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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Puzzling Mystery with Minimal Chan, March 28, 2008
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?
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Puzzling Mystery with Minimal Chan, March 28, 2008
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?
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Patience, Hard Work and Perseverance, May 22, 2002
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.
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