Charlie Chan Carries On

Charlie Chan #5

by Earl Derr Biggers

In Room 28 on the 3rd floor of Broome's super-respectable hotel in London, lay an American tourist, one Hugh Morris Drake, kindly automobile manufacturer from Detroit. He had been murdered in the night. Drake was a member of a round-the-world travel party, and before Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard could discover any convincing evidence, the group was moving on. By train and ship they widened the distance between themselves and Broome's Hotel, while Death hovered like a brooding hawk above, and Duff tried frantically to get the answer to the puzzle. How Charlie Chan comes into it, the reader will want to discover for himself. Suffice it to say that he does come in -- the same old Charlie with his fresh aphorisms and delicious mannerisms ...

***

CONTENTS:

CHAPTER I - RAIN IN PICCADILLY
CHAPTER II - FOG AT BROOME'S HOTEL
CHAPTER III - THE MAN WITH A WEAK HEART
CHAPTER IV - DUFF OVERLOOKS A CLUE
CHAPTER V - LUNCHEON AT THE MONICO
CHAPTER VI - TEN-FORTY-FIVE FROM VICTORIA
CHAPTER VII - AN ADMIRER OF SCOTLAND YARD
CHAPTER VIII - FOG ON THE RIVIERA
CHAPTER IX - DUSK AT SAN REMO
CHAPTER X - THE DEAFNESS OF MR. DRAKE
CHAPTER XI - THE GENOA EXPRESS
CHAPTER XII - THE JEWELER IN CHOWWRINGHEE ROAD
CHAPTER XIII - A KNOCK AT CHARLIE'S DOOR
CHAPTER XIV - DINNER ON PUNCHBOWL HILL
CHAPTER XV - BOUND EAST FROM HONOLULU
CHAPTER XVI - THE MALACCA STICK
CHAPTER XVII - THE GREAT EASTERN LABEL
CHAPTER XVIII - MAXY MINCHIN'S PARTY
CHAPTER XIX - THE FRUITFUL TREE
CHAPTER XX - MISS PAMELA MAKES A LIST
CHAPTER XXI - THE PROMENADE DES ANGLAIS
CHAPTER XXII - TIME TO FISH
CHAPTER XXIII - TIME TO DRY THE NETS

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Detective, Crime, Classics, Adventure, Audiobook

217 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1930

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

[Kuszma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jók ezek a békebeli detektívtörténetek. Megnyugtatóak. Itt a rendőrség még nem a korrupció melegágya, hanem tiszteletre méltó testület*, a társadalom pedig nincs jóvátehetetlenül elcseszve, a gonosztett kivétel, nem szabály, a nyomozó pedig ezért van, hogy izolálja azt, kimetssze a testből, a beteg pedig gyógyultan távozik.

Az ügy maga izgalmas. Egy kupac amerikai elindul világkörüli útra, hogy aztán Londonban egyikük botor módon meggyilkolódjon. A szimpatikus és ügyes Duff felügyelő rámakkan a témára, követi is a turistacsoportot Franciaországig, ahol újabb gonosztettek követődnek el az ismeretlen tettes ismeretlenségéből kifolyólag. Szegény Duff tehetetlen (bár mint mondottam volt, szimpatikus és ügyes, mi több, még elszánt és mérges is), szerencsére ott van neki jó barája, Charlie Chan, aki épp Honoluluban unatkozik (de szívesen unatkoznék Honoluluban! mint egy kevésbé szőrös és kevésbé bajszos Thomas Magnum!). Aki a kötet felénél méltóztatik is megjelenni a cselekményben.



És akkor most ejtsünk pár szót Charlie Chanról. Mert ugye a detektívtörténetek alfája és omegája a zseniális detektív. Hogy mennyire zseniális, no és persze: hogy mennyire érdekes figura. No most ez a Charlie nekem nagyon bejött. Egy nagy kövér Buddha a szentem, ajkán mosoly, szemében évezredek bölcsessége, szájától pedig illatos szóvirágokkal teletűzdelt mondatgirlandok tekerednek elő. Lótuszülésben üldögél az információk, tények és félrevezetések zűrzavarában, és addig meditál (ommmmm, ommmmm), amíg ki nem bogozza a szálakat. És kibogozza! Azt a kutyafáját!

