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Charlie Chan #2
The Chinese Parrot
The character of Charlie Chan was based in part on the experiences of two Chinese detectives, Chang Apana and Lee Fook, who Biggers had read about in a Honolulu newspaper while on vacation. Biggers wrote six Charlie Chan mysteries. The Chinese Parrot is the second book in the series and begins: Alexander Eden stepped from the misty street into the great, marble-pillared room where the firm of Meek and Eden offered its wares. Immediately, behind showcases gorgeous with precious stones or bright with silver, platinum and gold, forty resplendent clerks stood at attention. Their morning coats were impeccable, lacking the slightest suspicion of a wrinkle, and in the left lapel of each was a pink carnation, as fresh and perfect as though it had grown there.
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
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408 people want to read
About the author
Earl Derr Biggers
231 books86 followersEarl Derr Biggers was born in Warren, Ohio on August 24, 1884. Years later, while attending Harvard University, Biggers showed little passion for the classics, preferring instead writers such as Rudyard Kipling and Richard Harding Davis. Following his graduation from Harvard in 1907, he worked briefly for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and at Bobbs-Merrill publishers. By 1908, Biggers was hired at the Boston Traveler to write a daily humor column. Soon, however, he became that paper's drama critic. It was at this time that he met Elanor Ladd, who would later become his wife and who would have a marked influence in his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
April 19, 2017
"Trifles sometimes blossom big. Detective business consist of one unsignificant detail placed beside other of same. Then with sudden dazzle, light begins to dawn." -- Charlie Chan to Bob Eden
Charlie's first trip to the Mainland is a sparkling adventure full of mystery and old-fashioned romance. It will take the Honolulu detective from exciting 1920s San Francisco to the purple desert.
As in the first Charlie Chan novel, The House Without a Key, Biggers writes a mystery and romance in which Charlie plays an integral part while not being the main focus. Beginning with Behind That Curtain, Charlie would be more at the forefront, the author using his romantic style to frame the mystery rather than the other way around. I must confess a special affection for the first two Charlie Chan novels featuring Charlie as the secondary lead. In The Chinese Parrot, it will be young Bob Eden who works hand-in-hand with our favorite Hawaiian detective from China, finding adventure and romance in one of Charlie's most perplexing cases.
San Francisco's Bob Eden is a young man about town until his father brokers Sally Jordan's expensive string of pearls. He is sent to meet her former houseboy, Charlie Chan, who is bringing them across the ocean on the President Pierce. From the moment he's shadowed at the dock, the young man without a care in the world finds himself in the greatest adventure of his life. He and Charlie will head to the desert to meet the buyer, with Charlie posing as a Chinese cook. They decide to stall rather than part with the pearls, however, after the words of a Chinese parrot indicate something terrible may have happened prior to their arrival. Harboring suspicions that a man has been murdered in this purple desert, the difficulty for Bob and Charlie rests in discovering who the victim was and who did the deed.
Just as John Quincy was at the heart of the action in The House Without a Key, so Bob Eden finds adventure and mystery far from home. Romance is found with Paula, a location scout for the movies. Biggers, who always had a fascination with the movies, works it deftly into this Chan entry when a murder weapon proves to have belonged to legendary silent Western star, William S. Hart.
A secretary, a gambling house, a dead man's clothes, and a second murder with a tangible body make up a complex and confusing mystery which has Charlie and Bob Eden stumped, not to mention the reader. Reporter Will Holley becomes an ally but just when they think they know who was killed at the ranch, and why, their theory is turned upside down and there seems to be no course of action but to hand over the pearls.
The exciting twist which follows, augmented by the only trick Charlie was ever to learn from the Japanese, makes for a fine and surprising end to all the intrigue and mystery in the desert. The blend of romance and mystery perfected by Biggers is one no modern mystery writer has ever come close to attaining. The Chinese Parrot is an old-fashioned and delightful mix of fun for mystery fans.
Charlie's first trip to the Mainland is a sparkling adventure full of mystery and old-fashioned romance. It will take the Honolulu detective from exciting 1920s San Francisco to the purple desert.
As in the first Charlie Chan novel, The House Without a Key, Biggers writes a mystery and romance in which Charlie plays an integral part while not being the main focus. Beginning with Behind That Curtain, Charlie would be more at the forefront, the author using his romantic style to frame the mystery rather than the other way around. I must confess a special affection for the first two Charlie Chan novels featuring Charlie as the secondary lead. In The Chinese Parrot, it will be young Bob Eden who works hand-in-hand with our favorite Hawaiian detective from China, finding adventure and romance in one of Charlie's most perplexing cases.
San Francisco's Bob Eden is a young man about town until his father brokers Sally Jordan's expensive string of pearls. He is sent to meet her former houseboy, Charlie Chan, who is bringing them across the ocean on the President Pierce. From the moment he's shadowed at the dock, the young man without a care in the world finds himself in the greatest adventure of his life. He and Charlie will head to the desert to meet the buyer, with Charlie posing as a Chinese cook. They decide to stall rather than part with the pearls, however, after the words of a Chinese parrot indicate something terrible may have happened prior to their arrival. Harboring suspicions that a man has been murdered in this purple desert, the difficulty for Bob and Charlie rests in discovering who the victim was and who did the deed.
Just as John Quincy was at the heart of the action in The House Without a Key, so Bob Eden finds adventure and mystery far from home. Romance is found with Paula, a location scout for the movies. Biggers, who always had a fascination with the movies, works it deftly into this Chan entry when a murder weapon proves to have belonged to legendary silent Western star, William S. Hart.
A secretary, a gambling house, a dead man's clothes, and a second murder with a tangible body make up a complex and confusing mystery which has Charlie and Bob Eden stumped, not to mention the reader. Reporter Will Holley becomes an ally but just when they think they know who was killed at the ranch, and why, their theory is turned upside down and there seems to be no course of action but to hand over the pearls.
The exciting twist which follows, augmented by the only trick Charlie was ever to learn from the Japanese, makes for a fine and surprising end to all the intrigue and mystery in the desert. The blend of romance and mystery perfected by Biggers is one no modern mystery writer has ever come close to attaining. The Chinese Parrot is an old-fashioned and delightful mix of fun for mystery fans.
August 18, 2011
Well, it's official. After 2 Chan Chan mysteries, I'm hooked. I'm sold.
I am really enjoying this writer, this series and this smart, patient, funny and amazing Chinese detective.
Why did writer Earl Derr Biggers have to die in 1933 with only 6 Chan mystery stories under his belt? I could kill him for dying much too young! Why couldn't he have taken a page from Agatha Christie's or Georgette Heyer's playbook and been as prolific with his stories as 2 rabbits on a honeymoon?
Why, Biggers, why?
This is golden age mystery as its most golden. A smart, witty and engrossing murder mystery that takes the reader to the 1920's California desert and keeps them there interested for 270 pages. Biggers delivers a little mayhem, a little romance, a little travelog and a whole lot of reading pleasure. His main characters are as charming and old-fashioned as only characters could be in 1926, and yet the stories don't feel dated, but fresh and alive even in 2011.
If you like mysteries, especially those from this time period, then get off your butt and go read these pronto. Charlie is too good to go unnoticed any longer.
I am really enjoying this writer, this series and this smart, patient, funny and amazing Chinese detective.
