Seven keys to Baldpate; a mysterious melodramatic farce, in a prologue, two acts, and an epilogue

by George M. Cohan

In the waiting room of the railway station a beautiful young woman was crying bitterly. Billy Magee took one look--and then entered into the most amazing, amusing, alarming swirl of mystery and adventure ever to befall a young man.

Seven people hold what they believe is the only key to the closed-in-winter Baldpate Inn--all of them eventually after the same two hundred thousand dollars in the safe--all of them desperate. None of them reckoned with Billy Magee, a lovestruck romantic writer with method to his madness.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Classics, Mystery Thriller, Romance, Ebooks, Crime

Nook

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

George Michael Cohan was an American playwright, composer, lyricist, entertainer, actor, singer, dancer and producer. He is considered the father of American musical comedy.

Reviews

[Yousra · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية كلاسيكية كما يجب للكلاسيكيات أن تكون ... وللعلم فأنا أحب الكلاسيكيات كثيرا لما تتمتع به من عناصر إثارة وتشويق مع البساطة والقدرة على إثارة الدهشة واستجلاب البسمة :)

الكاتب هنا غير مشهور ولكن المقدمة كانت كافية للتعريف به وكانت وافية

القصة نفسها غريبة ومسلية ... من نوع المغامرات ... قيل أنها قدمت على المسرح وأتخيل أنها كانت بالفعل ناجحة وكنت أتمنى لو أنني أستطيع مشاهدتها كمسرحية أو كفيلم كلاسيكي بالأبيض والأسود :)

رواية لطيفة واستمتعت بها فعلا :)

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

This kindle e-book novella is free from Amazon

Seven people at a resort during winter before Christmas. Each for a different reason leading to a mystery of why, what and who were they really are?

I tried this because it was free. Give it a try it may work for you? 2024

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, you should know that I am a fan of Earl Derr Biggers' writing. Second, I enjoyed the Charlie Chan books more than "Seven Keys to Baldpate". That said, I still gave this book a 4 star review! It has some of the most interesting characters that I've read about in only one book. Also, I loved the ending - don't worry, no spoiler hints here. There is a reason that this story has been used as the basis of 7 Hollywood movies from 1916 to 1983. I believe the author began with the premise that most people will lie to strangers about themselves - sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. This is the main crux of this book. As the reader, you get to enjoy all the versions of how people describe their lives to people they've just met. But, did they meet by chance..... Happy Reading! Joan

[Dan Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed Seven Keys To Baldpate, an old-time mystery by Earl Derr Biggers, whose most famous works are books starring none other than his erstwhile creation, the sleuth Charlie Chan.

In my mind, Seven Keys To Baldpate reads more like a movie than a book, due to its fast paced, seemingly real-time movement. The story's wintry setting of a deserted mountaintop summer resort called "Baldpate" is vivid, and its many characters - seven of whom appear at Baldpate's door with one of the titled "seven keys," in hopes of outwitting the others and absconding with the large sum of mysterious money to which they all lay some form of claim - are interesting and likable, even the "bad guys."

All of the supposedly closed resort's inhabitants are lying about who they are and why they came to Baldpate, save for one, our hero, romance author William Magee, who first came to the mountain top in hopes of finding solitude enough to conjure the words for his first great novel, but who instead finds himself besieged by one uninvited guest after another, and in the middle of a perplexing, dangerous battle of wits.

Everything becomes clear, to Mr. Magee and to us, about three-quarters through; and all along the way, the "mystery" keeps us intrigued as conversations between the cast of characters prove clever, funny, and brisk; and that's what I most liked about this book - the witty repartee.

[Mohamed Elsonpaty · Rating 2 out of 5]

فيلم عربي! لا أعرف لماذا تم اختيارها لسلسلة روايات عالمية للجيب من الأصل ؟!

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I owned this book for a few years before reading it, and I don't know what took me so long. It is a well written, sometimes clever, sometimes predictable, but always an entertaining and fun mystery about an author who visits Baldpate, a summer hotel that usually houses old fashioned women and aging relics. He sees this location, abandoned and frozen in the wintertime, as the prime spot to write his first serious novel. After making his arrangements, he sets off for isolation, but soon after his arrival, he recieves visitor after visitor who have motives other than isolation for their presence at Baldpate.

I imagined Robert Young in the role of the protagonist, smiling amusedly through the chaos and absurdity going on around him, enjoying every minute but trying to maintain his couth throughout. I felt much the same way while reading. This book was first published a century ago and copies may be difficult to find, but it is worth seeking out.

Read this book for free through Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/30836/...

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE

I just love these old fashion mysteries. Written in 1913 by Earl Derr Biggers who also wrote the Charlie Chan books, this mystery is set at Baldpate Inn in upper New York the week before Christmas.

