Customer Reviews

Keeper of the Keys

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In recent years it has become fashionable to decry Charlie Chan as distastefully stereotypical. At the time, however, the character was a marked departure from the Asian characters usually seen in fiction and film, both of which tended toward a "Fu Manchu" point of view. And it may startle detractors to learn that Chan was loosely based on an actual person: the legendary Chang Apana (1887-1933), a Hawaiian police officer of Chinese heritage who preferred a bullwhip to a gun and was noted for his fearlessness in dealing with criminals engaged in the opium trade.

In the hands of Biggers, the character emerges as a considerably more thoughtful, more formal personality--and one capable of unraveling elaborate crimes. Originally published in 1932, KEEPER OF THE KEYS would prove to be the sixth and last Chan novel by Earl Derr Biggers, who died a year later. And once more it finds Chan "on the mainland," this time at Lake Tahoe, where he has come to investigate the matter of a long-missing child... and finds himself embroiled in the murder of a famous opera singer.

In terms of plot, Biggers will never compete with the likes of Christie and Sayers; contemporary readers will also likely find themselves surpressing a smile over Bigger's assumptions in such matters as the nature of color blindness. Even so, and in spite of its occasionally dated quality, Biggers writes with a great deal of charm and dash--and the result is pure entertainment. Fans of the film series will also be interested in this novel's probable influence on such films as CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA and CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO, but this aside Biggers also offers considerable food for thought, particularly in terms of the passage of time, changing codes of behavior, and differing ideas about what it means to be American.

Some of this is accidental: in the early 1930s Lake Tahoe was essentially a quiet summer resort, and the state of Nevada was less known for gambling than it was for the relaxed divorce laws that fueled the economy of Reno. Some of it, however, is very much intentional. Several characters in the novel, Chan among them, generally dismiss "scientific advances" re fingerprints and ballistics--but it will be precisely such advances that give Chan the final proof he requires to solve the murder.

Most particularly, however, the novel presents Chan as a man of Chinese birth who has deliberately Americanized himself as much as possible. And in KEEPER OF THE KEYS he confronts another Chinese, Ah Sing, who has refused assimilation and who clings with iron determination to the role of loyal, arrogant, and pidgin-speaking Chinese servant of inflexible caste and code. In doing so, Ah Sing effectively forces Chan to consider the degree to which Chan has abandoned his Asian heritage and the personal cost at which he has done so.

As in the other Chan novels, Biggers treats Chan and his other Asian characters with considerable respect; even so, and in spite of five previous Chan novels, he remains more than a little naive about both Asian culture and individuals. Consequently, the novel is also something of a cultural artifact, a glimpse into the way that "white America," even at its most enlightened, tended to regard Asians in this period. No less entertaining and readable for that, it is a solid conclusion to the series that created one of the most beloved fictional characters of the 20th Century.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

"Man who buries treasure in the snow, forgets that summer is coming." -- Charle Chan

Charlie Chan gets his first look at snow in Keeper of the Keys. In another first for the Chinese detective from Honolulu, Hawaii, he will facilitate the flight of someone involved deeply in a murder and it's aftermath. As in all Earl Derr Biggers' fine novels featuring the detective, a little romance can't be far away either, and Charlie facilitates this as well. Reporter Bill Rankin, from Behind that Curtain, a truly fabulous entry in the series, makes a welcome appearance here as well. His arrival becomes less welcome for our favorite sleuth, however, when he inadvertently spills the beans on Chan's somewhat felonious conduct. All this amounts to a wonderful time for the reader, Charlie Chan fans given one more hurrah from the lovable creation of Earl Derr Biggers.

On vacation, Charlie gazes on the snow-clad mountains through the train window in awe. The ex husbands of singer Ellen Landini are headed for the same place Charlie is, and soon the snow-capped peaks rising above the blue lake and pines of Dudley Ward's estate will be filled with mystery and murder. Ward has invited Landini, and ex husbands John Ryder, Luis Romano, and Frederic Swan to join him. He hopes, with Charlie's help, to discover if rumors of a son he didn't know he had are true. Landini brings her latest conquest with her, the young Hugh Beaton. Sheriff Holt is immediately taken with his pretty sister, Leslie, and Charlie must keep him focused on the crime when Landini is murdered in the night, as the plane meant for the departure of she and her dog, mask the sound of the shot.

