Death, I Said

Charlie Chan Mystery #1

by John L. Swann

Death, I A Charlie Chan Mystery finds the Honolulu police inspector and internationally renowned detective on the case when an old friend's plea for help turns into a mystery as thick as its fog-shrouded San Francisco setting.

Years after their first meeting in the midst of a Hawaiian murder case, John Quincy Winterslip appeals to Chan to discreetly delve into the secrets of a respected San Francisco university. Not as challenging a case, Chan thinks, as those which brought him professional satisfaction and worldwide celebrity. Still, it's an opportunity to see daughter Rose and other family-and to help the young Winterslip.

But something is amiss in the academic community, and Chan's powers are put to the test as violence and death visit the quiet campus. Who is threatening one professor after another with blackmail and death? With wit, wisdom, and intuitive intellect-and the help of Winterslip and daughter Rose-Chan will crack the case and unmask the guilty.

152 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2025

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember living the Charlie Chan mystery books ans the mvies based on them. This author continues the stories. Really enjoyed it

[Michael Ritchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

After I finished and enjoyed the original six Charlie Chan books by Earl Derr Biggers, I went looking to see if anyone had tried to continue the series and found this from a couple of years ago. It's a first attempt at writing fiction and it does come off as the work of an amateur. First, the positive points. Swann has included some references to previous Chan books and has included John Quincy Winterslip, from the very first Chan novel, as a supporting character. He does a nice job of recreating the persona of Chan, cutting back a bit on the choppy ungrammatical English of Chan's dialogue while still retaining the feel of English as a second language to the character. Overall, his Chan is charming and believable.

The rest of the book is messier. It's very short, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but because of that, the characters and situations aren't developed very well. The plot is triggered by a hush-hush inquiry into financial shenanigans at a San Francisco university, but these problems remain murky and unexplained. The explanation for one of the two murders being investigated comes completely out of the blue in the last few pages, and the solution is awfully implausible and again not fully explained. The character of Winterslip had potential but he vanishes from the story for a large chunk of the middle and only readers of "The House Without A Key" will really have any sense of him as a character. I suspect the author realized midway through this project how difficult it was to construct a good mystery and kind of gave up. He has written a second book which is much longer and has many good reviews posted, but I'm not sure I need to read it.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked up a copy of Swann’s “Death, I Said,” I admit I was a little apprehensive. Most of those writers who attempt to cover Earl Derr Bigger’s creation of Charlie Chan come out just OK, if that good. However, I must give John Swann a tip of the ink well and quill! A far better written Chan novel than I expected. I appreciated that he discovered Chan and Holmes in the middle of last century on the good old B&W movies on early TV as did I (along with Laurel and Hardy and “Little Rascals”).

“Death, I Said,” opens as old friend John Quincy Winterslip (from Bigger’s first Chan novel) appeals to Chan to discreetly delve into the secrets of a respected San Francisco university. It doesn’t sound like a challenging case, so Chan thinks it's also a great opportunity to see daughter Rose and other family and to help the young Winterslip. With an explosion by the college library, Chan quickly realizes something is wrong. When a professor is found murdered, Chan's powers are put to the test as violence and death visit the quiet campus.

This is Swann’s first entry in the literary field. There are certainly a few weak spots; however, Swann has captured the real essence of Bigger’s Charlie Chan and his centuries old abilities of combining sage wisdom and modern detecting skills. Swann captures the atmosphere found in the original books and the 30's- 40’s Chan movies while gently avoiding some of the unfortunate Chinese stereotypes in the movie. “Death, I Said” was easy to read and engrossing. Was Swann’s writing Earl Derr Biggers? Not quite, but certainly “Death, I Said” is the best of the several recent Chan offerings over the last year.

[Gerald Creasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Chan is back after Fifty Years with a new novella by John L Swann.
It was just like watching one of the better Chan films. Charlie is witty and pithy with his aphorisms. There's one of his almost adult children running around the murder scene.
And of course Charlie sees things his white counterparts do not. (I never understood the hand wringers who were offended by a Chinese man that makes all the white detectives look like simpletons.)
The mystery solution may be a bit weak. I don't think Swann has written a mystery before.
But I was so glad to see Charlie in action again I almost didn't care.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old friend revisited

Like the author, my childhood was spent watching Charlie Chan and Sherlock Holmes movies. I believe Basil Rathbone is the quintessential Sherlock Holmes! My childhood obsession of solving mysteries led me to a 50+ year career in medical laboratory science. Thank you Mr. Swann for bringing back an old friend!

[Geoff Beckwith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read! I was given a copy of the book, and took the opportunity to read it. It is outside the normal genre of what I would consume, but I found the author's voice and writing compelling. An interesting and quick read.

[Karen · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I have not read the original series by Earl Derr Biggers. I have seen many of the movies.

I was interested in this series and ordered a copy of book one. Enjoyably it is set in San Francisco when Charlie Chan is invited to visit with his daughter Rose while investigating a university discrepancy.

I enjoyed the plot but was disappointed it was only 140 pages - more a novella than a book.

After I read the original I may return to this series to read more.

I purchased a copy since it was not available from my public library.

[Captain Basil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read. This writer has done a great job of capturing the original author's style. It truly feels authentic. If you're a Charlie Chan fan, I think you will enjoy yourself.