The Black Camel

Charlie Chan #4

by Earl Derr Biggers

Shelah Fane was known and loved throughout the world as a sultry goddess of the silver screen. When her glorious career came to a brutal end one moonlit night in Hawaii—stabbed to death on the tranquil beach of Waikiki—thousands clamored for the murder of their favorite star. "Death is the black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate," Charlie Chan tells the guests present at the actress's pavillion at the time of her murder. But as the detective digs deeper into the case, he finds an interrelated crime to investigate—a murky Hollywood mystery from the past. Through the confusion of alibis, false clues, and bizarre characters, Chan moves with the utmost calm—until the classic "gathering of suspects" climax, when his form of justice hits with shattering force.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Classics, The United States Of America, Cozy Mystery

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

Earl 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.

Reviews

[Barb in Maryland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best entry in this series.

The mystery was very good. I was as stumped as Charlie Chan was, right to the end.

What wasn't to my liking was the writing. The author seemed to have forgotten the Hawaii he had visited and succumbed to Hollywood cliches of tropical paradise for big portions of the book. Just when I was convinced that he had been replaced by a hack the prose would tighten up and become much more realistic. The descriptions were lovely, without being overwrought. The glimpses of daily life in Honolulu were interesting. Alas, this one really showed its age in the racial/ethnic stereotyping, especially of the Asian characters.

I'm not sorry I read it but i doubt I'll revisit it. Next up: Charlie Chan Carries On.

[The Frahorus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dopo sei anni leggo un altro romanzo con protagonista Charlie Chan. Stavolta il nostro ispettore di polizia cinese è a casa sua a Honolulu, e scopriamo che ha la bellezza di quattordici figli (con tanta salute!). Accade che una celebre attrice di Hollywood, Shelah Fane, viene uccisa a Waikiki Beach e ben presto il nostro detective scoprirà che la signorina aveva, qualche anno prima, assistito a un omicidio.

Devo ammettere che fino alla fine non riuscivo a capire chi fosse l'assassino, anche perché ogni volta che Chan interrogava e approfondiva le vite dei vari personaggi sbarcati sull'isola assieme alla diva del cinema ognuno poteva avere a che fare con lei, in modo diretto o indiretto. Ho apprezzato il fatto che ogni indizio, colpi di scena, depistaggi, riflessioni, informazioni sul caso venissero condivise con noi lettori, così ti sentivi davvero coinvolto nelle indagini e potevi riflettere assieme a Chan. Ho notato che i vari personaggi che circondavano la diva restavano abbastanza distaccati emotivamente.

Potrei consigliarvi questa lettura come un giallo da leggere in spiaggia, nulla di più.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be one of the best "who done it mystery" books ever. There is some padding out but in The Black Camel, Earl Biggers has nailed the fundamentals in a way I find subtle. In the meantime, Detective Inspector Charlie Chan has out grown any sense of inferiority and is not taking guff.

One of my most important rules for any "Who Done it", is that the detective cannot solve the crime with secret information. All important information and evidence must be disclosed to the reader and the investigator at the same time. The playing field may contain misdirection, red hearings, clutter and plot twists, but the every part of the final solution must be shared evenly with the reader.

The Black Camel of Death kneels before impetuous actress Shelah Fane on a languid, lush Hawaiian night near the beautiful beaches that grace the shores alongside romantic Waikiki. Part of the character/suspect list is an ad man for Hawaiian Tourism, so we get lots of purple prose on this topic. Meantime Ms. Fane is discovered stabbed; her pretty orchard corsage tramped and still keeping the secret that has her hesitating to marry her rich and handsome suitor. To quote the famous line: "The game is afoot!"

Detective Inspector Charlie Chan, fresh from three cases that established him as a master crime solver on two sides of the American Pacific; is the man to pin down the culprit. Call him a Chinaman and look down at him at your own risk. He is done apologizing to haole (white men) who cannot see past his race.