A famous young pulp fiction writer, socialite from New York City, wants to get away from it all and try and write a serious novel. He aims for solitude at the empty Baldpate Inn, closed for the season. It turns out to be anything but deserted.

It is a complex but fun and entertaining mystery. Snowy and cold winter outside, atmospheric hotel with warm fireplaces & interesting characters inside!

Read & listened on LibriVox, which is always fun.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I saw the piece on television about the Baldpate Inn in Colorado, inspired by this book. It took a while to find a copy of it, but finally I did. Fun, slightly wacky, and of course, slightly dated. Now I'll have to find the movie and watch it (and who knows, maybe I should go to Colorado and visit the inn).

[Ayat Mahmoud · Rating 1 out of 5]

مافهمتش ايه الهدف من الحكاية في الآخر يعني!

[Noha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not recommended.

[Wyntrnoire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun!

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently saw a news story about the Baldpate Inn in Colorado on the CBS Morning Show. The inn was interesting in that guests who go there usually leave the inn a key and the inn has the largest collection of keys in the world. Turns out the Inn was named after a fictional Inn in Biggers' novel Seven Keys to Baldpate. So I was intrigued and decided to read an online copy of the novel.

This was a typical mystery/romance novel that was published in 1913 and it definitely showed its age. Biggers later went on to fame with his Charlie Chan series but this novel was published over 10 years prior to the first Chan. The story was about a writer of light fiction who wants to get away and write a great novel of literary quality. So he is given a key to the Baldpate Inn which is closed for the winter. When he arrives, the caretaker lets him in to a cold dark mausoleum-like place (shades of The Shining?) with no heat or running water. He decides to make due solely for the quietude. But then other people start showing up who also had a key to the inn. One of these is a young lady he had met at the train station who he immediately falls in love with. But why are all the others there - seven keys in all?! Well, they all seem to be after a mysterious package that turns out to contain $200,000 in thousand dollar bills! (That would be over $5 million in today's dollars). But why is the money there and who does it belong to? This does eventually get resolved in typical popular fiction style from the early 20th century. And does our hero get the girl? Well what do you think?

Overall, a kind of fun read. It must have been well-liked in its time because several movie versions of it were made as well as a play by George M. Cohan. I have a couple of Biggers' Charlie Chan novels that I should also read.

[M. Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful period piece, set in 1912 and centering around a successful pulp novelist who goes to an isolated lodge to seek inspiration for a serious novel. Alas, other people with murky agendas start turning up to spoil the solitude -- and pull him into a mystery.

A gun is flashed. A safe is blown open. A hermit who hates women is recruited to cook. A beautiful girl the hero falls for may not be as trustworthy as he thinks.

The writing style was enjoyably quaint and the mystery engaging. However one line by a woman, on the final page, made me give a snarl of irritation. Overall, a great peek at our mystery heritage.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took a while to get through, not because the premise was not interesting, but because prose from 1913 is a bit stilted and just takes a while to get through.

A writer comes to the Baldpate Inn, closed in winter, to get away, and write his novel. He's supposedly the only person there. He has a key. Over the course of the story, others show up, each with a key and with supposed permission to be there. Nothing is what it seems.

Is this a mystery, a love story, a thriller? It's all of the above. Mostly a mystery however, and there is a lot going on in this story. The author wrote the Charlie Chan series, but I really did not see mych of that style here.

[Mark Desetti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but leaves one not sure if it was intended to be real mystery or a comedy of errors - people showing up, wandering the halls of the inn, running into each other, not knowing who it is they encounter in the halls. I saw it as a somewhat comic play and thought the book would be so. Biggers can write a good mystery - I've read all the Chan books but I just can't wrap my mind around what he was trying to do here. If you read it, do so as a good period piece. It is that.

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

really loved the "tongue in cheek" style - not very well written but so funny - a whole bunch of crazy characters, all wanting something from William Magee who only wanted to write a novel in total solitude

[Bettie]

nutty nuut

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, some parts a bit drawn out, some parts tedious, some with a bit of excitement. But generally okay...

[Mohamed hassen · Rating 3 out of 5]

ظريفة مقارنة بالفترة الزمنية التي كتبت فيها فتعتبر مميزة فى عصرها

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Magee is a well-known pulp writer who wants to prove to his critics that he can write a serious novel. Of course, to write a serious novel one must barricade oneself away--away from friends and family, away from parties and plays, away from anything that might distract the "great author" from deep thoughts and serious plots. While brainstorming places to go for such intense authorial endeavors, his friend Hal Bentley finally suggest Baldpate Inn, owned by his father, It's a summer resort that stands empty in mid-winter. There will be no staff and no guests to interrupt a man playing with fictional realities.