Kellemes történet, bájos humorral, mindazonáltal kellően komolyan vesz egy olyan megbocsáthatatlan dolgot, mint amilyen a gyilkosság. Chan figurája ugyan kissé sztereotip, cukin az - és legalább nem kung-fuzik.

* Konkrétan ebben a kötetben a hivatalos szerv még csak nem is jó szándékú debilek gyülekezőhelye, mint Holmes vagy Poirot esetében, hanem profi gárda. Legalábbis a Scottland Yard, mert a kontinentális kollégák kissé komolytalan bagázs.

[Fran Irwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not one of Derr Biggers' best Charlie Chan books. The plot moves so slowly that by mid-point I was losing interest ... but then Charlie shows up and things begin to sparkle. I've grown to love that chubby little detective with the quick wit and quaint sayings, and wish he had been in on the case from the very beginning. Der Biggers portrays him well, and also does a very good job with his female characters. They're intelligent, level headed and believable. Even tho this is not a great Charlie Chan book, it's still worth a read.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.
From the moment the Lofton Round the World Tour arrived in London it was obvious that someone had decided to make the passenger list a bit more exclusive. The first killing baffled the experts at Scotland Yard. Their counterparts in France, Italy and Japan were equally unlucky in solving the murders that followed. When the touring party reached Hawaii, the elusive transcontinental killer finally met his match--the amazing Charlie Chan.

Charlie Chan doesn't get involved in the mystery until well into the book. That diminished my enjoyment a bit but otherwise the mystery has plenty of red herrings and a satisfying end.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an omnibus of Charlie Chan books - but why it has books 1-4 and 6 and not 5, I can't figure out.

So, I finally got a copy of #5 and I enjoyed it. I probably saw the film but those films pretty much play fast and loose with the story (certainly the supporting cast). No African-American chaffeur, no No 1 Son, and Charlie is much more serious about his job.

This is a fun plot where a local tour is being picked off one by one. The supporting cast is pleasant.

[Ана Хелс · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ако случайно сте били от малкото, за съжаление, посетители на най-новата, и доста театрално-драматична, но в най-добрия смисъл на думата, екранизация на Убийство в Ориент експрес на Кенет Брана, то вече ви липсва малко онази идея за загадка в затворено пространство, с десетина, че и повече, заподозрени, които ви се струват до един напълно виновни, и вършещи мерзости, и прикриващи грехове и скелети в гардероба чрез създаването на съвсем новички си, пресни трупове. Е, настоящата книжка, въпреки доста подвеждащото си заглавие, тъй като май само в открито море никой не умря, ще ви послужи като засищащо абстиненцията четиво, представящо, поне на мен, за първи път гениалния китайски детектив Чарли Чан, съумяващ въпреки джаба размерите си да спаси положението там, където вездесъщият Скотланд Ярд се проваля. Зрелищно.

Представете си мечтаното околосветско пътешествие, на което се запознавате с интересни хора, обикаляте невероятни места, ядете чудесни местни специалитети, а гледките са един път… докато в съседната стая не бива удушен един симпатичен старец, ненаправил нищо лошо в живота си. След което следва още един труп, и още един труп, и още един труп… и изгубвате бройката на изгубените спътници, а е вероятно въпрос на време и вие да ги последвате, а даже не знаете защо. Или напротив. Сякаш всички пътешественици имат нещо общо, но удобно премълчано; сякаш всички имат алиби, извинение, обвинение към другарчето, но дали ще е от прекомерна предпазливост, параноя или вина – е друг въпрос. И насред тази пасторална картинка идва един азиатски Еркюл Поаро, с все китайските си маниери и хавайска почтителност, напълно достатъчни да се вникне в широката американска душа, която може да е тъмна, но пък е простичка.

Авторът за мен е непознат, и главният му детектив също, но завръзката на събитията е изключително посветена на майсторката Кристи, с повече чувство за хумор, и повече трупове – да си признаем, става малко кърваво от един момент нататък, и образът на хаотичния убиец се измества от паникьосания такъв, макар че в крайна сметка от някои наблюдатели същият може да бъде наречен и справедлив, но не и според мен – някои хора просто трябва да приемат живота, какъвто е, и това че някои хора не ги искат в него, и да продължат напред заради себе си. Защото дори и сладко, отмъщението рядко бива последвано от спокойствие и усещане за завършеност. Цената за някои неща е доста висока, и Чарли Чан е великолепния бирник, пред чиито присвити очички и източно привидно спокойствие наистина нищо не може да се измъкне, и от виновните, и от невинните. Чудесен пример за отлично криминале, което ще допадне на всички почитатели на жанра, особено на онези с класическата абстиненция.

[Julita · Rating 5 out of 5]

potęga hawaii w jednym dragonie📣‼️

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Chan certainly does carry on, that is when he finally appears in the book - he first appears at page 175. But once he is in the action, he never leaves it from there until the end, taking on the mysterious murder case from Chief Inspector Duff who had led the enquiry up that point.

It all begins on a foggy day in London at Broome's Hotel, an ultra-respectable place where a party, led by an entrepreneur, Doctor Lofton is on a round-the-world trip. Quite out of the blue, a member of the party is murdered. Duff is called in and is completely foxed by what appears to have happened. But he is suspicious as to the circumstances following the death of one of the tourists.

He has his suspicions but due to lack of evidence on any one particular suspect, he is unable to stop the round-the-world tour continuing. So he decides to travel with it, much against Lofton's wishes and also much to the chagrin of the other 13 members of the party, who do not welcome his continual enquiries.

Again and again he interrogates all the travellers, much to their discontent, but still no direct evidence presents itself. Then a second murder takes place in Nice so the plot thickens. And when there is a third murder in San Remo, members of the touring party are getting worried - that is all but one because Duff knows that one of them must undoubtedly be the killer.

Despite his probing he cannot get to the bottom of the mystery and he leaves the party for a while to return to London, where his boss is dissatisfied at the lack of progress. So a Sergeant from Scotland Yard is sent out to the next port of call to see if he can uncover anything useful. But when he is murdered in Yokohama, Duff is obliged to return to the fray.

And when he arrives in Honolulu, he meets up with his old friend (who has assisted him in previous investigations) Charlie Chan. He gives Chan all the low-down on what has happened, which is just as well for, when visiting him at his office, he is hit by a shot from outside. Fortunately he is only wounded and Chan decides that he will take on the case and travel with the party to San Francisco, their final port of call.

Despite his declared philosophy, 'Puzzles are my business', Chan meets the same dead ends that confronted Duff but, in true Charlie Chan style, he eventually unravels the truth as to what has happened and why.

The disparate cast of characters, despite being a rum lot, are all credible and make the story a most gripping one, while Charlie Chan brings his own Chinese charm to a story that is gripping from start to finish.

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un giallo particolare, che unisce la sfida al lettore della golden age alle tematiche dei precursori (da Conan Doyle a Wallace) come la vendetta e il peso del passato.
Protagonisti sono un gruppo di uomini e donne benestanti e con tempo da perdere che stanno viaggiando per turismo in un autentico giro del mondo, organizzato da un agente di viaggi che li accompagna anche come una guida.
Partiti dall’America, dopo la crociera atlantica nella tappa di Londra uno di loro viene ucciso. Scotland Yard non può fermare i compagni di viaggio, ed è costretta (come Fix nel romanzo di Verne, al quale spesso si ammicca) a mandare un suo investigatore insieme ai viaggiatori. Emerge presto il movente, una oscura vendetta nel passato della vittima, e di uno dei viaggiatori che ha assunto evidentemente una nuova identità e si nasconde nella comitiva: uno dei viaggiatori o addirittura la guida? Per scoprirlo attraversiamo il mondo con loro, dalla Costa Azzurra a Sanremo, da Genova a Suez, dall’India a Singapore, da Hong Kong a Yokohama. Fino a quando a Honolulu Charlie Chan sale a bordo e prende la guida delle operazioni. A un certo punto parte la sfida al lettore, dove pur non cogliendo l’indizio proposto da Charlie Chan riesco da indizi metanarrativi a capire chi è stato.
Il disvelamento prelude, come spesso accade nei precursori, a una love story a lieto fine. Un giallo non particolarmente geniale nell’impianto, ma piacevole e ben scritto

[Jazz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever I considered reading a Charlie Chan mystery, I recalled those "hokey" black and white movies starring Sidney Toler back when I was a kid. So I deferred reading one. How foolish of me.

I very much enjoyed my first encounter with Charlie in this book, however, it was probably not the wisest place to begin the series in order to get the true flavor of Chan, simply because he doesn't appear until halfway through the book. But turns out it really didn't matter. What attracted me was the set up. I'm a sucker for that closed circle of suspects provided by a group of travelers on a world tour and the settings. There were plenty of Chan's aphorisms to provide humor, such as, "Every maybe has a wife called Maybe-Not" and "He who squanders today talking of yesterday's triumph, will have nothing to boast of tomorrow."

Only quibble is one too many murders or attempts, but all in all, I had a great time reading this. I'll certainly go back to the beginning of the series soon. And I might even look up the old b&w movie.

[Rex Libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the story involves a Scotland Yard detective following a travel group around the world trying to figure out who is murdering some of the members. The Scotland Yard detective gets shot in Honolulu, and it is up to Charlie to take up the case.

[Wyntrnoire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread.

[Magi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining, at the beginning kind of reminds of And then there were none by Agatha Christie. I found it very interesting and easy to read.

[Joe Boenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth book that Earl Derr Biggers ever wrote that featured Charlie Chan, the police detective for the Honolulu Police Dept. This story begins with Chan's British friend, Inspector Duff, solving a case in London for Scotland Yard. The inspector is exhausted and his mind goes back to happier times, and he finds himself remembering Charlie Chan. As luck would have it, he receives a letter from the Hawaiian detective that boosts his spirit. "May you have safe walk down every path where duty leads you."

But the next morning a baffling case is brought to Scotland Yard and to Inspector Duff. He has no time to think about Charlie Chan… Instead, Duff is called to a murder scene at a London hotel where a group of Americans in a tour group are starting a round-the-world-tour. Duff tries to solve a murder case in London and but he must follow the tour group to the Continent, and then to Asia and finally to Hawaii. While trying to track down the mysterious murderer in Honolulu, he calls on Charlie Chan (after twelve full chapters). Charlie listens carefully to the Inspector's theories about the case and offers support. Suddenly, the Inspector needs Charlie to help him - to "carry on" the investigations and solve the case.

Inspector Duff is a very capable detective, but there are subtleties in the personalities of the multiple suspects that baffle him. Charlie Chan, always self-deprecating but brilliant, is able to assess each member of the tour group without anyone realizing it… and he quietly but effectively uncovers many secrets that ultimately pin down the guilty party.

Charlie mentors a bumbling young detective and guides him to success: "You have suffused my heart with joy.… Even a peach grown in the shade will ripen in the end."

He is also able to help two young people who are members of the tour group to clarify the direction that they would wish to take in life. "Remember, fortune calls at the smiling gate," he tells them by way of encouragement.

[Jim Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Chan is definitely back in this one, harkening back to the character I had enjoyed so much in the first and third books. Fans may be less pleased because he doesn't physically arrive until Chapter 13 out of 23 chapters. However, the mystery is a crackling good one with plenty of red herring clues, an assortment of distinct and memorable characters, and the most ruthless villain I've encountered so far in the series...a serial killer who would give some modern day counterparts a run for their money.

Most of the early detection is handled by Inspector Duff who we met in the third book. In fact, it is a strength of this series that events from previous books don't stand alone, but come back to reward constant readers. The only issue I found was that Inspector Duff had difficulty placing the location of Chicago, despite his having met a character there in the third novel. It's a minor quibble, though...and so much less disturbing than the traveling location of Watson's bullet wound in the delightful Sherlock Holmes stories.

I enjoyed the many settings of the story, and the clues definitely played fair with the reader. This was one of those books I looked forward to continuing and, although it came to a most satisfying conclusion, I was sorry to have it end.

It is neck-and-neck as my favorite of the first five Charlie Chan books, and it was great having a beloved character back. I highly recommend this one.