Of course justice will be done. How we get there is I think what makes this the best of the four Chan books I have so far read. The case proceeds rather like an investigation. The red hearings are presented before the reader and the plot twists are kept just inside of credulity. Meantime, case is built on evidence. We, the reader and Chan will solve the case together.

This is a High Society type caper so everyone is sophisticated. They are also rather cool in their reaction to a murder and therefore a possible murderer among them. The usual characters are present, just that no one seems to be especially upset or sorry for the loss of Ms. Fane. If there is a weakness to The Black Camel, it is the detachment and lack of emotional depth in any of the characters. This said this is a great old fashioned beach read. Nothing steamy or unseemly just a tricky murder and the right (China) man for the job.

[Jason Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Part of my Murder by Death project explained here where I try to determine whether or not a book is fair by giving the reader enough clues to solve the mystery himself before the big reveal. Charlie Chan in this book is the basis for Sidney Wang played by Peter Sellers.**


And here's a memorable scene with said character from same movie.

This is really a three star plot, but I'm giving the book four because the character of Charlie Chan is awesome and witty as hell. Plus, his bumbling assistant Kashimo (occasionally referred to as "the Japanese") gives this a bump even though he puts in only a couple of appearances. He seems to be the Rose Nylund of the Honolulu police force.


"Maybe that bloody dagger will lead us to the murder weapon."

The best example is when Chan is trying to reconstruct a picture that's been ripped into tiny pieces. He's sent Kashimo outside to find clues which he felt was "much the safest place to have (him)." Then...

At that instant a French window facing the street was thrust suddenly open, and the trade-wind swept into the room like a miniature hurricane. Instantly the air was filled with torn bits of photograph, swirling about like snow in a Minnesota blizzard.

Kashimo stuck his head into the room. "S-s-s," he hissed. "Charlie!"

"Splendid work, Kashimo," said Chan through his teeth. "What is it now?"

"I find window unlocked," announced the Japanese triumphantly, and withdrew, closing the aperture behind him.

Chan also never misses an opportunity to sarcastically point out to Kashimo (or anyone nearby) that he's a nit-wit, and those parts are a scream.

Is this racist? I guess so, but it's not hateful, and Chan's English is nowhere near as broken as I thought it would be. He misses a few articles and pronouns, but he's generally well spoken, and he handily schools the round-eyes on occasion. At one point the British butler is bemoaning the performance of the house's Chinese cook who that day...

"...has exhibited all the worst qualities of a heathen race--I'm sure I beg your pardon."

"A heathen race," repeated Charlie gravely, "that was busy inventing the art of printing at moment when gentlemen in Great Britain were still beating one another over head with spiked clubs. Pray excuse this brief reference to history."

Said cook's English is a lot worse than Chan's or Kashimo's, saying things like the "Bootleggah velly late," and stuff like that. (This was written in 1929 during prohibition, hence the need for a bootlegger to provide booze.)

I know stuff like that is sensitive to people nowadays regardless of the fact that Chan usually gets in the last word on every exchange. Also, none of the orientals come off looking bad due to their place of origin. Kashimo is a bit of an idiot, but you'll find those in all races. So, if you find that kind of thing distasteful, then I'd suggest not reading this. If it doesn't bother you, then this could be an enjoyable read.

Is this fair?

Fuk no!

I gave neither of the two Agatha Christie novels I've read a pass, but I might need to rethink that. The answer was "barely no" for them, but I think a super-educated reader, a downright genius, could figure them out. Biggers makes it impossible. Not only did he get a discount rate at the red herring farm...


(He bought at least half of these.)

...but... You know, I should probably spoiler tag this. (The following spoiler does not directly reveal the identity of the murderer, but you could probably figure it out with the information in it if you decide to read this book. Enter at your own risk.) There is no clue at all that points to the actual murderer, at least none that I remember. I even went back and reread the interview with that person, and then after that, s/he puts in maybe two minor background appearances until the end of the story when s/he suddenly becomes the culprit and is forced into the limelight. (Bear in mind I'm not the best at sleuthing in books, though I do a decent job in real life, which I think is kind of strange.) Still, the reader has none of the facts on this person that Chan suddenly guesses at the end, all of which prove to be vital to solving the mystery. And just how he guesses any of that shit is beyond me; I guess he's just clairvoyant.

And another thing I just want to mention: this story is a kissing cousin to the butler-did-it trope. It's not quite there, but it's close. That's supposed to be dorky, but I thought it was fine.

I really enjoyed this, and wouldn't mind checking out some other Charlie Chan books in the future, though I'll wait until I finish the other books on the Murder by Death slate. I want to watch some of the movies, too, since I've never seen any. If you're looking for a fair, solvable mystery, then look elsewhere. If you're looking for a fun story involving a mystery, then this will serve in a trice.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: Charlie Chan's fourth mystery novel. A Hollywood star has been murdered. Chan confronts a mastermind.

ESPAÑOL: Cuarta novela policiaca de Charlie Chan. Una estrella de Hollywood ha sido asesinada. Chan se enfrenta a un adversario genial.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Truth is rare fruit in garden of murder." This quotation applies particularly well to this book. There are enough red herrings here to have a fish fry. Charlie is especially engaging in this book; plus we get to meet some of his very Americanized children. A delightfully misleading and mysterious story.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her fans loved beautiful movie star Shelah Fane, although her career seemed to be waning. But many people had motives to murder her, and one of them seems to be in Hawaii with her. There's her director, her co-star, her charming young secretary, her one-time rival, her psychic advisor--and they're all on hand when Shelah is killed. Yet somehow the discussions all circle back to the death of a handsome actor in Hollywood several years before. Chan learns that Shelah claimed to know who his murderer was--which would be a sure-fire motive if the murderer is among the party.

[Wyntrnoire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread. A fav.

[Diane Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite so far! On to the next one.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Promoted from Sergeant to Inspector, Charles is now in charge. And that is true on a number of levels. First and foremost, Charlie stands completely alone in solving this case. Gone are the help of past novels, the society men, the reporters, the district attorneys. In fact, the people supposed to help in this novel do anything but. Biggers has brought Charlie Chan into full maturity in The Black Camel. His character, too, has changed. He is more grizzled and tough. This is a detective who actually shoves people around when he feels it necessary. Looking back on the Charlie of the first novel, he is almost obsequious in comparison. This Charlie Chan is even closer to the hard-boiled detective than in the last book, Behind That Curtain.

The same goes for the setting. Chan is once again in Honolulu, after trips to Southern California in book two and San Francisco in book three, but this is not the same Honolulu of the opening novel. Not only is the story spread out, from bungalows on the beach to grand hotels and police offices, but it also ventures into the city's slums. The passage that describes the trip into this place, in fact, is told in hard-boiled prose, while Charlie seems tougher and the locales resembles something from a film noir movie.

This is a superior piece of detective fiction. And one more thing: the mystery itself is the best yet. In each successive book, in fact, the complexity and surprise accompanying the solving of the crime becomes more intense. The solution to the case shocked me. I had it figured out--all wrongly. Well done, Earl Derr Biggers. Now, for book number five.

*A note on the 1931 film version. Of the first five Charlie Chan films, only The Black Camel remains. The others have been lost. A pity, because the film is largely faithful to the book but for a slight twist at the end involving Jessop and Smith. The film was made the same year as Universal's classic, Dracula. That is worth pointing out because both Bela Lugosi (Dracula) and Dwight Frye (Renfield) also appear in The Black Camel. Frye appears as Jessop and Lugosi as Tarneverro, with Lugosi's part much more active and talkative than in Dracula. Also notable is the mobility of the camera early in the film and, later, the downright Expressionistic scenes of horror mystery with Tarneverro's crystal ball and as Chan begins to uncover the murder. Similar, too, is the presence of Chan's understudy, a Japanese detective in training made out to be a comic fool. Yes, there is a racial hierarchy in both the novel and film, with the Chinese above the Japanese, something made all the more clear in the novel when Chan travels into the Honolulu slums.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flush with success from solving two highly complicated whodunnits in California, Charlie Chan is back in Hawaii; back to his home on Punchbowl Hill; back to his newest infant son and 10 other children. Now promoted to Inspector, Charlie's latest case takes him to the rental home of Hollywood film star Shelah Fane, who is currently in Hawaii to wrap up filming on a movie that originated in Tahiti. But the lovely Shelah won't get to finish her performance due to a deep and deadly stab wound to the heart.

