in the world finds himself in the greatest adventure of his life. He and Charlie will head to the desert to meet the buyer, with Charlie posing as a Chinese cook. They decide to stall rather than part with the pearls, however, after the words of a Chinese parrot indicate something terrible may have happened prior to their arrival. Harboring suspicions that a man has been murdered in this purple desert, the difficulty for Bob and Charlie rests in discovering who the victim was and who did the deed.
Just as John Quincy was at the heart of the action in The House Without a Key, so Bob Eden finds adventure and mystery far from home. Romance is found with Paula, a location scout for the movies. Biggers, who always had a fascination with the movies, works it deftly into this Chan entry when a murder weapon proves to have belonged to legendary silent Western star, William S. Hart.
A secretary, a gambling house, a dead man's clothes, and a second murder with a tangible body make up a complex and confusing mystery which has Charlie and Bob Eden stumped, not to mention the reader. Reporter Will Holley becomes an ally but just when they think they know who was killed at the ranch, and why, their theory is turned upside down and there seems to be no course of action but to hand over the pearls.
The exciting twist which follows, augmented by the only trick Charlie was ever to learn from the Japanese, makes for a fine and surprising end to all the intrigue and mystery in the desert. The blend of romance and mystery perfected by Biggers is one no modern mystery writer has ever come close to attaining. The Chinese Parrot is an old-fashioned and delightful mix of fun for mystery fans.
SUMMATION
If you’re a fan of romance blended with mystery, engaging stories with magical descriptive prose and laced with tremendous charm, you can’t go wrong reading Biggers. The style of writing is, in my opinion, a lovelier narrative style than much of today’s pretentious dribble. You’ll marvel at how enjoyable the first two Charlie Chan books were, and still remain so after all these decades. Fabulous stuff.
August 26, 2013
It was kind of interesting reading the original two Charlie Chan novels after having seen a smattering of the movies over the years.
They're not too bad if oddly structured. In the first Charlie doesn't even appear until almost a quarter of the way through the book, the barely speaks until almost a third in. And in both books they are almost romances following two different males leads who stumble across a mystery/murder and meet a woman who fall in love - yada yada - then Charlie becomes involved and they work with him while he solves the case.
It's not quite as racist as I might have thought it was (thank goodness) even if the portrayal of Charlie sometimes leans that way. What's more interesting is how often in subtle ways it speaks against racism. Like the big hint that anyone who treats Charlie with respect is a good guy and the one's who tend to be racist toward him are inevitable the bad ones. :-)
Not perfect but an interesting snapshot of a particular period and to some degree the beginnings of change of racial attitudes - and not bad as mysteries.
Good enough I'll keep going through the series to see how it unfolds.
They're not too bad if oddly structured. In the first Charlie doesn't even appear until almost a quarter of the way through the book, the barely speaks until almost a third in. And in both books they are almost romances following two different males leads who stumble across a mystery/murder and meet a woman who fall in love - yada yada - then Charlie becomes involved and they work with him while he solves the case.
It's not quite as racist as I might have thought it was (thank goodness) even if the portrayal of Charlie sometimes leans that way. What's more interesting is how often in subtle ways it speaks against racism. Like the big hint that anyone who treats Charlie with respect is a good guy and the one's who tend to be racist toward him are inevitable the bad ones. :-)
Not perfect but an interesting snapshot of a particular period and to some degree the beginnings of change of racial attitudes - and not bad as mysteries.
Good enough I'll keep going through the series to see how it unfolds.
April 15, 2014
I came late to the Charlie Chan series, both in movies and in books. In this first book in the series, Charlie is really a secondary character. A young man is sent to Honolulu by his family to convince his aunt to return home to Boston. When he arrives, he learns that another family member has been murdered and his aunt wants to find the guilty party. They meet Charlie as one of the detectives assigned to the case. The young man does a lot of investigating with and without Charlie. He also falls under the spell of Hawaii. I liked this book, but some of the later books are better as Charlie is a more central character.
February 17, 2009
The first Charlie Chan, set in Hawaii, with lots of info about life there at the time. Title = the restaurant at the Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews