Customer Reviews

Charlie Chan Carries on (World Cultural Heritage Library)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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The title of Charlie Chan Carries On refers to Charlie Chan taking over Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Duff's investigation after the inspector has tracked a group of murder suspects to Honolulu from London. As a result of that structure, this story is really about Duff's investigation rather than a typical Charlie Chan mystery. Other than quoting from the great Chan (who is a friend of Duff from an earlier case), Charlie doesn't have much of a role until the last third of the book.

If you want maximum Chan, skip this one.

But if you want a challenging set of mysteries to solve, Charlie Chan Carries on is a most rewarding book. This title is also carried over into one of the early Chan movies which most people rate as one of Warner Oland's best.

One of the things I like best about the book is that if you pay attention, you'll be given a clear clue as to who the killer must be.

As the book opens, it's 1930 and Chief Inspector Duff is out of sorts as one investigation has ended but no new one has started. Duff is married to his work and needs engagement. As a favor, he's given a new murder to solve, one that involves the strangling of a wealthy American in tony Broome's Hotel (probably intended to refer to Brown's Hotel). Upon arrival, Duff can tell that something is wrong. There's no sign of a struggle in the victim's room.

The deceased is Hugh Morris Drake, a retired philanthropist whom everyone likes. What can the motive be?

Drake, his daughter, and his granddaughter are traveling as part of a small group with Dr. Lofton, who is conducting them on an around-the-world trip to see the sights in a way that caters to the ultra wealthy. As a result, the group has the pull to leave London when Duff cannot point to a suspect. Duff is left with a lot of suspicions but few clues that can lead anywhere.

From a distance, the Yard keeps track of Lofton's group. From this experience, it soon becomes clear that there's a most dangerous and resourceful killer in the group. Who can it be?

The title of Charlie Chan Carries On refers to Charlie Chan taking over Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Duff's investigation after the inspector has tracked a group of murder suspects to Honolulu from London. As a result of that structure, this story is really about Duff's investigation rather than a typical Charlie Chan mystery. Other than quoting from the great Chan (who is a friend of Duff from an earlier case), Charlie doesn't have much of a role until the last third of the book.

If you want maximum Chan, skip this one.

But if you want a challenging set of mysteries to solve, Charlie Chan Carries on is a most rewarding book. This title is also carried over into one of the early Chan movies which most people rate as one of Warner Oland's best.

One of the things I like best about the book is that if you pay attention, you'll be given a clear clue as to who the killer must be.

As the book opens, it's 1930 and Chief Inspector Duff is out of sorts as one investigation has ended but no new one has started. Duff is married to his work and needs engagement. As a favor, he's given a new murder to solve, one that involves the strangling of a wealthy American in tony Broome's Hotel (probably intended to refer to Brown's Hotel). Upon arrival, Duff can tell that something is wrong. There's no sign of a struggle in the victim's room.

The deceased is Hugh Morris Drake, a retired philanthropist whom everyone likes. What can the motive be?

Drake, his daughter, and his granddaughter are traveling as part of a small group with Dr. Lofton, who is conducting them on an around-the-world trip to see the sights in a way that caters to the ultra wealthy. As a result, the group has the pull to leave London when Duff cannot point to a suspect. Duff is left with a lot of suspicions but few clues that can lead anywhere.

From a distance, the Yard keeps track of Lofton's group. From this experience, it soon becomes clear that there's a most dangerous and resourceful killer in the group. Who can it be?

An American tourist named Hugh Morris Drake is murdered in his room at Broome's Hotel in London during the night. Chief Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard investigates the crime.

Duff learns that the victim was a member of the Lofton Round The World Tour. The only clues are a hearing aid, a safe deposit box key and a bag full of small stones. All of the members of the tour are suspects including Dr. Lofton, Max Minchin, Captain Ronald Keane and John Ross. Lofton is the director of the tour. Minchin is a racketeer from Chicago. Keane is an unemployed engineer and Ross is a lumber man from Tacoma.

As the tour continues, Walter Honeywood and his wife Sybil are killed in Nice. Sergeant Welby of Scotland Yard is accompanying the tour and continuing the investigation. He is murdered on the docks of Yokohama. Chief Inspector Duff travels to Honolulu to join the tour. While visiting Charlie Chan, Duff is shot in the back and hospitalized. Charlie gets permission to fill in for his friend on the final leg of the trip to San Francisco. Charlie is on a mission to save face since Duff was shot in Charlie's office.

The reader knows that the killer may as well surrender now as Charlie begins to demonstrate the Chan trademarks of patience, hard work and perseverance.

The book was made into a movie by Fox in 1931. It was the fourth Charlie Chan film and the first in which Warner Oland appeared as Chan.

This is the fifth of the six Charlie Chan novels, and with it the author, Earl Derr Biggers, took a big chance of disappointing his fans, who wanted Charlie everywhere. The fans also wanted a reunion between Charlie and Inspector Duff, introduced in Behind That Door. They wanted this reunion to occur in London. Biggers gave his fans the reunion, but not the way they asked for it. Instead, he begins the novel in London, with Inspector Duff reading a letter from Charlie. Then a murder occurs on an ocean liner whose passengers are on an around-the-world cruise. Because he cannot solve the murder before the cruise ship departs, Duff joins the cruise.

At another port-of-call, another murder of a passenger occurs. Then another. Duff leaves the cruise to travel to the US, to look up the backgrounds of all the passengers (suspects, every one of them). He ends up in San Francisco, and from there he sails to Honolulu, to meet the cruise ship. The reunion of Charlie and Inspector Duff occurs approximately halfway through the novel (though Chan is mentioned throughout the first half). And then: catastrophe!

Charlie must board the cruise ship and sail to San Francisco. From police headquarters he calls his home.

"Hello," he said. "This is you, Henry? You are home early tonight. The gods are good. Listen carefully. Your father speaking. I sail in one hour for the mainland. What? Kindly omit surprised feelings -- the matter is settled. I am off on important case. Pull self together and get this straight -- to quote language you affect. Kindly pack bag with amazing speed, toothbrush, other suit, razor. Ask yourself what I shall require and bring same. Your honorable mother will assist. Come in your car to dock where President Arthur, Dollar boat, is waiting, bringing my bag and your mother. Boat departs at ten. You will gather that speed is essential. Thank you so much."

Highly recommended!

I have read all the books written by Biggers' narrating Charlie's adventures and I am posting this review to all of them in general.Biggers' writing style is unique and easily distinguishable,his characters amusing and very realistic and his star detective (Charlie Chan) one of the most balanced individuals in crime fiction;this guy will make you laugh and he will make you think harder on the values of life,he will praise patience yet he will deliver justice swiftly and effectively,he will be kind and he will be cunning.Having read contemporary as well as older works of crime fiction,I recommend every single one of this books hands down.Just read it!Thank you for reading this review.

All the Charlie Chan Books are great, and thank goodness they were re-published. I have bought all of them through Amazon and have been very satisfied.

There just isn't enough crime in Honolulu to fulfill Charlie Chan. Sadly his great talents are going to waste in paradise. But Charlie's old friend Chief Inspector Duff from Scotland Yard comes to his rescue in this book.

Duff is investigating the murder of Hugh Morris Drake, a sweet old man strangled in London's famous and exclusive hotel, Broome's. Drake is with a tour group encircling the globe. Inspector Duff, unable to detain the group in London long enough to solve the mystery, joins them in their travels.

Well over half the book details Duff's conscientious but unimaginative investigation, while the body count rises. Finally, in Honolulu, Duff himself is wounded. At this critical moment, he hands over the case to his friend: "Carry on, Charlie!"

And once again we're on the trail of a killer with Charlie Chan, enjoying his flowery language and pithy Chinese sayings. While sagely observing the various members of the tour, Charlie also finds time to encourage a romance between the two youngest travelers.

The investigation is devoid of the scientific methods found in present-day police procedurals. Everything depends on Charlie Chan's sagacity, with some help from his Japanese assistant in this case. But Charlie's delightful personality is the reason for reading these mysteries, so it doesn't much matter. I'd recommend reading all six Charlie Chan mysteries by Earl Derr Biggers, not just one.

Compared with the other entries in the Charlie Chan mystery series, Charlie Chan Carries On is not the strongest; compared with the heap of popular American detective fiction of the past century, it is still pretty darn good, so let's give it an A-.

This is the 5th of the six books in the series, published in 1930. Author Biggers took an artistic risk by starting out with a story that belongs to Scotland Yard Inspector Duff, an old friend of Charlie's. A member of an American-based world tour is found murdered in London. The members are wealthy and well-connected and the Embassy releases Duff's circle of suspects to continue on their way. So, he tries with uneven results to keep up. There are more deaths. When the ship arrives at Honolulu, a good 2/3 of the way through the book, Charlie joins what is left of the touring group for the last leg to San Francisco, to fix what went wrong in the investigation up to that point.

So, not giving us Charlie's company up front was a risk that was okay but not great. The travel group is large and we have to keep up with several names and stereotypical characters--though by the end, we can keep them straight. Typically, Biggers starts with stereotypes but spins them, but not so much here. The tourists are the 1%ers of 1930, apparently untouched by the events of October 1929, about which Charlie makes a passing remark. Biggers also relies on his own formula that always includes a bright ingénue and her suitor. In Behind That Curtain, the ingénue broke gender rules left and right; this is more of a predictable screwball comedy couple. All that said, we still get Charlie in the end, and Biggers slyly reveals the state of his contemporary world as he found it.

I'll admit up front that I love all the Charlie Chan mysteries by Earl Derr Biggers. Stumbled upon this one by sheer coincidence (it is not included in the "5 Complete Novels" compilation book I have) and was thoroughly entertained. Admittedly Chan does not play a significant role till the 2nd half, but the story line is filled with interesting characters and drama. Great fun!

The saying, "Be he ever so humble, there's no police like Holmes," may be extended to include Charlie Chan. Charlie Chan comes to most of us through the dozens of movies featuring him; the books were hard to find except in used book emporiums--but lately, and luckily, the Academy Chicago Publishers has now made all six novels readily available. These splendidly produced books should find a new and pleased audience. As period pieces their entertainment value doubles. I must add that also reading Yunte Huang's fascinating cultural study, CHARLIE CHAN: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE HONORABLE DETECTIVE AND HIS RENDEZVOUS WITH AMERICAN HISTORY, will greatly enhance your reading experience.

A curious note: Chan's creator, Earl Derr Biggers, is barely known. His name isn't blazoned across the cover of any of his books I've seen, included the Academy Chicago Publishers' editions. A self-effacing, modest man it seems.