Charlie Chan Carries On [Hardcover]

Earl Derr Biggers (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Pocket Books (2000)
• ASIN: B00120ZJVC
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Biggers' Gift For Creating Memorable Characters And Plot Twists And Surprises, April 14, 2008

By 

Aung Htun (811 Lavina St. Fort Wayne IN 46802-4030) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Charlie Chan Carries On (Audio Cassette)

"CHARLIE CHAN CARRIES ON
Earl Derr Biggers
Reader: Jim Armstrong

Unabridged on Six 90-minute cassettes

Of the six Charlie Chan novels Biggers wrote before his untimely death in 1934 at the age of 51, only three were ever filmed:
The Black Carmel,
Behind That Curtain, and
Charlie Chan Carries On.

Of these, only this one, starring the Swedish actor, Warner Oland, survived to be transferred to video tape.
Chan first appeared on screen in 1926, but didn't make an impression until Oland took over.
However, the series didn't hit stride until Key Luke appeared as Number One Son in Charlie Chan In Paris, in 1935.
Charlie makes plenty reference to his eleven children in the novels, but only two are named.
In this novel they are Rose, the elder daughter who is in college on the Mainland in this story, and Henry, the oldest son, who is granted custody of Charlie's new car while Charlie is off on a Matson liner to San Francisco, solving this case.

It is not his case.
It begins in London where Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard (introduced in Behind That Curtain) sets out to find the murder of an elderly member of a round-the-world party of American tourists in a London Hotel.
He follows them from London to Honolulu, where is attacked and hospitalized.
His old friend, Charlie, now Detective Inspector of the Honolulu Police, carries on for him as the party sails for San Francisco - aided and aggravated by the ever over-eager junior detective, Kashimo.

BIGGERS' GIFT FOR CREATING MEMORABLE CHARACTERS AND PLOT TWISTS AND SURPRISES
is unabated here, which makes it all the more mournful that he did not live to continue the series in book form."
[from the back of the cassette case]

5.0 out of 5 stars A Puzzling Mystery with Minimal Chan, March 28, 2008

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Charlie Chan Carries On (Charlie Chan, 6) (Mass Market Paperback)

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?