Earl Derr Biggers

The House Without a Key (1925) is a mystery novel by Earl Derr Biggers. The first in a series of novels featuring Chinese American detective Charlie Chan, The House Without a Key is notable for its nuanced depiction of race and class on the edges of American empire. Based in part on the life of Chinese Hawaiian detective Chang Apana, the character of Charlie Chan was intended by Biggers as an alternative to racist Yellow Peril stereotypes of the early...

Inspector Duff works with the Scotland Yard. He is called in to investigate a mysterious murder that occurred at a famous local London hotel. A deaf old man, traveling on pleasure trip from America with his daughter and granddaughter, has been murdered during the night. At first, the investigation seems to be pointing towards Doctor Lofton, the leader of the tour group, as the culprit. Much to the chagrin of the other travelers in the group, they...

Charlie Chan, along with number two son, Tommy, and the irrepressible Birmingham, travels to Arizona to find out why the owner of a suddenly profitable gold mine thinks someone is out to kill him.

When beautiful starlet Shelah Fane is murdered in Hawaii, suspicion points to a psychic advisor with a spirited nature. But when Chan uncovers a link to the unsolved murder of screen heartthrob Denny Mayo, the Chinese supersleuth soon discovers that, in Hollywood, fame can be murder.

Boris Karloff (The Mummy) stars as the menacing Gravelle who has recently escaped from The Rockland State Sanatorium and is acting the part of mephisto in the Opera 'Carnival' he is suspected of killing his wife and her lover, as usual Chan is brought in and has to work with the police and his Number One son (Keye Luke) to solve the case but is Gravelle really the killer or is there something far more sinister going on ...

A vacation on the Riviera turns into a long-shot murder investigation for Charlie Chan and his Number One Son when a casino messenger ends up dead-- and $1,000,000 winds up missing. But when Chan uncovers a nefarious blackmail plot, along with a second murder victim, he begins to suspect that in Monte Carlo lady luck can be a real killer. Warner Oland's last appearance as Charlie Chan.

Dead men tell: Charlie Chan teams up with his number two son, Jimmy, to solve a mystery that takes place aboard a ship bound for a treasure hunt. Using a map, Charlie has to solve the mystery before they all wind up in Davy Jones' locker. Charlie Chan in Rio: Charlie Chan and his number two son, Jimmy, must crack the mystery of a beautiful nightclub singer who turns up dead after announcing her plans to elope with a wealthy American playboy.

Murder over New York: Charlie Chan and his son are on vacation in the Big Apple where they find themelves in the middle of a murder investigation after a policeman turns up dead. Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum: When a convicted murderer, who was brought to justice by Charlie Chan himself, breaks free of his shackles and escapes into the night, the resourceful Chan knows it's only a matter of time before he will strike again.

"A riveting collection of five of the most famous crime novels of the 1920s, presenting anew some of the most admired authors of the era...Each of the five novels included is presented in its original published form, with extensive historical and cultural annotations and illustrations..."--Dust jacket flap.