Why did writer Earl Derr Biggers have to die in 1933 with only 6 Chan mystery stories under his belt? I could kill him for dying much too young! Why couldn't he have taken a page from Agatha Christie's or Georgette Heyer's playbook and been as prolific with his stories as 2 rabbits on a honeymoon?
Why, Biggers, why?
This is golden age mystery as its most golden. A smart, witty and engrossing murder mystery that takes the reader to the 1920's California desert and keeps them there interested for 270 pages. Biggers delivers a little mayhem, a little romance, a little travelog and a whole lot of reading pleasure. His main characters are as charming and old-fashioned as only characters could be in 1926, and yet the stories don't feel dated, but fresh and alive even in 2011.
If you like mysteries, especially those from this time period, then get off your butt and go read these pronto. Charlie is too good to go unnoticed any longer.
April 19, 2017
I'll give this a 4 1/2-star rating. Very clever mystery, well written and entertaining ... but 1/2 star off because the solution is somewhat far-fetched. Nevertheless, a wonderful read from the past. I highly recommend.
February 25, 2012
Charlie Chan continues to be an engaging character and a sharp sleuth in this, the second novel in the series, even though he's transplanted from his home turf to the Californian desert. If anything, watching him improvise in a situation where he has no jurisdiction and must work incognito allows for an even more impressive performance.
I figured out the mystery once it became apparent what the actual mystery was going to be about - it takes a while for the central puzzle to emerge - but even so there were enough red herrings and complications that eventual resolution held its share of revelations for me. The romance angle - involving Chan's Hastings of the moment, the young son of a diamond merchant and a girl who scouts locations for film companies - is handled with a light witty touch and helps the plot zip along rather than acting as an annoying distraction, although the focus is always on the deviously ingenious puzzle Chan has to unravel.
I figured out the mystery once it became apparent what the actual mystery was going to be about - it takes a while for the central puzzle to emerge - but even so there were enough red herrings and complications that eventual resolution held its share of revelations for me. The romance angle - involving Chan's Hastings of the moment, the young son of a diamond merchant and a girl who scouts locations for film companies - is handled with a light witty touch and helps the plot zip along rather than acting as an annoying distraction, although the focus is always on the deviously ingenious puzzle Chan has to unravel.
August 30, 2021
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because I really like Charlie Chan.
Charlie Chan's second investigation has him leaving Hawaii and traveling to San Francisco. He is doing a favor for Sally Jordan, a long-time friend (transporting a valuable pearl necklace); once he hands over the necklace, he will be on vacation. Alas for Charlie, complication arise and his vacation is swallowed by a puzzling case--too many people want to get their hands on those pearls. The jeweler who brokered the sale between Sally and reclusive millionaire PJ Madden, asks Chan to accompany Bob Eden (his son) to Madden's desert ranch to seal the deal and hand over the pearls.
I had fun with this, even though the pace was slow. We don't spend too much time in San Francisco, as the action shifts to the southern California desert ranch house of millionaire business man P J Madden, who is awaiting the arrival of the necklace. Sensing something fishy, Chan goes undercover as the replacement cook and house 'boy' Ah Kim, forcing himself to spout the most atrocious pigeon English. Meanwhile, Bob develops a friendship with the local newspaperman (Will Holley), and young Paula Wendell, who works for a movie studio as a location scout. Both Will and Paula prove valuable as sources of local knowledge/gossip.
The author keeps introducing more characters who, at first glance, don't appear to have anything to do with the story--until the story unfolds and all becomes clear. I must say that I was bamboozled for quite a while. I laughed after the final twist, when all was revealed. Too clever by half--I did not see that coming!
The author does a great job with the local color and the glimpse of the early motion picture. industry. This is a worthy addition to the Golden Age canon.
Charlie Chan's second investigation has him leaving Hawaii and traveling to San Francisco. He is doing a favor for Sally Jordan, a long-time friend (transporting a valuable pearl necklace); once he hands over the necklace, he will be on vacation. Alas for Charlie, complication arise and his vacation is swallowed by a puzzling case--too many people want to get their hands on those pearls. The jeweler who brokered the sale between Sally and reclusive millionaire PJ Madden, asks Chan to accompany Bob Eden (his son) to Madden's desert ranch to seal the deal and hand over the pearls.
I had fun with this, even though the pace was slow. We don't spend too much time in San Francisco, as the action shifts to the southern California desert ranch house of millionaire business man P J Madden, who is awaiting the arrival of the necklace. Sensing something fishy, Chan goes undercover as the replacement cook and house 'boy' Ah Kim, forcing himself to spout the most atrocious pigeon English. Meanwhile, Bob develops a friendship with the local newspaperman (Will Holley), and young Paula Wendell, who works for a movie studio as a location scout. Both Will and Paula prove valuable as sources of local knowledge/gossip.
The author keeps introducing more characters who, at first glance, don't appear to have anything to do with the story--until the story unfolds and all becomes clear. I must say that I was bamboozled for quite a while. I laughed after the final twist, when all was revealed. Too clever by half--I did not see that coming!
The author does a great job with the local color and the glimpse of the early motion picture. industry. This is a worthy addition to the Golden Age canon.
October 6, 2011
The Chinese Parrot, published in 1926, was the second of Earl Derr Biggers’ Charlie Chan mysteries and was even more successful than its predecessor.
I was in some ways a little disappointed that this one, unlike The House Without a Key, wasn’t set in Hawaii. 1920s Honolulu was such a cool setting. There are compensations however. Charlie Chan himself moves more to centre stage in this second book and becomes a more vivid and more complex character.
The structure is interesting. At first there’s no evidence that any crime of any sort has been committed. Just a vague sense of things being not quite right, a feeling that slowly grows into a fairly strong conviction that dark deeds really are afoot but still without anything resembling proof. And even then, even if a crime may have been committed, exactly what was the crime?
Detective-Sergeant Charlie Chan of the Honolulu Police has been looking forward to visiting the mainland US for years. He finally gets the opportunity, and decides to combine a vacation with a favour for an old friend. Forty years earlier Sally Phillimore had been the most sought-after heiress in Hawaii. Now she is broke, thanks to reckless investments by her much loved but hopelessly irresponsible son.The only way to retrieve the family fortunes is to sell the fabulous Phillimore pearls.
Another old friend of Sally’s, Alexander Eden, is a successful jeweller in San Francisco. He has a buyer lined up, the wealthy financier P. J. Madden. Charlie Chan’s job is simple. All he has to do is to escort the pearls from Honolulu to San Francisco. Eden’s son Bob will pick up the pearls from the dock. The handover does not go smoothly however - Bob Eden spots a suspicious looking character who seems to be shadowing him. This is the first faint sign that perhaps the transaction is not going to be straightforward. When Charlie Chan and Bob Eden agree to deliver the pearls to P. J. Madden’s desert ranch just outside a town named Eldorado they spot further disquieting signs that all is not quite as it should be.
Charlie Chan’s instincts tell him that perhaps something is very wrong indeed, and the affair of the parrot adds further to the sense of unease. To reveal any details at all of the plot from this point on would spoil the fun as Biggers skillfully weaves a series of small incidents into a fiendishly complicated web of intrigue and mystery.
As in the first novel Biggers has fun mocking racial stereotypes, but he does it with such a lightness of touch that you never have the uncomfortable feeling of being preached to. The anti-racist message is subtle but effective.