Who hated Shelah enough to kill her? And does the mysterious murder of fellow actor Denny Mayo 3 years previously have anything to do with Shelah's own death?

The suspect list is long and varied, and includes a personal assistant, a butler, fellow actors, a director, an ex-husband, a present lover, an artistic but drunken beach bum and a fortune teller to the stars. Alibis are made, then destroyed, and Charlie is in serious danger of losing face before the killer is exposed.

The Black Camel is another charming addition to the Charlie Chan mystery series. Biggers again delivers an intriguing whodunnit with enough ambigious suspects and clues to make Charlie work extra hard to bring it to a successful conclusion.

I am really enjoying this series; so much so that I have personally petitioned my local library to purchase the last 2 books so that it will have the complete Chan canon. Fiscal budgets being what they are, it might be awhile before I can visit Charlie again. Until then, Aloha, my wise and witty friend!

[Te-ge Bramhall · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first time reading a Charlie Chan novel. To be honest, the only Charlie Chan story I can recall ever watching was Charlie Chan meets Scooby Doo. Yes, it was a cartoon. LOL

I actually started this story having no idea what I was reading. This was another book I downloaded from Gutenberg.org…I sometimes look up a subject and download anything Gutenberg shows on that topic that sounds interesting, without looking up the details to see what I’m actually getting. So, until Charlie showed up, I wasn’t sure if I was reading an old romance or a modern mystery.

I was impressed. The story was fun, the mystery challenging, the vocabulary above average (I enjoy stories where I learn a new word or 5), and racial descriptions, while present, were used in a way to make people aware of stereotypes (and that they don’t fit) instead of a way to put a group down. For the time period that the book was written in, this was a pleasant surprise.

[Amber M. McCarter]

This was not my kind of book, at all. It was probably not terrible, and perhaps even well done, for the "who done it" mystery genre. But I am not a fan of those and, indeed, did not particularly enjoy this - so am declining to rate it.

[Lizzytish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chan is back in Hawaii and is called to solve the murder of a fading Hollywood star. A murder in the past may or may not have something to do with it. Interesting characters with a lot of bantering back and forth.

[Nira Ramachandran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth in a series of five novels featuring the rotund Chinese detective, Charlie Chan, the pride of the Honolulu police, “The Black Camel” explores the world of Hollywood stars, theatre actors and their millionaire, and other not so affluent, admirers. And if, as it was for me, the reference to a black camel, is puzzling, a quote from Chan will soon resolve the issue:
“Death is the black camel that kneels unbid at every gate. Sooner or later—does it matter which?"
And death does visit, quite unexpectedly.
Chan has travelled to the mainland, which adds to his considerable reputation as a Detective on the Island. A proud father of eleven children, he and his traditional Chinese wife are often at a loss at how to deal with their non-traditional and Americanized brood.
The novel begins with a luxury liner drawing into Honolulu harbor on its way back from Tahiti. On board is the glamourous Hollywood star Shelah Fane, the Director, her co-stars and crew of her current film, and her newest suitor, the powerful Alan Jaynes, whose wealth stems from African diamond mines. The ship docks, the passengers deboard and move to their hotels or homes for their stay, some intending to re-board the ship when it departs the very same night. Arrangements have been made for a dinner at Shelah’s newly hired bungalow, complete with reputed Chinese Chef and all her personal staff, where she hopes to spend a relaxing evening, and also bask in the adulation of local fans, who are sure to fete the famous star.
The guests arrive, some disperse to bathe in the moonlit waters or loll on the beach, others await cocktails in the lounge, while Shelah retires to her beach hut, to make an “entrance” at the appropriate time. When the guests start getting restless at her non-appearance, and the Chef loses his cool at the spoiling dinner, the star’s secretary Julie and her boyfriend, Jimmy Bradshaw begin a search with a chilling find. Shelah Fane has been struck down with a dagger through her heart! Detective Inspector Chan is called in and the grilling begins. As is usual, no one has seen or heard anything relevant and Chan soon realizes that this will not be an easy “Whodunit”.
Considering the period when this book was written, it is not surprising that the Inspector faces disparaging remarks from the white race, even from Jessop the English Butler. But Chan is no pushover. I much enjoyed this repartee.
“The Chinese cook has exhibited all the worst qualities of a heathen race—I'm sure I beg your pardon."
"A heathen race," repeated Charlie gravely, "that was busy inventing the art of printing at moment when gentlemen in Great Britain were still beating one another over head with spiked clubs.…….” Chan nodded. "Thank you so much. Will you be kind enough to dispatch heathen cook into my presence, Jessop?"
(Derr Biggers, in fact, has been credited as being one of the first to change the prevailing image of the evil Oriental, shades of Fu Manchu. He publicly acknowledged the real-life detective Chang Apana as the inspiration for the character of Charlie Chan in his letter to the Honolulu Advertiser of June 28, 1932 (Wikipedia)).
Even a careful search of the hut and house reveals no clues. The only approach left is the time factor, a very narrow one, which is fixed by the star’s broken wristwatch. Yet each guest seems to have an unimpeachable alibi. The cause, revealed to Chan by the Hollywood soothsayer, Tarneverro, summoned to Hawaii by Shelah herself, leaves no doubt as to why she was in such a nervous state. The unsolved murder of Hollywood Superstar Danny Mayo, four years ago was a thorn in the side of the Honolulu police. Shelah, who was consulting Tarneverro about her proposed marriage to Alan Jaynes, admitted to him her dark secret, that she had been in Danny’s apartment when the murder took place, and not only knew the identity of the murderer, but had also spotted him in Honolulu. But she did not reveal his identity. Detective Chan slowly and painstakingly follows up each clue: the missing letter, the return of the long estranged first husband, the beachcomber, who left his footprints in the sand, and the torn-up photographs. In his own inimitable style, "A thousand-mile journey begins with one step," he sighed, and took it—in the direction of his hat.
Aided or rather thwarted by his eager Japanese intern, and patiently dealing with queries from the press, the public, his boss, and even his own family, with new twists and turns till the very end. An intriguing mystery, slow-paced but well worth reading.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite having seen all of the movies, this is the first Charlie Chan book I've read. It's a great place to start.

Charlie has recently returned from a trip to the mainland (Book #3 I guess) and has not quite adjusted back to his normal routine. Add to that his children are far more Americanized than he likes. I liked this, however since it served to let the reader get into Charlie's mind and see both his method and reasoning.

The murder mystery itself is a pretty good one, a Hollywood star that is just beginning to fade is found slain in her temporary home. There are a large cast of characters that have various reasons for killing her. Unlike in the movies, this group is more fleshed out which I feel does the reader a better service than sitting in a theater.

The final reveal is the equal of any of the films, and rivals some of the best Nero Wolfe reveals. It came as a surprise, but I did not feel cheated or that the author held out some vital information. The process made sense and resolved the case in a satisfactory manner.

I know that these books and the movies receive a lot of heat for clearly racist terms and attitudes. There are a few things in the movies that make viewers cringe and rightly so. In this entry in the book series, Charlie deals with racist attitudes, but he turns each insult back on the person and comes out on top. His boss, the white Chief of Police is firmly in Charlie's corner and makes sure he has what he needs to succeed.

I'm not saying this to excuse anything in the books or movies, but I do say that anyone reading this book needs to remember that it was written in 1929. Again, the hero of this story written almost a century ago is a Chinese man when the prevailing thought was that most Asians were sub-human. Not exactly a companion to 'Birth of a Nation'.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good mystery, period fiction, the Charlie Chan movies or is looking for a good book to read on a rainy weekend.

