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THE HOUSE WITHOUT A KEY: A CHARLIE CHAN MYSTERY (Charlie Chan Mysteries)

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When Bostonian John Quincy Winterslip is sent to Hawaii to retrieve his elderly Aunt Minerva, who has stayed with relatives in Hawaii long past the time she (and they) had originally intended, he fully expects to return home quickly. Though his family tree has long had "wanderers," one of whom has settled in Hawaii, John Quincy knows HE is far too sensible to succumb to Hawaii's charms. His Boston Brahmin roots, his successful investment business, and his "appropriate," family-approved fiancee are all luring him back home. Shortly after his arrival in Honolulu, however, his uncle Dan Winterslip, with whom he is staying, is murdered in his Waikiki home. Assigned to investigate this murder is Honolulu Detective Charlie Chan.

First published in 1925, the House Without a Key broke new ground in American publishing by starring an Asian detective. Charlie Chan is clever and thoughtful--and he is also committed to maintaining his own culture, not simply "passing" in the ha'ole world which has dominated Honolulu ever since American Sanford Dole and the "sugar barons" inspired the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in the 1890s. Like most of the kama'aina (new residents) who have come to Hawaii since then, the Winterslips are somewhat arrogant, believing themselves entitled to privileges not accorded to native Hawaiians and those of other races.

As the investigation unfolds, author Earl Derr Biggers creates a vibrant picture of Honolulu in the 1920s, contrasting it, on several occasions with earlier less complicated, city life--before the army, navy, and merchant marine turned Honolulu into a busy port filled with foreigners and new residents. Definitely not hard-boiled in his style, he celebrates Hawaii in all its tropical splendor--its beaches and soft moonlight, its glorious flowers and lush growth, its warm and sensitive people, and its multicultural ambience. Some inherent racism, seen here on the part of the Winterslips when they meet Charlie for the first time, reflects the times. Biggers is more culturally sensitive than most other writers of the period, however, and in Charlie Chan he creates a unique "hero" who goes on to star in five more novels after this.

The murder investigation is surprisingly complex, and the mystery and suspense are fully developed. The narrative speeds along and keeps the reader completely absorbed. Though Biggers did not intend his novel to be read as a satire, his Boston Brahmin characters, read in the present day, however, are so extreme in their belief that Boston is the center of the universe that modern readers will chuckle, if not laugh out loud, at their sometimes absurd dialogue and behavior. Loads of fun to read, this mystery is surprisingly modern in its complex structure, with a unique and charming hero in Charlie Chan. n Mary Whipple

The Chinese Parrot: A Charlie Chan Mystery, 1926.
Behind That Curtain (Charlie Chan), 1928.
Charlie Chan: The Black Camel, 1929.
Charlie Chan Carries On, 1930.
Keeper of the Keys, 1932.

Never having read any Noir style murder mysteries, or a Charlie Chan novel before, I was expecting the book to feel dated, and corny. I was pleasantly very surprised to get only a tiny feel of that, and was greatly amazed at the great writing skill and the multi-layered complicated plot. I thought the whole package of story and language would be too simple. How nice to not only be misled in my assumptions, but to actually come away from the book totally loving it and impressed.

This is the first of six of the Charlie Chan novels Earl Derr Biggers started in 1925. The House Without a Key shines brightly as a wonderful introduction to the series, leaving the reader anxious for the next installment. Bravo too, to Academy Chicago Publishers for reissuing these old gems and for bringing back the cool pulp style art for the covers. This trend in the rejuvenation of old mysteries of the era is sure to take off, and start the pulp fiction rage all over again.

The story begins with a young Boston aristocrat, John Quincy Winterslip, on board a cruise ship bound for Honolulu. He is there to bring back his aunt who has for some reason remained longer than her original planned stay. Miss Minerva, the wayward aunt, arrived in Hawaii some time back for a short vacation, staying with her brother, Dan Winterslip, the blackest of the family sheep. Upon docking in the tropical land of Honolulu John Quincy disembarks, lands his proper Bostonian feet on Waikiki beach, and is immediately greeted by his aunt who informs him promptly that her brother Dan has been murdered.

Wishing he could turn full circle around and get back on the ship, John Quincy wishes he did not have to get involved, but for various reasons decides to assist the local police in the investigation in order to get revenge for his family name, now sundered and tarnished.

Enter Honolulu's key police detective, one very obese Chinese Charlie Chan. I can't imagine any reader of any genre of fiction, not falling instantly in love with this delightful, loveable, quirky, and wise, buddha-like sleuth. He has a way with words and phrases our Charlie, and I found myself smiling and giggling every time he stepped into a scene. I eagerly kept turning the pages quickly just waiting for another spot where Charlie would have dialogue.

This mystery offers a variety of key elements that makes a novel enjoyable. You will find an intricately thought out scheme that leads the reader down many twisted paths that continually keep you wondering who, what and why. Many interesting clues are presented, and an odd assortment of key suspects keep arriving. You also enjoy a very romantic atmosphere of a lush exotic setting of sandy beaches, tropical sunsets, cocoanut laden palm trees, scrumptious luaus and lovely flowered leis that drape the reader's mind with nothing but pure Hawaiian pleasure. By reading The House Without a key, you'll get murder, mystery, romance, and humor, a great recipe for wanting to read The Chinese Parrot, book two of Earl Derr Biggers Charlie Chan books. What fun!

I am currently trying to re-read my past and fill in the gaps at the same time. The idea is to re-read, for example, "To Kill a Mockingbird," to see what effect it has on me 40 years later. Or to read a Charlie Chan book when I saw some movies but never read the book. "The House Without a Key," is simply fabulous. Much better written than I would have ever imagined and with a better plot. The movies did a definite disservice to Earl Der Biggers' talents as a writer. This book is a definite must for any mystery fan.

Honolulu 1925 is a cosmopolitan city, a "melting pot," Earl Derr Biggers wrote in the first Charlie Chan mystery he published that year, "The House Without A Key." It is a US territory and yet visitors from the 48 continental states think they have come to an exotic foreign place. It thrives with many cultures that live modern by day and traditional in domestic privacy at night. It is paradise on the surface and seduces many a mainlander, especially it seems to have lured members of the extensive Winterslip family who are old money Boston. The most recent convert is that upright lady of a certain age, Ms. Minerva Winterslip, whose brief vacation visiting cousins has lasted ten months without an end in site. That's when her young nephew, the upright John Quincy Winterslip, is dispatched to fetch her home.

John Quincy lands to the news that the cousin with whom Miss Minerva was staying has been found murdered. He and his aunt initially bristle aristocratically at the intervention of the police, but both soon learn the necessity of democratic collaboration. And that collaboration would be with one of the detectives on the case, a large Buddha of a Chinese man in a suit, hat and Ford, Mr. Charlie Chan. The mystery takes off exposing the dangerous side of paradise, its past of romantic isolation tied up with the South Seas slave trade of the later half of the 19th century and other dangers.

The plot is quite good, loaded with subplots and red herrings. The portrait of Honolulu and insight into the many cultures that cross there is nicely done, wry, clear-eyed and warm at the same time. The only issue I had was the author's attempt to render Charlie's English. The invention of the locutions of a man who learned English as a second language through its poetry is painful sometimes, though I don't think racist in intent, just awkward and uninformed. Otherwise, Biggers gets off some wonderful observations and lines. For one, he notes that Honolulu proves Kipling wrong, that East can meet West. And another, that Miss Minerva and a servant in the cousin's house have a lot in common. They are members of rapidly disappearing bloodlines, the Boston Brahmin and the native Hawaiian, respectively.

This is the first of the six novels Earl Derr Biggers wrote about Charlie Chan. If you read all six novels -- and you definitely should! -- you can see that Biggers was inventing his character as he wrote, and that he didn't have a real feel for Chan until the second novel. In House Without a Key, Chan isn't even introduced until a quarter of the way through the book, and when he is introduced, he speaks an odd kind of English that lacks subject-verb agreement. Biggers refined Chan's speech in subsequent novels, as he created the character that Chan really was.

Despite the fact that Biggers was stumbling around creating the great, world-renown character of Charlie Chan, the novel is a joy to read. The Hawaiian setting is beautiful: makes one want to move there permanently! The characters are interesting, there's a lot going on, and the murder solution is very, very satisfying.

There is very, very little relationship between the Charlie Chan of the novels and the Charlie Chan of Hollywood. Do yourself a tremendous favor and read the books -- preferably in the order they were written, so that you can delight in getting to know Chan.

You can almost feel the gentle trade winds of Hawaii during the 1920's in this classic novel by Earl Derr Biggers. Romantic and full of atmosphere, this is a most enjoyable read that was our first introduction to Charlie Chan. Biggers was always a great romance writer who simply incorporated mystery into his books to propel the story forward. This was never more evident than in The House Without a Key.

The story centers around young and very proper John Quincy Winterslip of Boston, who has been sent to retrieve the elder Minerva Winterslip from the semi-barbaric Pacific Islands of Hawaii. When his ship stops in San Francisco on its journey to the islands, however, John Quincy's idea of who he is begins to change, and the possibility that there is a world outside of Boston and Beacon Hill begins to take shape. A mysterious errand in the city by the bay for the black sheep of the family, Dan Winterslip, also living in Hawaii, will begin an adventure that will in the end make him a man.

The murder of Dan Winterslip shortly before John's arrival will reveal old family secrets from a time when Hawaii was wild and dangerous, and a port for all the world. John Quincy does not understand the nostalgia Minerva and others feel for this time in Hawaii's history. But there is romance in those trade winds blowing the cocoa palms. John will meet Carlota Egan, a girl who could not be further away from the fiancee awaiting him back in Boston. But as John Quincy begins to help his lovely cousin Barbara and Minerva get to the bottom of Dan's murder, Boston seems like a distant memory.

Luckily for John, Hawaii's best police detective will help him unravel the clues that will lead to an exciting revelation, and in the process become his friend. That detective is Charlie Chan. An Asian who has been in Hawaii many years, Chan navigates the mystery with little to go on, but with much wisdom and humor. The Charlie Chan of The House Without a Key is subtle and endearing. Chan may be Chinese, but his very American take on a piece of pie he is not happy with is a hoot!

Biggers truly makes both his characters and the islands of Hawaii come alive in his first novel in which Charlie Chan appeared. His descriptions of Hawaii as seen through the eyes of the characters are nostalgic and filled with beauty. The House Without a Key is that rare novel which can be read with pleasure by both those who love a good mystery, and those who love a light and atmospheric romance. If both are your cup of tea, this great classic is definitely for you. It is a great read during summer, when things are bright and cheery, or during winter, when you want to escape.

I bought this particular edition for my wife and a friend, and it is very nice. You can't miss with this one. Make yourself one of those drinks with an umbrella in it, or just grab your oversized Hawaiin luau shirt and head on out to the lanai for a grand time between the covers of this mystery classic.

Young Bostonian, John Quincy Winterslip, has been dispatched to Honolulu, Hawaii to bring his Aunt Minerva home. She's been visiting relative, Dan Winterslip, for many weeks and was supposed to have returned by now. But Dan's murder changes everything, and as John Quincy becomes embroiled in the investigation, he too begins to succumb to the charms of Hawaii.

I've never watched a Charlie Chan movie for more than a few minutes. Something about them didn't hold my interest, but when I found a copy of The House Without a Key in a gift bag at a mystery conference, I gave this Charlie Chan mystery a try. I have to say that I really enjoyed the book which was originally published in 1925 and re-released in 2008. It had been awhile since I read a mystery written before computers, DNA, and cellphones. It was also amusing to read about a police department that welcomed help from an inexperienced amateur sleuth. The plot was convoluted at times, yet Earl Derr Biggers' style held enough appeal to make this whodunit an enjoyable read.

I came to Charlie Chan without preconceptions, never having seen the movies. So I could enjoy this cultural icon like a fresh discovery. Granted the book has an old-fashioned flavor, but that's part of the charm of reading a work first published in 1925.

Charlie Chan is the best detective on the force in Honolulu, and his colleagues are pretty smart too. They need to be, to figure out who killed Dan Winterslip, a rich man so comfortable on the friendly island of Waikiki that he doesn't ever lock his doors.

Dan's nephew, John Quincy Winterslip, arrives on a visit to Hawaii to find his uncle and host murdered. The young man is very Bostonian, upright, uptight, a dedicated banker and engaged to an aristocratic Bostonian. He can't wait to get home, but he won't leave Waikiki till his uncle's murderer is found.

The local police are a friendly bunch and adopt John Quincy as an informal fellow investigator. So we can enjoy John Quincy's adventures side by side with Charlie Chan's expert sleuthing.

Much of the appeal of Charlie Chan is his elaborate style of speech and somewhat eccentric grammar. Chan handles his second language with the loving affection of a scholar.

Biggers had an appreciation of the multiracial, multicultural character of Hawaii that was rare in his day. I'm now deep into Chan mystery #2, The Chinese Parrot...

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.

50 years before the suave and dapper fictional TV detective Steve McGarrett policed the streets of Honolulu in "Hawaii 5-0", writer Earl Derr Biggers (what a great name, BTW) gave us the equally dapper (but alas not suave) fictional book detective Charlie Chan. Chan became so famous and beloved by his fans that Hollywood jumped on the bandwagon and made a series of black and white movies featuring this fat and canny Oriental detective.

In Biggers' 1925 debut whodunnit featuring Chan, it really shouldn't be classified as "A Charlie Chan Mystery so much as "A Dan Winterslip Mystery", since Charlie appears but very infrequently throughout the novel and the main detection is done by the main male character. Nonetheless, this was an extremely entertainly murder mystery; filled with plenty of interesting suspects, plausible motives and a happy ending.

What I really loved about this novel, however, was Diggers' observations of Hawaii during the 1920's. What a place this territory must have been, and how beautifully Biggers' describes it. The Hawaii of the 1920's can bare no resemblance to modern Hawaii, and yet through the pages of this book the reader gets a real sense and feeling for the place. Another strength of Biggers' novel is that although it was written during a time when prejudices against non-whites prevailed, Biggers' allowed his readers to see a strong, capable and smart person of non-white descent, and had the white and non-white characters interact on an equal basis.

Sadly, Biggers died in 1933, 7 years after this debut, and only wrote 6 Charlie Chan mysteries. I plan on reading every one. Charlie is great.