[Nathanael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up watching the old Charlie Chan movies with Sydney Toler, in fact I can vividly remember one evening involving a rather painful earache and the Shanghai Cobra, but it wasn't until recently that I actually read the books. Earl Derr Biggers is a wonderfully romantic and sentimental writer who was exceptionally capable of capturing the moods of days long gone by. His stories set in Hawaii do this to a remarkable degree and while reading them I find myself wishing I could visit those days long since past. That being said, this was the only book left that I hadn't actually finished. The odd thing is that Charlie doesn't really even enter the picture until well into the book, meaning Biggers strayed somewhat from his usual formula and we get most of the story told from the perspective of scotland yard detective Duff. The book centers on a world tour and as such is full of exotic locals beginning in foggy old London town and the end takes place in a cruise ship from Hawaii back to the mainland and I just so happen to have a soft spotin my heart for mysteries taking place on ocean vessels. All in all a good read which I would recommend to anyone who enjoys old, if not cheesy and at times dated with political incorrectness, murder mysteries.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5 in the Charlie Chan series, and once again I'm very pleased with Earl Derr Biggers' writing style and his engaging sleuth. However, it's very unfair to the reader that Inspector Chan doesn't show up to begin his detecting until page 185. I'm unsure of why Biggers decided to provide each murder mystery he penned with a "primary" secondary detective (a male character that is showcased almost 50% of the story) and a "secondary" primary detective (Charlie Chan), but it sometimes gets annoying that Charlie isn't the main driving force in these books. He's far too interesting, witty and wise to play such a secondary role.

Nonetheless, I am loving these golden age mysteries and look forward to reading my final one in the near future. A big thank you goes to my local library for purchasing the final 2 books in the Chan canon so that readers can rediscover this wonderful crime solver from the 1920's and 30's.

Carry on, Charlie!

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Biggers brings in Insp. Duff (who Charlie Chan worked with in the previous novel to solve the case of a retired Scotland Yard Officer. In this the crime starts with Duff and he follows the group touring the world, knowing his murderer is in the group... but he lacks proof. When he tries to meet up with the group in Hawaii he is shot (not killed) and Charlie Chan takes up the mantel of solving the crime right where Duff was stopped. The interesting difference is how Chan interacts with the group, and pulls out more information that way.

I imagine, if other books could have been written, that Duff and other characters from the previous stories would have been woven into future stories.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one starts out with a tourist group in London where a Detroit auto tycoon is found murdered, lying on his bed. Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard is on the case and travels with the group. About halfway through the book they reach Honolulu, Hawaii, where Charlie Chan joins them and takes over investigating.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of Bigger's Chan books.

[Nuranar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie Chan does not really get involved until halfway through; after that the story was even more fun and more things happened.

[sg.00 macc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie Chan #5 .... and he doesn't show up for quite some time.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 3 out of 5]

This particular Charlie Chan mystery got a bit stuffy towards the end. Needed a bit of airing out. But still it made for a good extension of the series. And, yes, there is a payoff to reading these Charlie Chan novels in the order they were published. It's possible, of course, to read them independently in any way or fashion. But there is an extra appreciation that comes from reading them in order, especially with Charlie Chan Carries On.

Earl Derr Biggers made a bit of an experiment in this book, bringing back the Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Duff, who featured so prominently in Behind That Curtain and allowing him to dominate the first half of the mystery. Only in the second half does Charlie reassert himself. But when he does so, Chan arrives as a dominant force.

By this time, in the series, there is no doubt. Charlie will get his man. It's just a matter of time. Charlie has left the somewhat hesitant Sgt. Chan of the early novels far behind. And while the earlier formula for Biggers' fiction is still at work--with the romance between high society lawyer Mark Kennaway and a beautiful young woman--that formula has seen its proportions severely changed. Kenneway is at this point in the series mere window dressing, an ornament through which only a few threads of the plot are processed. Those earlier novels, where Charlie worked hand in hand or even depended upon the high society White aristocrat are long gone. In fact, at the end of Charlie Chan Carries On, the Boston Brahmin, Kenneway, has agreed to abdicate his throne, so to speak, unlike, say, John Quincy Winterslip of The House Without a Key, who proves himself worthy of his inheritance in that book.

Still, things don't really work out as well in this book as the dedicated reader of Chan fiction might hope. So interesting had Duff's tale become that you regret his disappearance into the background during the mystery's second half. And Charlie himself operates in a more methodical workmanlike manner than in the earlier novels. The conclusion, as a result, did just that, conclude. There is not nearly the excitement of the solving of the case as in the four earlier books.

One thing of note: the mention of the Great Depression for the first time makes its way into the pages of a Charlie Chan mystery. It hovers in the background of the novel. Perhaps that is why some of the twinkle and glitter of the earlier books seem to have disappeared.

[Secret Agent Fan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Chan makes a very late entrance in "Charlie Chan Carries On." The book could almost have been called "Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard." We spend a good deal of time with poor old Inspector Duff as he investigates a murder in a London hotel. The victim was a member of an American tour group, on their first stop in an exclusive around-the-world tour. Since no one else in London would have known the victim, the members of the tour group are the only suspects.