There are colourful supporting characters and there’s a love interest in the shape of Paula Wendell, a location spotter for the movies (the sleepy desert town of Eldorado is about to be invaded by a Hollywood film crew, a fact which will also have an unexpected bearing on the plot).
It’s all great fun. The Wordsworth Charlie Chan Omnibus includes the first three novels involving the redoubtable Chinese detective from Honolulu (based on a famous real-life model) and I recommend it very highly.
I was in some ways a little disappointed that this one, unlike The House Without a Key, wasn’t set in Hawaii. 1920s Honolulu was such a cool setting. There are compensations however. Charlie Chan himself moves more to centre stage in this second book and becomes a more vivid and more complex character.
The structure is interesting. At first there’s no evidence that any crime of any sort has been committed. Just a vague sense of things being not quite right, a feeling that slowly grows into a fairly strong conviction that dark deeds really are afoot but still without anything resembling proof. And even then, even if a crime may have been committed, exactly what was the crime?
Detective-Sergeant Charlie Chan of the Honolulu Police has been looking forward to visiting the mainland US for years. He finally gets the opportunity, and decides to combine a vacation with a favour for an old friend. Forty years earlier Sally Phillimore had been the most sought-after heiress in Hawaii. Now she is broke, thanks to reckless investments by her much loved but hopelessly irresponsible son.The only way to retrieve the family fortunes is to sell the fabulous Phillimore pearls.
Another old friend of Sally’s, Alexander Eden, is a successful jeweller in San Francisco. He has a buyer lined up, the wealthy financier P. J. Madden. Charlie Chan’s job is simple. All he has to do is to escort the pearls from Honolulu to San Francisco. Eden’s son Bob will pick up the pearls from the dock. The handover does not go smoothly however - Bob Eden spots a suspicious looking character who seems to be shadowing him. This is the first faint sign that perhaps the transaction is not going to be straightforward. When Charlie Chan and Bob Eden agree to deliver the pearls to P. J. Madden’s desert ranch just outside a town named Eldorado they spot further disquieting signs that all is not quite as it should be.
Charlie Chan’s instincts tell him that perhaps something is very wrong indeed, and the affair of the parrot adds further to the sense of unease. To reveal any details at all of the plot from this point on would spoil the fun as Biggers skillfully weaves a series of small incidents into a fiendishly complicated web of intrigue and mystery.
As in the first novel Biggers has fun mocking racial stereotypes, but he does it with such a lightness of touch that you never have the uncomfortable feeling of being preached to. The anti-racist message is subtle but effective.
There are colourful supporting characters and there’s a love interest in the shape of Paula Wendell, a location spotter for the movies (the sleepy desert town of Eldorado is about to be invaded by a Hollywood film crew, a fact which will also have an unexpected bearing on the plot).
It’s all great fun. The Wordsworth Charlie Chan Omnibus includes the first three novels involving the redoubtable Chinese detective from Honolulu (based on a famous real-life model) and I recommend it very highly.
May 21, 2017
Classic drawing room mystery. Charlie Chan has depth
The third Earl Biggers mystery and his second Charlie Chan Novel
Bottom Line: An honest who-done it, with more than enough clues for you to beat the detective to the solution. Light, fun and written before the super sleuth conventions were reduced to formulas.
On advantage of reading the old classic mystery novels is that stock clichés had not yet become stock. Indeed this is one of the more original takes on the"drawing room" detective story.
This is from the `who done it" school of mysteries. Biggs follows the most basic of the rules in this class; the reader has all the same information as the detective and therefore has a fair chance to solve the case before the hero.
The plot involves a reclusive financial magnate, his personal staff a very valuable pearl necklace a growing assortment of shady characters, the requisite female romantic interest, the white guy demi-hero and visiting Charlie Chan, on a busman's' holiday from the Honolulu Police Dept. This mixed bag slowly accumulates at the remote desert home of the wealthy P.J. Madden. Something is rotten in this sprawling Spanish inspired house and it is up to our sleuth to go undercover as a menial cook and determine what is cooking. Our first body is a murdered Chinese parrot and the stakes are a $300,000 (marked down to $220,000) pearl necklace.
Having previous read Charlie Chan #1, The House Without a Key: A Charlie Chan Mystery (Charlie Chan Mysteries)one is struck by Bigger's vastly increased sensitivity to the racist aspects of his Chinese hero. Indeed, by placing Chan undercover as a Chinese menial, Biggs is able to force the issue of the Chinese stereotypes and allow Chan to make the case for the dignity and respect for the Chinese people living in America. Along the way he admits that there may have been some resentment of the white man existing among the Chinese people. There are even a few asides at the expense of the Japanese - as viewed by the Chinese. All this is insightful for 1926. Chan still speaks in broken English, just less so than in book 1 and with more the freedom to condemn the more extreme examples used in American fiction.
The 260 pages flow quickly. I read this in E book form and so quickly does it move I thought it to be about ½ this length.
Yes there are some major holes. Red clay was a major clue and no one thought to ask the one person with the most local knowledge: where around here do we find red clay? In fact this clue is something of a dead end; a red herring of a clue.
In Sum: Classic and honest who done it. A fast entertaining read. Mostly well written characters and some stock conventions pre-dating the final formulation of the stock conventions.
The third Earl Biggers mystery and his second Charlie Chan Novel
Bottom Line: An honest who-done it, with more than enough clues for you to beat the detective to the solution. Light, fun and written before the super sleuth conventions were reduced to formulas.
On advantage of reading the old classic mystery novels is that stock clichés had not yet become stock. Indeed this is one of the more original takes on the"drawing room" detective story.
This is from the `who done it" school of mysteries. Biggs follows the most basic of the rules in this class; the reader has all the same information as the detective and therefore has a fair chance to solve the case before the hero.
The plot involves a reclusive financial magnate, his personal staff a very valuable pearl necklace a growing assortment of shady characters, the requisite female romantic interest, the white guy demi-hero and visiting Charlie Chan, on a busman's' holiday from the Honolulu Police Dept. This mixed bag slowly accumulates at the remote desert home of the wealthy P.J. Madden. Something is rotten in this sprawling Spanish inspired house and it is up to our sleuth to go undercover as a menial cook and determine what is cooking. Our first body is a murdered Chinese parrot and the stakes are a $300,000 (marked down to $220,000) pearl necklace.
Having previous read Charlie Chan #1, The House Without a Key: A Charlie Chan Mystery (Charlie Chan Mysteries)one is struck by Bigger's vastly increased sensitivity to the racist aspects of his Chinese hero. Indeed, by placing Chan undercover as a Chinese menial, Biggs is able to force the issue of the Chinese stereotypes and allow Chan to make the case for the dignity and respect for the Chinese people living in America. Along the way he admits that there may have been some resentment of the white man existing among the Chinese people. There are even a few asides at the expense of the Japanese - as viewed by the Chinese. All this is insightful for 1926. Chan still speaks in broken English, just less so than in book 1 and with more the freedom to condemn the more extreme examples used in American fiction.
The 260 pages flow quickly. I read this in E book form and so quickly does it move I thought it to be about ½ this length.
Yes there are some major holes. Red clay was a major clue and no one thought to ask the one person with the most local knowledge: where around here do we find red clay? In fact this clue is something of a dead end; a red herring of a clue.
In Sum: Classic and honest who done it. A fast entertaining read. Mostly well written characters and some stock conventions pre-dating the final formulation of the stock conventions.
November 5, 2023
Charlie Chan serisinin ikinci romanı. Charlie eski gücünü kaybetmiş zengin bir kadının mücevher teslimat işinde çalışır. Bob Eden adında biriyle birliktedir bu işte. Ama teslimat çok ilginç gelişir. Önce teslimat yeri değiştirilir ve herkeste şüphe uyandırır. Bunun üzerine temkinli bir satış yapmaya çalışırlar. Ama işler karışır ve iki cinayet meydana gelir. Çince konuşabilen bir papağan da olunca şüphenin gölgesi hemen herkesin üstüne düşer. Bu kitapta da Çinli esprileri vardı. Çoğu okuru rahatsız etse de bence çok eğlenceliydi. İlk kitabı basan yayınevi sanırım devam etmiyor çünkü bu roman Türkçe’de en son 1972’de basılmış. Ona da ulaşabilme imkanı yok. Umarım yeni baskısı yapılır ve seriye devam edilir. E-book bulursam devam edeceğim ben de.
September 28, 2021
Sajnos ez elég gyenge, vontatott és nehézkes történet. Az első kötet a kínai nyomozóval sokkal jobban sikerült.
December 6, 2021
3.5 stars. In this second novel, Charlie Chan has a bigger role, but the resolution of the story is a little implausible. I found the first novel's plot better than this here.
SYNOPSIS from Wikipedia: "The Chinese Parrot (1926) is the second novel in the Charlie Chan series of mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers. It is the first in which Chan travels from Hawaii to mainland California, and involves a crime whose exposure is hastened by the death of a parrot.
The story concerns a valuable string of pearls which is purchased by a wealthy and eccentric financier. The handsome young son of the jeweller is assigned to shepherd the transfer of the pearls to the financier's vacation home in a desert area of California. Because of his long association with the owner of the pearls—before joining the police force, he was her houseboy—Charlie Chan travels from Hawaii to California with the pearls. After two mysterious deaths, first of a Chinese-speaking parrot and then of the household's Chinese man-of-all-work, Charlie Chan masquerades as a pidgin-speaking cook named Ah Kim and works undercover to solve a number of crimes. Along the way, the jeweller's son meets a beautiful young woman who works as a location scout and decides to stay in the California desert."
SYNOPSIS from Wikipedia: "The Chinese Parrot (1926) is the second novel in the Charlie Chan series of mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers. It is the first in which Chan travels from Hawaii to mainland California, and involves a crime whose exposure is hastened by the death of a parrot.
The story concerns a valuable string of pearls which is purchased by a wealthy and eccentric financier. The handsome young son of the jeweller is assigned to shepherd the transfer of the pearls to the financier's vacation home in a desert area of California. Because of his long association with the owner of the pearls—before joining the police force, he was her houseboy—Charlie Chan travels from Hawaii to California with the pearls. After two mysterious deaths, first of a Chinese-speaking parrot and then of the household's Chinese man-of-all-work, Charlie Chan masquerades as a pidgin-speaking cook named Ah Kim and works undercover to solve a number of crimes. Along the way, the jeweller's son meets a beautiful young woman who works as a location scout and decides to stay in the California desert."
March 22, 2016
I bought this a few years ago because it had a great painted cover, and promptly forgot about it until I was looking for something to read about a month ago. I'd never read a Charlie Chan novel before, and in reading it I've learned a lot of weird but obvious things about Charlie Chan novels.
You're going to read a Charlie Chan novel in 2016 and realize that it's horribly, horribly racist, but also that is has no idea it's racist and in fact is trying to be progressive. Charlie has this ridiculous speech pattern that's trying to emulate what it's like for a Chinese person to speak English as a second language which, as soon as you read it, you realize a) is how Chinese characters spoke in literally every movie until at least the 90s, and 2) is nothing like how an actual Chinese person learning English actually speaks. Plus, Chan has this weird line about how his grasp of English frustrates him for its clumsiness, which is like, not how becoming conversational through immersion in another language works at all EVEN A LITTLE. So it's sort of horribly offensive that Biggers was trying to write this dynamic progressive Asian lead character and making up this fucking stupid way of talking WITHOUT SPEAKING TO AN ACTUAL FUCKING ASIAN OBVIOUSLY.
Also, Chan speaks in a lot of faux-koans and goofy nature metaphors, and I can't decide how I feel about this. While making every Asian character in Western fiction speak like a cartoon of a Buddhist monk is totally fucking insane, all the Chinese transfer students in my composition courses LOVE them some Confucius quotes and nature metaphors, holy shit. You can't read a single page of a first year's first paper without a zen quote or story about trees. It's like if you had a Russian student write a paper about bears and vodka. (Actually I did have a Russian student who did this once, but he just did it to fuck with me.) Anyway, I don't know if stereotypes are real or our horrible ideas about Asian culture have somehow rubbed off on Asian college students trying to assimilate into Western culture or what, and none of it excuses Charlie Chan, who is a fucking detective from Honolulu and would seriously never talk about a lotus blossom.
Anyway, I can't stop thinking about all that stuff, but it's also really obvious -- the ways this book is really obviously racist. The ways that is is less obviously racist is how Charlie is not the main character of his own book, and is apparently never the main character of any of the books, but always sort of the 'smart assistant' character to some milquetoast white guy he runs into in each story. Here the main character is Bob Eden (I mean dear god), who is totally awful. Just awful. Just stupid and entitled and bosses Chan around and is trying to marry this woman the whole book and just sort of objectifies her and tries to protect her and leads every single one of their conversations through a series of microaggressions and again, it's interesting because Chan and Paula (the woman) are obviously, obviously way more interesting characters and they spend a lot of the book sort of leading Bob around by the nose and being smarter than him, but he's still the star of the book. And the only three-dimensional characters in the book are Bob and all of his male friends, who are vulnerable and thoughtful and capable of acting in different ways at different times while still maintaining their selfhoods, while Chan and Paula, who are clearly supposed to be smarter and more sophisticated, are still these sort of one-note character robots. Charlie is sly and submissive and Paula is independent with a wild hair, and THAT IS IT. THEY DON'T CHANGE. Basically Chan could have solved the entire mystery with Paula as his streetwise wheelman and Bob could have stayed at home. Bob is the main character and he's admittedly, loudly, obviously useless to the story except to act as some kind of mediator for the Mysterious Woman and the Wily Chinaman.
I mean, I don't know. I don't fucking know. This book was written like 100 years ago. I fucking don't know. I think Biggers meant to do a lot of these things, to make these kinds of commentaries not just about the Other, but about white men too. I mean, I think. It's so consistent, but also so AWFUL, but what. But what. But what.
The entire time I was reading this book I was, from the start, rewriting it as a movie directed by David Fincher, in which Charlie talked like a normal person and solved everything while leading Bob around by the nose, Charlie sort of maintaining the wall between himself and the audience, but as an act of careful planning rather than Othering. Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, hell man, even Columbo -- the tradition of having a guarded detective character is not new to Charlie Chan. But obviously there's something wholly different about how he's treated in the context of these stories.
As I'm typing I'm getting another idea about Charlie and Paula as the main characters while Bob just fucks around in the background. But literally who would star in this movie even. Racism is so obvious it's boring, this book was written 100 years ago and less has changed than hasn't changed, that's the mystery, that's your zen koan, that the lotus blossom, someone call me Honolulu, someone hook me up with Charlie Chan.