So off Magee goes to Baldpate--no running water, no heat (save for the fireplace in his room), and no food (save for canned goods and the occasional meal sent up by the caretaker's wife)--for a period of quiet contemplation. Or at least that's what he expects. He's barely gotten settled in his room, when the first of a parade of visitors arrives--each with what they believe to be the only key to the inn. There's the first man who hides a package in the lobby safe and who makes a phone call to someone called Andy. There's a pretty girl and her mother. And the crooked mayor of a nearby city with his hired strong man in tow. And a professor of Comparative Literature who may not be what he seems. And a professional hermit. And a dark figure who wrestles with the mayor and his sidekick. And a second mysterious pretty girl. And they all want the package in the safe--even if they all won't say so. Magee finds himself with a dilemma when both of the pretty girls ask for his help in getting the package. But his loyalties are with the first one--a young woman who stole his heart as soon as he saw her crying at the railway station. But will he be aiding the cause of justice or helping a lovely thief? Only time will tell.

This was an extraordinarily fun outing from the author of the Charlie Chan mystery series. With everyone popping in and out of the inn, with the addition of a hermit who becomes the chef for the group at Baldpate, with Magee as the befuddled hero, the plot reads as though Biggers planned for the story to be filmed. And...it was...six times from 1917 (silent) to 1947. I sampled two of the movies and they, too, were fun but came with slightly different endings from the book and each other. And I'm not sure which ending I like best. The book is straight forward. There's a crime and a solution and our hero wins out in the end. The films are less so. In the first, Magee is writing his book to fulfill a bet. Everybody that shows up and everything that happens is just part of a plot by the man with whom Magee has made the bet to prevent Magee from winning. In the second, everything that happens at the house is really just the plot of the story Magee is writing. When we reach the end none of it "really" happened, except on the page. The lead-up to those twists is very good in each film and the endings are both a surprise and satisfying all in one.

The book is just one wild ride full of humor and outrageous shenanigans. If you're looking for an intricate, well-clued puzzle, then this isn't it. But if you're looking for a good time and a fun read, then this just might fit the bill.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was adapted into a successful Broadway play, which was in turn adapted to film on seven different occasions in the 20th century. After seeing two of the film adaptations on TCM recently, both of which were mediocre in very different ways, I decided to go the source, which found all news ways to underwelm.

Despite the structural similarities (a group of people gather at an isolated location, intrigue unfolds, people are killed) this book is not a thriller or a mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie--it's melodrama. We spend an inordinate amount of time with the protagonist professing his deep and abiding love for a woman he met hours prior and about whom he knows nothing. She, in turn, alternately adores him or despises him depending on whether or not he's doing what she asks him to do. The meaning behind all of it doesn't unfold until the final chapters, so the only thing at stake for most of the book with whether the woman likes him or not.

A final note: the two film adaptations I watched (Hamilton and Killy 1935 and Landers 1947) both incorporate the element that the author character has made a bet to write a story in one night at Baldpate Inn, in contrast to the novel where the author plans to spend several weeks writing a new book sans any wager. The 1935 film concludes by revealing that all the sensational events of the film were the story the author wrote as a way of illustrating how absurd his pulp novel theatrics would be in real life. This makes a point (the plot twists are all very silly) but it also means that none of what we've watched has mattered at all. The source novel features the author vowing to use his time alone to write a serious book, not like the thrillers he's written to date, but in his final line he makes a joke about how the thrills he's just experienced ARE the novel we've just read, which makes it seem like the entire 1935 adaptation is based on a literal reading of the source novel's closing line. Amusing, but still not worth the time I've invested in the Baldpate universe to date.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. No, it's not Edgar Allen Poe. But, I, personally, have always found Poe to be overly melodramatic and predictable. Seven Keys to Baldpate's joy comes in its tongue-in-cheek attitude. Earl Der Biggers knew when he wrote the book what he was writing and played it to the hilt.

Seven Keys to Baldpate is the story of a writer of popular fiction moving into a closed hotel that is only open for summer tourists. He arrives there the week before Christmas in the hopes of writing something more substantial than his popular but lucrative pieces of fiction. Being a friend of the owner, the writer, Mr. Magee, is sorted out for his several months long stay at the Baldpate. Suddenly, however, he is surprised to find that six other keys and their owners are arriving, destroying all aspects of his solitude to write the great American novel. Each key holder has his own story to tell, none of them being true. The one constant that applies to the unexpected guests is a quest for a package of money amounting to two-hundred thousand dollars. Although no one is who they say they are, eventually we learn they are all connected in some way. The book unravels the stories and moves the package of money from one person to another until it is placed in the hands of the person tasked with bringing justice to the people that have come to the Baldpate looking for the money.

I found the writing to be well paced and, at times, quite humorous. Yes, this is what is considered a vintage mystery. Written in 1913, the book does have writing techniques that are considered old-fashioned today. But, I am not deterred by this. Period writing is like holding a mirror up to the time frame being written about. Der Biggers maintains a light tone that allows the reader to breeze through the book. The reading experience for me was quite fun. Not everything written has to be about gloom an doom. Sometimes it's nice to just relax and enjoy yourself!