Chan helps the young Sheriff Holt in an unofficial capacity, becoming close to his blind father, for whom Charlie comes to have a deep and abiding affection. Not lost on Charlie during the meticulous questioning of everyone's whereabouts in the moments leading up to the crime, is young Holt's blind spot in regards to Leslie Beaton. Constantly reminding him to stay focused on his duty, Chan must fight with himself to do the same, as the evidence against Ah Sing, an old beloved Chinese servant of Ward's, mounts high. It does not help that Sing subtly shows by his actions that he no longer considers Charlie to be a real Chinese, due to his adapting to American ways. This pains Charlie, who has one foot in both worlds.

A scarf and other clues point to the murderer being colorblind. It is a seemingly 'essential clue' which proves only to muddle the case further. An unsigned will points to one person, blackmail to another, yet the most damaging clues all lead back to Sing! And what of Michael Ireland, the pilot who once had an affair with Landini and was scorned? Charlie will have a chase through the snow, and send off the bullet in an effort to discover how far it traveled, as the older Holt and he conspire to do the unthinkable. A second murder makes the case take on further urgency. Charlie has no real authority, and is, after all, unofficial. It ain't over till it's over in this one, the mystery and romance wrapped up nicely by Biggers in a satisfying conclusion. This one is quite fun for Charlie Chan fans, and a must if you've missed this one somehow.

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.

The 1920s and 1930s were the 'Golden Age' of pulp fiction. One of the most popular genres were the mysteries. And one of the most popular fictional characters was Charlie Chan, a Chinese-American detective and the creation of Earl Derr Bigggers. So popular were the Charlie Chan mysteries that Hollywood made many of them into movies. Now Academy Chicago Press has brought out new trade paperback editions for six these time-lost classics for a new and appreciative generation of readers in a numbered series featuring their original pulp paperback covers. Included in this impressive publishing project are: "The House Without A Key"; "The Chinese Parrot"; "Behind That Curtain"; "The Black Camel"; "Charlie Carries On"; and "Keeper Of The Keys". Although each title is available individually, community libraries would be well advised to obtain the entire six volume series for the benefit of their grateful patrons who appreciate well crafted mysteries by a pulp fiction mystery writer who was at the top of his game!

The sixth and last Charlie Chan mystery by Earl Derr Biggers is an unmitigated delight.

The plot unfolds with an intriguing scenario. Wealthy and hospitible Dudley Ward gathers together all the ex-husbands of his ex-wife, opera singer Ellen Landini, at his home on Lake Tahoe. Ward is trying to discover the whereabouts of a son he never knew he had until now, kept hidden from him by the capricious star. He thinks the husbands might know something. Charlie Chan has also been invited to help Ward with the inquiry.

There are four ex-husbands, including Ward, all of them angry with Landini, who is about to marry a fifth husband, also present, with his sister, at this bizarre gathering.

Landini herself arrives on the scene to complete the madness, and is promptly murdered.

This book is rich in fun characters, half of them suspects. The French maid is jealous of Landini, who has seduced her husband in the past. The ancient Chinese family servant is always turning up under foot and never knows anything. The handsome young sheriff promptly falls in love with one of the suspects, the sister of the once-future husband.

It's all wonderfully complicated, and suspicion shifts with every chapter. Charlie Chan's wise sayings flow generously from the pen of Earl Derr Biggers and are always amusing. I'm very sorry to be finished with the series, and recommend it highly. Earl derr Biggers has created an unforgettable, totally original detective in Charlie Chan, and the books now have a vintage flavor that only increases the reader's pleasure.

The new paperback editions by Academy Chicago Publishers are very nicely produced.

This was the sixth and last book in the Charlie Chan series by Earl Derr Biggers. It is every bit as good as the others, and in some ways (the development of Chan's character and the development of the supporting characters) even better.

Set in Lake Tahoe, the story is one of those "guests at the house of a wealthy person" mysteries that Agatha Christie and others popularized. In this one, a limited number of people are guests of Dudley Ward. Among the guests are his ex-wife, singer Ellen Landini. Ward was her first husband as well as her first ex. Husbands numbers two and three are also present, as is husband number four, from who Landini is seeking a divorce. Charlie is astonished when he learns that Landini has been married four times. When Landini is murdered -- shot while a plane is flying overhead, so that its roar drowns out the report of the pistol -- Charlie feels he must solve the case.

Hindering Charlie at every turn is 78-year-old Ah Sing, Ward's servant. It is he who is "the keeper of the keys" and fiercely loyal to the Ward family. Ah Sing makes sarcastic remarks about the police and about Charlie, whom he considers too Americanized to really be Chinese. In the middle of the night Ah Sing, climbing the stairs in the dark, is punched by somebody. Charlie tells him: "Aged men should not consort with ruffians. Eggs should not dance with stones."

Through questioning and logic, through thoroughly examining the clues, Charlie Chan solves the murder. A very satisfying mystery.