You're going to read a Charlie Chan novel in 2016 and realize that it's horribly, horribly racist, but also that is has no idea it's racist and in fact is trying to be progressive. Charlie has this ridiculous speech pattern that's trying to emulate what it's like for a Chinese person to speak English as a second language which, as soon as you read it, you realize a) is how Chinese characters spoke in literally every movie until at least the 90s, and 2) is nothing like how an actual Chinese person learning English actually speaks. Plus, Chan has this weird line about how his grasp of English frustrates him for its clumsiness, which is like, not how becoming conversational through immersion in another language works at all EVEN A LITTLE. So it's sort of horribly offensive that Biggers was trying to write this dynamic progressive Asian lead character and making up this fucking stupid way of talking WITHOUT SPEAKING TO AN ACTUAL FUCKING ASIAN OBVIOUSLY.
Also, Chan speaks in a lot of faux-koans and goofy nature metaphors, and I can't decide how I feel about this. While making every Asian character in Western fiction speak like a cartoon of a Buddhist monk is totally fucking insane, all the Chinese transfer students in my composition courses LOVE them some Confucius quotes and nature metaphors, holy shit. You can't read a single page of a first year's first paper without a zen quote or story about trees. It's like if you had a Russian student write a paper about bears and vodka. (Actually I did have a Russian student who did this once, but he just did it to fuck with me.) Anyway, I don't know if stereotypes are real or our horrible ideas about Asian culture have somehow rubbed off on Asian college students trying to assimilate into Western culture or what, and none of it excuses Charlie Chan, who is a fucking detective from Honolulu and would seriously never talk about a lotus blossom.
Anyway, I can't stop thinking about all that stuff, but it's also really obvious -- the ways this book is really obviously racist. The ways that is is less obviously racist is how Charlie is not the main character of his own book, and is apparently never the main character of any of the books, but always sort of the 'smart assistant' character to some milquetoast white guy he runs into in each story. Here the main character is Bob Eden (I mean dear god), who is totally awful. Just awful. Just stupid and entitled and bosses Chan around and is trying to marry this woman the whole book and just sort of objectifies her and tries to protect her and leads every single one of their conversations through a series of microaggressions and again, it's interesting because Chan and Paula (the woman) are obviously, obviously way more interesting characters and they spend a lot of the book sort of leading Bob around by the nose and being smarter than him, but he's still the star of the book. And the only three-dimensional characters in the book are Bob and all of his male friends, who are vulnerable and thoughtful and capable of acting in different ways at different times while still maintaining their selfhoods, while Chan and Paula, who are clearly supposed to be smarter and more sophisticated, are still these sort of one-note character robots. Charlie is sly and submissive and Paula is independent with a wild hair, and THAT IS IT. THEY DON'T CHANGE. Basically Chan could have solved the entire mystery with Paula as his streetwise wheelman and Bob could have stayed at home. Bob is the main character and he's admittedly, loudly, obviously useless to the story except to act as some kind of mediator for the Mysterious Woman and the Wily Chinaman.
I mean, I don't know. I don't fucking know. This book was written like 100 years ago. I fucking don't know. I think Biggers meant to do a lot of these things, to make these kinds of commentaries not just about the Other, but about white men too. I mean, I think. It's so consistent, but also so AWFUL, but what. But what. But what.
The entire time I was reading this book I was, from the start, rewriting it as a movie directed by David Fincher, in which Charlie talked like a normal person and solved everything while leading Bob around by the nose, Charlie sort of maintaining the wall between himself and the audience, but as an act of careful planning rather than Othering. Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, hell man, even Columbo -- the tradition of having a guarded detective character is not new to Charlie Chan. But obviously there's something wholly different about how he's treated in the context of these stories.
As I'm typing I'm getting another idea about Charlie and Paula as the main characters while Bob just fucks around in the background. But literally who would star in this movie even. Racism is so obvious it's boring, this book was written 100 years ago and less has changed than hasn't changed, that's the mystery, that's your zen koan, that the lotus blossom, someone call me Honolulu, someone hook me up with Charlie Chan.
October 11, 2018
Sally Jordan must sell the legendary Phillimore pearls to raise money for her son. Millionaire Madden offers her a bargain price, but she is willing to take it. How can she get the pearls from her Hawaiian home to the Mainland? Her old friend Charlie Chan has always longed to travel...Soon Bob Eden and Charlie are on their way to the remote California desert where Madden awaits them. But Charlie senses something wrong with the ranch set-up, and prevails on Bob to keep the millionaire waiting.
November 12, 2020
When a down-on-her-luck Honolulu socialite is forced to part with a priceless string of pearls, who should she call to ensure that the high-figured deal goes off without a hitch? Inspector Charlie Chan, of course!
This second installment in the Charlie Chan series sees the titular character make his maiden voyage to America’s mainland, stopping off briefly in the fast-paced hub of San Francisco (“For three hours I am free to wander the damp but interesting streets of your city”) before traveling to the ranch of financier, P.J. Madden, hidden away in the vast, windswept desert of inland California. It is here where Chan and the jewelry broker’s son, Bob Eden, are supposed to deliver the precious cargo. Something is clearly amiss at the ranch though, thrusting the duo into a race against time to uncover any shady business before the deal goes bust.
Unlike most mysteries, The Chinese Parrot starts off with just the presumption of a crime having been committed. This unfortunately results in some pacing issues that prove difficult to overcome, as the duo set upon their quarry in fits and starts, at times simply running out of any leads to chase.
While Bob Eden is front and center as the leading man in this story, there is no doubt that it is Charlie who is the moving force behind the quest to put things right. He is an expert sleuth—keenly observant, tireless, loyal and to top it off, modest to a fault. Still, as other reviewers have pointed out, there are some jagged edges in this book (written in the 1920s) that highlight the terrible anti-Chinese sentiment someone liked Charlie would have faced at that time.
Having already read the first installment in the series, The House Without a Key , I am eager to join Charlie again soon on his next adventure back in the lush environs of Honolulu and Punchbowl Hill!
This second installment in the Charlie Chan series sees the titular character make his maiden voyage to America’s mainland, stopping off briefly in the fast-paced hub of San Francisco (“For three hours I am free to wander the damp but interesting streets of your city”) before traveling to the ranch of financier, P.J. Madden, hidden away in the vast, windswept desert of inland California. It is here where Chan and the jewelry broker’s son, Bob Eden, are supposed to deliver the precious cargo. Something is clearly amiss at the ranch though, thrusting the duo into a race against time to uncover any shady business before the deal goes bust.
Unlike most mysteries, The Chinese Parrot starts off with just the presumption of a crime having been committed. This unfortunately results in some pacing issues that prove difficult to overcome, as the duo set upon their quarry in fits and starts, at times simply running out of any leads to chase.
While Bob Eden is front and center as the leading man in this story, there is no doubt that it is Charlie who is the moving force behind the quest to put things right. He is an expert sleuth—keenly observant, tireless, loyal and to top it off, modest to a fault. Still, as other reviewers have pointed out, there are some jagged edges in this book (written in the 1920s) that highlight the terrible anti-Chinese sentiment someone liked Charlie would have faced at that time.
Having already read the first installment in the series, The House Without a Key , I am eager to join Charlie again soon on his next adventure back in the lush environs of Honolulu and Punchbowl Hill!