Duff follows the group on their tour, comes tantalizingly close to discovering the murderer, but, several victims later, he's no closer to solving the mystery than he was at the start. Fortunately for Duff the last stop of the tour group is in Honolulu, before they return home to San Francisco. In Honolulu Charlie Chan takes up the case.

Murder victims in transit always makes for an interesting mystery, and while we get the usual collection of colorful suspects and some entertaining travelogue material, "Charlie Chan Carries On" stretches suspension of disbelief to the breaking point. It's hard to buy that the tourists would continue on this months-long excursion knowing that there's a murderer in their midst. I guess you can chalk it up to them all being plucky Americans who don't let things like this bother them too much.

Things pick up considerably for both the tourists and the reader when Chan finally arrives on the scene. He at least seems to be more on top of things than Inspector Duff and more likely to wrap this whole thing up before the party disembarks in San Francisco.

I read the Academy Chicago edition of "Charlie Chan Carries On." It sports another evocative cover illustration by Chris Rahn. But unlike the other Charlie Chan books in the Academy Chicago series, the text hasn't been reset in a modern typeface. The pages look to be facsimiles of the first edition of this book, published in 1932. While the older style typeface might be distracting to some readers, I rather enjoyed it. It gives the book a vintage feel, in keeping with the nature of the Charlie Chan-type puzzle mysteries that were so popular at the time.

[The Fizza · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 STAR - For the last third of the book only... the rest of the book gets negative stars! This volume begins with the return of Chan's British friend, Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard... which is unfortunate, as it is clear within 25 pages that he might just be the worst fictional detective in literary history!

I legit would've tossed this in Earl Derr Biggers face if I had been his editor.

This... book, though I hesitate to legitimize the ramblings I read as a book even if it seems it is accepted as such... How about, this 'thing' is two thirds the story of an profoundly stupid British detective bungling around London and parts of the Continent trying to solve a murder that any reader, past the age of 7, could discern was leaning on some of the oldest tropes in mysteries and doing it badly, within those painful first 25 pages. Which in-turn makes every event, until the inevitable visit to Hawaii, excruciatingly painful to plod through.

I'm not sure why the... lets call him a writer, as he seems to think himself one despite the dregs of ineptitude the mystery of book plumbs, decide to structure this 'thing' the way it was... other than he was paid a lot of money and had no ideas so he stole one from a... let say, different writer [as it's not a "good" plot he lifted presumably from the Encyclopedia of Dusty Old Plots a Fool Could Figure Out]. Because this is really just a Charlie Chan short-story which had a very long and amateurish preface added to it. If I had known/been warned I'd have skipped to Charlie's introduction because everything before is completely unimportant to the story once the famous detective enters.

To say this story is a crime after the Chan stories I've already read might be a bit hyperbolic, however true it might ring when I think it, as none of the mysteries have been all that clever. The problem lay in the fact that it was the charm and ingenuity of Charlie which kept me reading.

RECOMMENDED All write to the publishers requesting it's removal from print so that we might all forget it ever happened!