Find it! Buy it! READ IT!

[Secret Agent Fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fifth book in the Charlie Chan series has Chan returning to Honolulu after some off-Island adventures. We get more of the Hawaiian setting that Earl Dear Biggers so vividly rendered in “The House Without a Key.” Bringing Chan back home allows us to get an entertaining glimpse of Chan's home life, and meet some of Chan's 11 thoroughly Americanized children. We also get a glimpse of some of the darker corners of Honolulu that tourists rarely see.

No one would ever mistake the Chan books for noir thrillers, or Charlie Chan for anything like a hard-boiled detective. But it’s nice to see that he can function on the mean streets of Honolulu as well as in the fancy homes on Waikiki Beach.

“The Black Camel” is set mostly in such a home that’s been rented by Hollywood movie star, Shelah Fane. She and her entourage have arrived in Honolulu, where Fane will complete filming a South Seas romance that had been filming on location in Tahiti. So there are plenty of Hollywood types in the mix--actors, a director, and what would now be called a personal assistant. These Hollywood types (circa 1929) don’t seem all that much much different from the Hollywood types of today except for their fashions and their more polite language.

One major exception is the presence of a turban-wearing, crystal-ball gazing fortuneteller. There were apparently an abundance of such fortunetellers in the Hollywood of the time, and this one, Tarneverro the Great, has arrived in Honolulu at the urgent request of Miss Fane--one of his most important clients.

Tarneverro the Great plays a key role as Chan works to unravel an intriguing murder mystery with a multitude of suspects. Chris Rahn's excellent cover illustration of the Academy Chicago Publishers edition of "The Black Camel" rightly focuses on this mysterious character, who could have been played by Bela Lugosi in the movies (oh, wait, he was played by Bela Lugosi in the movies).

[Joe Boenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Chan, the Chinese-born detective living and raising his family in Hawai'i, comes up against some difficult cases on the Islands, and also on the Mainland (he often works with the SFPD). He meets a lot of resistance from white police officers, and he is cleverly self-effacing so that their opposition does not happen any case he is working on. However, he is also realistic when dealing with their racism.
This case ("The Black Camel") takes place in Honolulu, while a Hollywood film crew is making a movie on location and their star, Shelah Fane, is murdered. The case is more complicated than the police originally think. Those who surround the victim in her last weeks - actors, film crews, and hangers-on, give Charlie Chan a lot to unravel in the way of the exotic and shady before he can clear the way to solving the crime.
This novel was published in 1929 and made into a movie in 1931.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #: 42
Title: The Black Camel
Author: Earl Derr Biggers
Series: Charlie Chan #4
Format: 237 pages, ebook, omnibus, recent purchase
Pub Date: First published January 1, 1929
Started: 5/13/23 Ended: 5/30/23
Awards: none
Categories: Next book in a series, Mystery written in 1920's
Rating: ***** five out of five stars

The Black Camel is a euphemism for Death. Shelah Fane is a Hollywood star who has retired in Hawaii. At her first party, she lets slip that she witnessed the murder of Denny Mayo, another Hollywood star, an unsolved mystery from a few years back. She's talked into telling the authorities and Charlie Chan is summoned to arrive the next morning. Unfortunately, he arrives too late, she's been killed during the night. Has the original murderer followed her to Hawaii?? I am greatly enjoying this series. I've already started the next novel in the series.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good solid mystery, marred, as many of the Charlie Chans are, by the derogatory presentation and language used about Chan and other Chinese characters. Shelah Fane, afilm star and her production company stop in Hawaii after filming in Tahiti. She is murdered and the friends who attended her last dinner party are all suspected, as is a drunken beachcomber. Her murder is connected to the murder of movie star Denny Mayo three years ago in Hollywood. Chan goes down many false paths—Shelah’s ex-husband, her fiancé, her secretary, and the great Tarneverro, a fortune teller to the stars, who finds out her secret. The 1931 film version with Bella Lugosi as Tarneverro is very faithful to the novel.