Read
February 21, 2016Charlie Chan comes to the mainland carrying a string of valuable pearls for an old friend, to help her out and have a vacation. But, as young Bob Eden observes, " If you 19ve ever read a mystery story, you know that a detective never works so hard as when he 19s on a vacation". A mystery is not far behind and this puzzle is one where Charlie suspects foul play, even murder, but there is neither a body, nor any clue as to who the victim could have been. Charlie has more of an active role in this adventure (If I remember right) than in the first book, where John Quincey seemed to do most of the sleuthing.
July 20, 2021
A common desire for younger folks today is to place more value on an experience. That's sensible in many ways, and I think it applies to books too. I gave this book five stars even though I had the mystery completely solved halfway through, because Earl Derr Biggers provides the reader with a great experience. I was happy to stay on the ride even though I knew how it would end.
There is a bit of everything: a mystery, a romance, characters that grow over the course of the story and exotic settings. Biggers had a talent for setting a scene, whether it be Charlie Chan's visit to a relative in Chinatown or the many drives Bob Eden made through the California desert. Most of the book is set in that desert; I've never been and probably never will, but after reading this book I feel like I've had something of a visit. Biggers' description of it - and the reactions of his characters to it - are that type of detail that elevates a book from an average level. Biggers gets extra credit for the time he took to make the denizens of the desert, some of whom appear in only a scene or two, memorable and intriguing.
And then there's Mr. Chan. I couldn't help but see and hear Warner Oland as I read his parts in this book. I have to wonder if Oland perused these books before he assumed that role, as the two versions seem to gel effortlessly. The outwardly patient but inwardly calculating detective, in both print and screen.
Good stuff!
There is a bit of everything: a mystery, a romance, characters that grow over the course of the story and exotic settings. Biggers had a talent for setting a scene, whether it be Charlie Chan's visit to a relative in Chinatown or the many drives Bob Eden made through the California desert. Most of the book is set in that desert; I've never been and probably never will, but after reading this book I feel like I've had something of a visit. Biggers' description of it - and the reactions of his characters to it - are that type of detail that elevates a book from an average level. Biggers gets extra credit for the time he took to make the denizens of the desert, some of whom appear in only a scene or two, memorable and intriguing.
And then there's Mr. Chan. I couldn't help but see and hear Warner Oland as I read his parts in this book. I have to wonder if Oland perused these books before he assumed that role, as the two versions seem to gel effortlessly. The outwardly patient but inwardly calculating detective, in both print and screen.
Good stuff!
October 11, 2022
As much as I wanted to absolutely love this golden age mystery I found that I only liked it. Though this is labeled a Charlie Chan mystery, most of the time he was pretending to be a cook and spent about 70% of the story off stage in the kitchen. And though his recipients claimed he was a wonderful cook, not one mention of what they ate! Lol. His companion did most the leg work and brought back what he found to Charlie who kept his thoughts to himself most the time.
Also, I felt this book had alot of filler and could have been shorter. There was basically a whole chapter about the movie folks that were in the story and I still can't figure out what they added to the story.
And finally I really don't like when an author types the way a person with an accent might sound like. Back in the day there were many Scottish romances that did this and it drove me up a wall. Same here but with a stupid Chinese accent translated into broken English. At least that's what Charlie did for his role as cook but I still found it hard to interpret.
Aside from the negative I found that the desert atmosphere was pretty well done and the characters each had their own quirks. The mystery did surprise me and the finale was well done.
This is the 2nd I've read and so far have found them enjoyable enough to finish.
Also, I felt this book had alot of filler and could have been shorter. There was basically a whole chapter about the movie folks that were in the story and I still can't figure out what they added to the story.
And finally I really don't like when an author types the way a person with an accent might sound like. Back in the day there were many Scottish romances that did this and it drove me up a wall. Same here but with a stupid Chinese accent translated into broken English. At least that's what Charlie did for his role as cook but I still found it hard to interpret.
Aside from the negative I found that the desert atmosphere was pretty well done and the characters each had their own quirks. The mystery did surprise me and the finale was well done.
This is the 2nd I've read and so far have found them enjoyable enough to finish.
September 27, 2022
Sempre piacevole la lettura di Biggers, il personaggio benchè stereotipato è simpatico e parla come Boskov (sia nella forma sia nel contenuto) e le storie sono disegnate bene e credibili. Il punto debole qui è che i comportamenti sono talmente realistici che il lettore esperto dopo poche pagine capisce dove si vuole andare a parare. Un po' prevedibile quindi ma comunque bello.
La storia in due parole: una preziosa collana passa di mano fra la proprietaria bisognosa di soldi e un nuovo ricco, un potente industriale. Charlie Chan deve fare da intermediario, ma il luogo dello scambio è un posto abbandonato da Dio in pieno deserto, dove l'uomo vive con il suo segretario e un misterioso pappagallo, che sarà la prima vittima. Indagando sulla morte del pappagallo si svelerà poco per volta una trama che... Non un capolavoro o una pietra miliare del giallo, ma per svagarsi qualche ora va benissimo anche così
La storia in due parole: una preziosa collana passa di mano fra la proprietaria bisognosa di soldi e un nuovo ricco, un potente industriale. Charlie Chan deve fare da intermediario, ma il luogo dello scambio è un posto abbandonato da Dio in pieno deserto, dove l'uomo vive con il suo segretario e un misterioso pappagallo, che sarà la prima vittima. Indagando sulla morte del pappagallo si svelerà poco per volta una trama che... Non un capolavoro o una pietra miliare del giallo, ma per svagarsi qualche ora va benissimo anche così
January 20, 2025
Earl Derr Biggers only wrote six of these between 1925 and 1932; he died in 1933 at 49. It would be interesting what other Charlie Chan adventures he might have produced had he lived longer. As it is, we have these six to enjoy.
This is the second in the series, and as might be expected, it’s a bit dated, but that doesn’t detract from Charlie and his story. Here he ventures to mainland USA in San Francisco and California environs, leaving Hawaii for his first ever trip “abroad.” He has agreed to act as courier for an old friend, bringing her magnificent pearl necklace to be sold. But after arrival, the parameters of the deal change, and unexpected events result in Chan hanging onto the pearls while he tries to discern who did what to whom, and who can be trusted. Fun read.
This is the second in the series, and as might be expected, it’s a bit dated, but that doesn’t detract from Charlie and his story. Here he ventures to mainland USA in San Francisco and California environs, leaving Hawaii for his first ever trip “abroad.” He has agreed to act as courier for an old friend, bringing her magnificent pearl necklace to be sold. But after arrival, the parameters of the deal change, and unexpected events result in Chan hanging onto the pearls while he tries to discern who did what to whom, and who can be trusted. Fun read.
February 25, 2022
I have loved Charlie Chan movies for 50 years. This book did not disappoint. Some people might find it hokey but considering the book was written in 1926, I thought it was quite well done. This was the second in the series and I will be looking for the other 4 books at used book stores.
The California desert was the main setting and undeveloped California was a character in the book.
The California desert was the main setting and undeveloped California was a character in the book.
September 21, 2022
mysteries are fun, racism is not
September 22, 2022
Y’all… go read this book omg. Easily as good as any Hercule Poirot story
June 18, 2013
The Chinese Parrot (1926) is the second in Earl Derr Biggers's mystery series featuring Charlie Chan. The Charlie Chan stories were first serialized in The Saturday Evening Post. What is interesting is that these stories were running during the same time period as Sax Rohmer's "yellow peril" Fu Manchu. Biggers's representation of Asians may not be perfect, but it is certainly far more positive than most of the Western literature of the early 20th century. The Chinese detective from Honolulu manages to outsmart everyone in this snapshot of 1920s America. And he's using his intelligence for good, rather than in an evil "yellow" plot to wipe out civilization.
