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    The Chinese Parrot
    The House Without a Key
    Ebook series2 titles

    The Charlie Chan Mysteries Series

    By Earl Derr Biggers and Otto Penzler

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this series

    Honolulu detective Charlie Chan goes undercover in the California desert in this classic mystery adventure.

    The transfer of a valuable string of pearls from Hawaii to California draws Honolulu detective Charlie Chan into the orbit of an eccentric financier with a penchant for exotic pets. When he encounters a Chinese-speaking parrot, Chan is intrigued by the provocative and dangerous question it asks. And when the bird mysteriously dies, Chan is determined to discover the answer.

    Going undercover as a cook, the famous sleuth uncovers a series of crimes in the second Charlie Chan mystery by Earl D. Biggers. First published in 1926, The Chinese Parrot was adapted into the 1927 silent film The Chinese Parrot, and the 1934 film Charlie Chan’s Courage.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMysteriousPress.com Open Road
    Release dateJan 5, 2021
    The Chinese Parrot
    The House Without a Key

    Titles in the series (2)

    • The House Without a Key
      The House Without a Key

      The House Without a Key

      Earl Derr Biggers
      0 ratings
      0 ratings

      The first book in the mystery series that served as the basis for the classic films—inspired by a real-life Chinese-Hawaiian police detective. A young man has traveled from Boston all the way to Hawaii to try to convince his aunt to return to their wealthy New England family. Instead, he too finds himself seduced by the islands. But when his aunt is murdered, a shadow falls over the sunny Pacific paradise. Set against the fascinating backdrop of 1920s Waikiki, this novel introduced readers to Asian sleuth Charlie Chan, who was modeled on a real-life Chinese detective in the Honolulu Police Department and would become one of the most famous crime solvers of twentieth-century popular culture. “Charlie Chan’s appeal, which depends on his self-effacing charm and trademark aphorisms, remains constant from one case to the next.” —Kirkus Reviews

      The first book in the mystery series that served as the basis for the classic films—inspired by a real-life Chinese-Hawaiian police detective. A young man has traveled from Boston all the way to Hawaii to try to convince his aunt to return to their wealthy New England family. Instead, he too finds himself seduced by the islands. But when his aunt is murdered, a shadow falls over the sunny Pacific paradise. Set against the fascinating backdrop of 1920s Waikiki, this novel introduced readers to Asian sleuth Charlie Chan, who was modeled on a real-life Chinese detective in the Honolulu Police Department and would become one of the most famous crime solvers of twentieth-century popular culture. “Charlie Chan’s appeal, which depends on his self-effacing charm and trademark aphorisms, remains constant from one case to the next.” —Kirkus Reviews

    • The Chinese Parrot
      The Chinese Parrot

      The Chinese Parrot

      Earl Derr Biggers
      4/5 - 6 ratings
      4/5 - 6 ratings

      Honolulu detective Charlie Chan goes undercover in the California desert in this classic mystery adventure. The transfer of a valuable string of pearls from Hawaii to California draws Honolulu detective Charlie Chan into the orbit of an eccentric financier with a penchant for exotic pets. When he encounters a Chinese-speaking parrot, Chan is intrigued by the provocative and dangerous question it asks. And when the bird mysteriously dies, Chan is determined to discover the answer. Going undercover as a cook, the famous sleuth uncovers a series of crimes in the second Charlie Chan mystery by Earl D. Biggers. First published in 1926, The Chinese Parrot was adapted into the 1927 silent film The Chinese Parrot, and the 1934 film Charlie Chan’s Courage.

      Honolulu detective Charlie Chan goes undercover in the California desert in this classic mystery adventure. The transfer of a valuable string of pearls from Hawaii to California draws Honolulu detective Charlie Chan into the orbit of an eccentric financier with a penchant for exotic pets. When he encounters a Chinese-speaking parrot, Chan is intrigued by the provocative and dangerous question it asks. And when the bird mysteriously dies, Chan is determined to discover the answer. Going undercover as a cook, the famous sleuth uncovers a series of crimes in the second Charlie Chan mystery by Earl D. Biggers. First published in 1926, The Chinese Parrot was adapted into the 1927 silent film The Chinese Parrot, and the 1934 film Charlie Chan’s Courage.

    Author

    Earl Derr Biggers

    Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933) was an American novelist and playwright. Born in Ohio, Biggers went on to graduate from Harvard University, where he was a member of The Harvard Lampoon, a humor publication for undergraduates. Following a brief career as a journalist, most significantly for Cleveland-based newspaper The Plain Dealer, Biggers turned to fiction, writing novels and plays for a popular audience. Many of his works have been adapted into film and theater productions, including the novel Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913), which was made into a Broadway stage play the same year it was published. Towards the end of his career, he produced a highly popular series of novels centered on Honolulu police detective Charlie Chan. Beginning with The House Without a Key (1925), Biggers intended his character as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes prominent in the early twentieth century. His series of Charlie Chan novels inspired dozens of films in the United States and China, and has been recognized as an imperfect attempt to use popular media to depict Chinese Americans in a positive light.

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