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are at least seven movies based on the play written by George M. Cohan

A lightweight writer, Mr. McGee, besides that it was time for him to write a classic novel; to write this novel he needed to find a place for perfect solitude. That place turns out to be an inn high up on Baldpate Mountain that was closed for the winter. Little did he know that there were seven Keys to Baldpate Inn. Each key can be held by a person or persons with unique characteristics and a good reason for being there. If you can believe who they are and their reasons. Mr. McGee suspects them all of being some part of a convoluted plot that nobody will let him in on.

We go along for the ride. There is no use speculating. And Mr. McKee's chivalry may be his undoing. Be sure to read the book to the last sentence.

I came to this book by Earl Derr Biggers (of Charlie Chan fame) after watching the 1935 version of Seven Keys to Baldpate with Walter Brennan as the station master. I have several videos recorded versions of Seven Keys to Baldpate. I have still to see them play live however the movie versions were more based on the play than the book. Some of the statements were directly out of the book but many others had that Cohan feel.

Meantime the book stands alone as a great example of a 1913 Earl Derr Biggers mischief and mystery.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was about ten years old, my mother and I watched a movie on television called "Seven Keys to Baldpate." It was made in 1947 based on the 1913 play of the same name which was based on the 1913 novel of the same name. I remember that it was clever and engaging, and my mother asked me, when we were done, if I'd like to read the novel. She collected books -- the house was filled with them -- and she pulled Earl Derr Biggers' novel right off the shelf, where it had pride of place next to all six of the Charlie Chan mysteries which he wrote a decade later between 1925 and 1932. I read that novel in the 1950s and haven't really thought of it since. It was a most enjoyable read in 2021. The language is a bit antique. The social world is much different from the present. But all of this may be taken as entertainment rather than criticism. And the ending is a corker! While not in the class of O. Henry endings, it is a wonderful twist and not at all to be seen coming. I suspect that no one but me needs to read this novel but I am quite pleased that I did.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting and unexpected story by Earl Derr Biggers. In this tale, the creator of Charlie Chan, has written about a young author who travels to a summer tourist town to stay in the closed hotel. He has decided that solitude will help him write a novel far different from what he has previously written. One hour after he enters the hotel, he finds that he is not the only one who has come to the hotel in Baldpate, for there are seven keys to the place and seven people with various stories of why they are there. Who can be trusted, what is happening and why make for interesting reading. Despite being written in 1913, this is a good read.

[رفعت خالد · Rating 3 out of 5]

قصة ساخرة، قد اختلطت فيها تيمة (الكاتب الذي يبحث عن الوحدة) وتيمة (من فعلها) المشهورة في القصص البوليسية..
وقد ذكرتني هذه الرواية ب (The hateful eight) لمن يعرفها..
أما مؤاخذاتي عن الرواية فأولا برود الشخصيات، حيث سرعان ما تضحك أو تنطلق في عباراتها الساخرة رغ�� كل شيء.. فلا تجد واقعية وتوترا حقيقيا كما ينبغي أن يكون في مثل هذه الأحداث
كذلك هناك إسهاب في التفاصيل والحوارات التي قد لا تخدم القصة كثيرا
وأيضا النهاية التي طالت أكثر من اللازم برأيي فلو توقف الكاتب عند لحظة اتضح فيها ما ينبغي أن يتضح لكان يكفي.. لكنه أطال وواصل السرد العادي بعد نهاية الأحداث.. وهذا كما قرأت مرة من عيوب (النهايات)
لكن ثلاث نجمات لن تضر أحدا على كل حال..

[Viana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, light read that I could easily imagine as a play. I got past the blatant sexism in the book by chalking it up to the the time period it was written. The characters seemed to have stepped right off of a Monopoly board-corrupt politicians, greedy railroad executives, and the near-do wells.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

تصاعد الأحداث كان لا بأس به، لم يكن هناك بناء قوي للشخصيات، قد يكون هذا منطقيا في البدايات مع الغموض المصاحب لضهورهم، ولكن استمر عدم معرفتي للشخصيات ودوافعها وقوتها وضعفها حتى آخر الرواية. أيضا كان غريبا ان يستمر مبيت الأبطال في بالدبيت مع بعضهم بعد كل الصراعات والتهديدات ومشاجرات الأيدي بينهم وبين بعض.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting novel from one of the early masters of the genre.
Available free in eBook or Audiobook:
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[عبدالله · Rating 2 out of 5]

لا اعرف حقيقة كيف أصنف الرواية ! .. رعب ؟ بوليسية؟ إنسانية ؟ لا اعرف هي مزيج من هذا وذاك

هل هي جيدة ؟ ... لا

هل هي مسلية ؟ ... بالطبع

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