A society lady who has fallen on hard times (read: her wastrel son has squandered the fortune his father had left) is forced to sell her valuable string of pearls in order to meet debts and have something to live on. Millionaire P. J. Madden is determined to have the pearls as what he calls a just revenge for how this lady looked right through him when he was a nobody bellhop. A deal is arranged by Eden, a prominent San Francisco jeweler (and friend of the lady's family). Charlie Chan, formerly a houseboy in the lady's home and now a detective with the Honolulu police, is asked to transport the pearls to San Francisco where he will join the jewler's son, Bob, for the journey to New York to deliver the pearls.
But the jeweler receives a phone call changing the plan--Madden has decided to visit his desert ranch and wants the pearls delivered there instead. There are known criminals lurking about and Bob Eden--and Chan--begin to be worried about the arrangements. It is decided that the two will travel separately and Chan will disguise himself as a man in need of work in order to get into Madden's home. He masquerades as Ah Kim, a "boy of all work" who tends the fireplace, cooks, picks up supplies, and occasionally chauffeurs. Once established on the ranch, they encounter a Chinese-speaking parrot who dies before he can tell all, someone else will be murdered, and Bob will play poker with a millionaire and one of the shady characters. There will be tales of arsenic and Chan will find a hidden bullet hole as well as the missing gun which was responsible.
I grew up watching the Charlie Chan movies on Saturday/Sunday afternoon television and I must say that I appreciate this novel much more. I enjoyed the mystery and the wisdom of Chan. It didn't matter that I suspected who was responsible the entire time...there were enough twists and turns and unknowns to make for an enjoyable read. Three and a half stars.
This was first posted to my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks!
A society lady who has fallen on hard times (read: her wastrel son has squandered the fortune his father had left) is forced to sell her valuable string of pearls in order to meet debts and have something to live on. Millionaire P. J. Madden is determined to have the pearls as what he calls a just revenge for how this lady looked right through him when he was a nobody bellhop. A deal is arranged by Eden, a prominent San Francisco jeweler (and friend of the lady's family). Charlie Chan, formerly a houseboy in the lady's home and now a detective with the Honolulu police, is asked to transport the pearls to San Francisco where he will join the jewler's son, Bob, for the journey to New York to deliver the pearls.
But the jeweler receives a phone call changing the plan--Madden has decided to visit his desert ranch and wants the pearls delivered there instead. There are known criminals lurking about and Bob Eden--and Chan--begin to be worried about the arrangements. It is decided that the two will travel separately and Chan will disguise himself as a man in need of work in order to get into Madden's home. He masquerades as Ah Kim, a "boy of all work" who tends the fireplace, cooks, picks up supplies, and occasionally chauffeurs. Once established on the ranch, they encounter a Chinese-speaking parrot who dies before he can tell all, someone else will be murdered, and Bob will play poker with a millionaire and one of the shady characters. There will be tales of arsenic and Chan will find a hidden bullet hole as well as the missing gun which was responsible.
I grew up watching the Charlie Chan movies on Saturday/Sunday afternoon television and I must say that I appreciate this novel much more. I enjoyed the mystery and the wisdom of Chan. It didn't matter that I suspected who was responsible the entire time...there were enough twists and turns and unknowns to make for an enjoyable read. Three and a half stars.
This was first posted to my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks!
December 26, 2021
This mystery novel by Earl Derr Biggers is the second in which the author has brought in the character of Charlie Chan. Chan is a Chinese-born Hawaiian who works as a detective in the Honolulu Police Department. In the first book, "The House without a Key," published in 1925, Inspector Chan was a rather minor character in a murder-mystery/love-story, but it may well have been this character interested the readership so much that the author decided to re-introduce him. He shows up first in San Francisco, and then in southern California, in a desert-like area outside of Los Angeles. The book first appeared in 1926, when the cinema was still silent and the greatest genre seemed to have been "the Western".
Except for Inspector Chan, most if not all of the other characters are new, but they resemble the cast of characters of "The House Without a Key". A young man seeking to make something of his life, a young independent woman, thieves who pass for respectable and established citizens, lawyers, newspaper reporters, local police officials, and a struggling, formerly well-to-do family that his been hit by hard times. In the 1920s, before the Great Depression, everything seemed possible.
Swindling leads to murder, witnesses are silenced while movies are being filmed and real estate agents are busy promoting property development (so L.A. in the 20th century). The only one who seems to recognize shady deals and dangerous situations is the Hong-Kong immigrant detective. Charlie Chan encounters cruel but very typical racism, which he uses to his advantage to work undercover and finally bring swindlers and murderers to justice.
In "The Chinese Parrot" Charlie Chan has a much greater role than he did in "The House Without a Key." His unassuming manner enables him to engage many people who would otherwise be on the fringe of society: the down-and-out, immigrants, domestic workers, and even a Parrot that banters in Cantonese, giving clues to a growing number of disappearances, fraud, and murders.
As a followup to "The House Without a Key," this book offers good character development. I am certain that the character of Charlie Chan, wise, astute and humorous, became more popular because of this novel. I recommend it as a good mystery thriller and a fun story.
Except for Inspector Chan, most if not all of the other characters are new, but they resemble the cast of characters of "The House Without a Key". A young man seeking to make something of his life, a young independent woman, thieves who pass for respectable and established citizens, lawyers, newspaper reporters, local police officials, and a struggling, formerly well-to-do family that his been hit by hard times. In the 1920s, before the Great Depression, everything seemed possible.
Swindling leads to murder, witnesses are silenced while movies are being filmed and real estate agents are busy promoting property development (so L.A. in the 20th century). The only one who seems to recognize shady deals and dangerous situations is the Hong-Kong immigrant detective. Charlie Chan encounters cruel but very typical racism, which he uses to his advantage to work undercover and finally bring swindlers and murderers to justice.
In "The Chinese Parrot" Charlie Chan has a much greater role than he did in "The House Without a Key." His unassuming manner enables him to engage many people who would otherwise be on the fringe of society: the down-and-out, immigrants, domestic workers, and even a Parrot that banters in Cantonese, giving clues to a growing number of disappearances, fraud, and murders.
As a followup to "The House Without a Key," this book offers good character development. I am certain that the character of Charlie Chan, wise, astute and humorous, became more popular because of this novel. I recommend it as a good mystery thriller and a fun story.
March 12, 2011
This was very funny and, though predictable, I enjoyed watching all the pieces fall into place. My 21st century self at first thought it was a bit racist but then I realized how often Charlie Chan was able to use his race to an advantage to find out more about the crime so I decided it wasn't. Also, Biggers clearly points out how racist some of the other characters are and does not praise them for it, so I suppose it was pretty advanced for the 1920s. At times I wondered if these novels were written with the hopes that they would become movies (as they later did) since there was almost too much dialogue.
June 4, 2013
I probably wouldn't have finished this if not for the character of Charlie Chan. He's a fascinating detective, and I always want to know more about him. Though a more-than-competent writer, Biggers is constantly redolent of slick magazine fiction -- in other words, a facile, charming writer, but fundamentally a superficial crowd pleaser. I remember another mystery of his, Behind That Curtain, being better.