[Stormcrow Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hopefully I'll remember to write a longer review later as I have no time now, but here are a few notes:

Very similar to the 1931 film of the same name (with Bela Lugosi!) which was then remade in 1941 as Charlie Chan in Rio.

A few stock characters such as the guy who touts Hawaii nonstop and won't shut up about it and some weird Hawaii shaming from his love interest who says people in Hawaii basically have no drive to make anything of themselves... kinda weird.

This is my first Chan novel that I bought used on a whim, but I'm definitely interested in reading the others.

3.5 stars rounded up.

[Lute Mullenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this book was written almost 100 years ago I still found it an enjoyable read Mostly I feel because while technology is constantly evolving people don't really change. The pride, greed, jealousy, anger, envy that was going on 100 years ago is still going on today.

I also liked how the reason Charlie was unable to figure out who the murderer was till the very end was the same reason I wasn't able to. We didn't have all the information. So yeah I liked it and I think there are a couple more in this series. I'll get to them

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I easily could have read this book over a single weekend. It is easy to understand why the Charlie Chan books were so popular. It was a good read even today.
I thought the mystery was good with sufficient twists and turns. The “action” of the book moved along nicely. The writing was nice. The plot was excellent 1920s fare. The mild racism was evident…but it was written in the 1920s, it was going to be.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a “beach read”. Just a fun little mystery story.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A famous movie star, Shelah Fane, and her movie crew have come to Honolulu to film the last scenes in her new movie. On the boat trip over, she fell in love and is debating whether to accept a proposal. Instead she is murdered putting Charlie Chan looking into the case trying to find a way through lies, deceit and secret pasts to find the murderer.
The book is a fast, easy one to read. Charlie's way to solve the case is interesting and, even as he uses it, he hits what appears to be a dead end.

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third Charlie Chan novel I have read (the fourth one written), and this one is similar to the first one, House Without a Key. Set in Honolulu, there is a murder, a lead romantic couple, and ties to the past are important to the solving of the crime. Except for the Chinese Chan, most of the characters are American, in this case, Hollywood movie folk. I still like the first one (which is fairly light and charming) best, but all three are good reads that I can recommend to readers of early 20th century mystery novels.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

#4 in the Honolulu detective Charlie Chan mystery series set in Honolulu.

Shelah Fane, an actress known and loved throughout the world, comes to Honolulu from Tahiti to finish shooting scenes for her latest movie. On her first night in Honolulu, she is stabbed to death bringing Charlie Chan in to investigate the murder. He finds that the murder is some how connected to a murky Hollywood urder 3 years ago and there are many suspects.

[Birthe Lauchengco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it includes a couple unfortunate characterizations of islanders and island life, this one was fun for its descriptions of Honolulu landmarks a hundred years ago - during Prohibition, quaintly. I went and sat at the former “Grand Hotel” to read a few chapters. I knew exactly which it was from Earl Derr Biggers’s description. Everything else that comes to mind is a spoiler, so I won’t ruin the surprises for you.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,7 stars round up to 5. I loved the plot, the characters, the red herrings and the plot twists. Some passages from the book drags on a bit, but that didn't make me lose interest in finding out "whodonit". TW: racial and ethnic stereotyping, especially of the Asian characters.

SYNOPSIS: "Film star Shelah Fane is vacationing in Waikiki! Very glamorous... and very dangerous. It's a good thing that famed detective Charlie Chan is with the Honolulu police!"

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Charlie Chan mysteries are very interesting with quite good plots. This one was not as interesting to me. It was set over a time frame of only a few days in Honolulu and involved the murder of a famous Hollywood actress. In all these books the age of the story is interesting with frequent mentions and generalities on race that you would not see today.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The old glamour and scandals of Hollywood meets the laze of the Hawaiian Territory in the 4th installment of the Charlie Chan mysteries. It has glamour, personalities, artists, fortune tellers, a murder (or two), beach bums and Charlie and his wise sayings. This one was great fun!