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In één woord: nostalgie. Dit is een boek dat je leest in zwart-wit, zoals de Charlie Chan films. De klassieke elementen van de whodunit zitten er allemaal in: moord, schijnbaar zonder motief, detective die voor een raadsel staat, beperkte groep verdachten die ondervraagd worden, langzaam komen allerlei mogelijkheden naar voren en worden weer ontkracht, alibis blijken vals, leugens, bijkomende moord, ... Pas na meer dan de helft van het boek speelt Charlie Chan een actieve rol. De besloten omgeving van een geleide reis, hotels en cruiseschip zorgen dat de auteur externe invloeden kan uitsluiten wat het verhaal een intieme sfeer geeft. Er komt zelf een ontluikende romance aan te pas. Het slechte engels (in nederlandse vertaling) en de karikatuur van de oosterse beleefdheid die Charlie Chan kenmerken zou vandaag niet meer getolereerd worden in deze poco wereld. Maar zonder dit zouden deze detectives één van hun belangrijkste kenmerken verliezen en dan zou Charlie Chan niet de detective kunnen zijn die hij is. Meesterlijk voor wie wil wegdromen met een spannend boek waar het tempo net zoals dat van zijn hoofdrolspeler eerder als gezapig kan omschreven worden.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best of the Charlie Chan’s I have read. They are usually marred by pidgin English and stereotypical presentations of Asians. Although this is true to a certain extent here, it is more muted, probably because Chan does not appear until about two thirds of the way through the book. A group is touring around the world and unfortunately at their first stop in London one of their members is found strangled in his bed. Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard is on the case, but two more people are murdered, one of whom dies in his arms. Since Duff can’t make any headway he returns to London and the tour continues. Duff rejoins the group in Honolulu where he he meets his old friend Chan. Duff is shot (not killed as in one of the Chan movies with a similar plot) and Chan vows to take passage on the boat from Honolulu to San Francisco to find the killer. He is successful and all ends well. One of the tour’s guests originally had another name and was cheated out of illicit diamonds and his lover by another man. Years later, on this trip, he discovers that the man who stole his lover is also a passenger. Good solid mystery.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #: 47
Title: Charlie Chan Carries On
Author: Earl Derr Biggers
Series: Charlie Chan #5
Format: ebook, 217 pages, recent purchase
Pub Date: First published January 1, 1930
Started: 6/1/23 Ended: 6/21/23
Awards: none
Categories: Next book in a series, Mystery written in 1930's
Rating: ***** five out of five stars

On an around-the-world tour, an American millionaire is murdered in London. Unfortunately, Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard cannot find enough evidence to hold any of them back from their trip. As they navigate the globe, two more members of the trip are killed in suspicious circumstances. The second to last leg of their journey is Honolulu, Hawaii then home to San Francisco, California where they'll scatter to the four winds. Duff asks his good friend Inspector Charlie Chan to join the tour in Hawaii and catch a killer before they return to the mainland.

I'm loving the Charlie Chan series, I grew up on the Hanna Barbara cartoons. The novels are better. My one complaint with this novel is that due to it's structure, Charlie Chan doesn't make an appearance until more than halfway thru the book!

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) As in the first Chan novel, House Without a Key, Chan does not appear as a character until the halfway point, though he is mentioned a few times earlier. In House, the first half is a fun story of not just murder but a stuffy Bostonian lad and his experiences with his aunt who now lives in Hawaii, and he is a compelling character. In this book, the first half centers on Scotland Yard inspector Duff as he tries to solve a murder (eventually three) that took place among a group of people on a 4-month world cruise. Unfortunately, Duff, who also appeared in the earlier novel Behind That Curtain, is not nearly as interesting a character as John Quincy Winterslip from the first book. Also, there are some fifteen characters to keep track of on the cruise, though ultimately that didn't prove as confusing as I feared it might be. But when Chan finally appears, the book improves quite a bit, and the last few chapters are satisfying. This was made into a movie twice; the first one is currently a lost film; the second one, Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise, changes lots of details but has the same basic premise and structure.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

Opens on Februrary 6,1930 during the London stop of an American round-the-world travel party, Hugh Morris Drake, a Detroit automobile manufacturer, is found murdered in his hotel room. Just completing a murder case, Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard is assigned the case. Before he could discover any real evidence, the group moved on leaving Duff trying to get the answer to the murder.

Inspector Duff appeared earlier in the “Behind the Scenes” Charlie Chan mystery set in San Francisco he which he works with Chan to solve the murder of a retired Scotland Yard detective. They have maintained an infrequent long distance relationship since then which eventually brings Chan into this case. He enters on the final leg of the tour, the voyage from Honolulu to San Francisco.

[Luís · Rating 5 out of 5]

O meu primeiro contacto com Charlie Chan.
Um crime cometido num hotel londrino, que vitima um elemento de um grupo que efectua uma viagem à volta do mundo leva o inspector-chefe Duff da Scotland Yard a iniciar as investigações.
No escritório do inspector Chan, em Honolulu, Duff é ferido e Chan, munido dos apontamentos do seu colega e amigo inglês, toma o seu lugar e acaba por descobrir o criminoso.
Policial clássico em que o número de suspeitos é grande.
Lendo este livro, hoje em dia, leva-nos a algumas comparações. As morosas viagens feitas de barco, as dificuldades com as comunicações, etc.
Nada impede os nosso detectives de descobrirem quem é o criminoso.
Um regalo para quem se habituou a este género de livro policial.
Será que entre os jovens haverá gente interessada em ler estes livros?