December 21, 2017
I loved following the story on a train from San Francisco to Barstow, to Eldorado, as well as, the various descriptions of scenery and plant life in the Mojave desert. For me the plot is secondary; I mostly enjoy the clever dialogue between the characters. I can’t get enough of the Charlie Chan novels. A fun read for sure.
March 20, 2008
Have read several times over the years. Never tire of the oldies but goodies.
July 15, 2018
see review of other edition
October 11, 2023
Charl e il Pappagallo Cinese è il secondo volume in cui è presente Charle Chan, un investigatore cinese che opera ad Honolulu, alle Hawaii, creato da E.D. Biggers.
Ho iniziato a leggere questo giallo classico per pura curiosità, (anche se oramai preferisco i noir ai gialli classici), e mi ha lasciato indifferente.
Il peso degli anni si sente moltissimo: il giallo è abbastanza lento e i personaggi sono poco caratterizzati - abbiamo le classiche figure del milionario, della ragazza del deserto che si innamora di uno sconosciuto, il segretario del milionario che nasconde dei segreti... insomma, nulla di nuovo.
La trama è bella, però procede molto lentamente e alla fine non ti lascia a bocca aperta, come accade quando normalmente si legge un giallo classico. Inoltre i dialoghi sono poco realistici, a mio avviso, e anche i comportamenti dei personaggi sono funzionali alla trama ma poco credibili, probabilmente a causa della mancata caratterizzazione dei personaggi ( SPOILER: Per esempio, quando Chan e Bob Eden vivono nel ranch di Madden per scoprire qualcosa su di lui, Bon Eden, nonostante la loro attività dovesse essere segreta, spiffera tutto prima al giornalista, Holley, poi a Paula Wendell, e perfino alla signora Whitcomb, il dottore!, senza che questi facciano una piega nel sapere che nel ranch probabilmente c'è stato un assassinio, sono tutti impassibili!).
Detto questo, ho apprezzato molto l'ambientazione, che è resa alla perfezione e la scrittura di Biggers, che si vede essere molto curata, (fermo restando che i dialoghi sono poco credibili).
Sicuramente è un giallo che all'epoca della sua uscita poteva piacere, anche perché il protagonista Charlie Chan è una figura interessante, simpatica (sicuramente, è questa una cosa che apprezzo, non un super-uomo come Poirto o Scherlock Holmes), ed è l'unico personaggio di cui ci si ricorda alla fine della lettura, però al giorno d'oggi i gialli di E.D.Biggers sono obsoleti. La trama non è sensazionale, i personaggi sono piatti e poco credibili, ma soprattutto la lentezza che accompagna tutta la narrazione.
Consiglio altro.
Ho iniziato a leggere questo giallo classico per pura curiosità, (anche se oramai preferisco i noir ai gialli classici), e mi ha lasciato indifferente.
Il peso degli anni si sente moltissimo: il giallo è abbastanza lento e i personaggi sono poco caratterizzati - abbiamo le classiche figure del milionario, della ragazza del deserto che si innamora di uno sconosciuto, il segretario del milionario che nasconde dei segreti... insomma, nulla di nuovo.
La trama è bella, però procede molto lentamente e alla fine non ti lascia a bocca aperta, come accade quando normalmente si legge un giallo classico. Inoltre i dialoghi sono poco realistici, a mio avviso, e anche i comportamenti dei personaggi sono funzionali alla trama ma poco credibili, probabilmente a causa della mancata caratterizzazione dei personaggi ( SPOILER: Per esempio, quando Chan e Bob Eden vivono nel ranch di Madden per scoprire qualcosa su di lui, Bon Eden, nonostante la loro attività dovesse essere segreta, spiffera tutto prima al giornalista, Holley, poi a Paula Wendell, e perfino alla signora Whitcomb, il dottore!, senza che questi facciano una piega nel sapere che nel ranch probabilmente c'è stato un assassinio, sono tutti impassibili!).
Detto questo, ho apprezzato molto l'ambientazione, che è resa alla perfezione e la scrittura di Biggers, che si vede essere molto curata, (fermo restando che i dialoghi sono poco credibili).
Sicuramente è un giallo che all'epoca della sua uscita poteva piacere, anche perché il protagonista Charlie Chan è una figura interessante, simpatica (sicuramente, è questa una cosa che apprezzo, non un super-uomo come Poirto o Scherlock Holmes), ed è l'unico personaggio di cui ci si ricorda alla fine della lettura, però al giorno d'oggi i gialli di E.D.Biggers sono obsoleti. La trama non è sensazionale, i personaggi sono piatti e poco credibili, ma soprattutto la lentezza che accompagna tutta la narrazione.
Consiglio altro.
April 14, 2023
Book #: 31
Title: The Chinese Parrot
Author: Earl Derr Biggers
Series: Charlie Chan #2
Format: 240 pages, kindle edition, ebook purchase
Pub Date: First published January 1, 1926
Started: 3/24/23 Ended: 4/14/23
Awards: none
Categories: Next book in a series, Mystery written in 1920's
Rating: ***** five out of five stars
A highly eccentric financier on the mainland wants to buy a valuable string of pearls. But there's something suspicious going on as the proposed location of the sale changes from California to New York and back to California, a change of several days travel in the 1920's. Finally, the son of the jeweler is scheduled to turn the pearls over at the financier's ranch in Sacramento. But Charlie Chan is an old friend of the pearl's owner, he used to be her houseboy before joining the police force, and goes over early with the pearls and gets an undercover job on the ranch as a Chinese cook named Ah Kim. When the jeweler's son arrives, he meets a young woman who is a location scout for the movies, she agrees to be his tour guide to the area. When he arrives at the ranch, a pet parrot who previously only spoke Chinese, screams "Help Me! Somebody help me!" in perfect English. The next day, the parrot is dead. A deal is made for the pearls, but he pretends he doesn't have them to give Chan time to figure out what's going on.
I'm enjoying this series immensely and I have already purchased the complete works of Earl Derr Biggers as an e-book.
Title: The Chinese Parrot
Author: Earl Derr Biggers
Series: Charlie Chan #2
Format: 240 pages, kindle edition, ebook purchase
Pub Date: First published January 1, 1926
Started: 3/24/23 Ended: 4/14/23
Awards: none
Categories: Next book in a series, Mystery written in 1920's
Rating: ***** five out of five stars
A highly eccentric financier on the mainland wants to buy a valuable string of pearls. But there's something suspicious going on as the proposed location of the sale changes from California to New York and back to California, a change of several days travel in the 1920's. Finally, the son of the jeweler is scheduled to turn the pearls over at the financier's ranch in Sacramento. But Charlie Chan is an old friend of the pearl's owner, he used to be her houseboy before joining the police force, and goes over early with the pearls and gets an undercover job on the ranch as a Chinese cook named Ah Kim. When the jeweler's son arrives, he meets a young woman who is a location scout for the movies, she agrees to be his tour guide to the area. When he arrives at the ranch, a pet parrot who previously only spoke Chinese, screams "Help Me! Somebody help me!" in perfect English. The next day, the parrot is dead. A deal is made for the pearls, but he pretends he doesn't have them to give Chan time to figure out what's going on.
I'm enjoying this series immensely and I have already purchased the complete works of Earl Derr Biggers as an e-book.
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