I went back into the Classic Mysteries Vault this week for a brief visit with my old friend, Inspector Charlie Chan of the Honolulu Police. You may recall him from the many movies created with and for the character. Personally, I much prefer Chan in his original form - the six novels written about him by Earl Derr Biggers. Written at a time when far too many books and movies featured "sinister orientals" as villains, or, worse, as comic relief, Biggers's books about Charlie Chan still stand as a refreshment and a delight, as we consider the exploits of a first-rate detective, a man justifiably proud of his heritage and confident in his abilities. If you don't know that Charlie Chan, you're missing a great deal. About eight years ago, I reviewed Charlie Chan Carries On, written in 1930, the fifth of the six books in the series, on the Classic Mysteries podcast. Here's a transcript of what I had to say about the book and about the detective. It's been tweaked and updated a bit.
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A murderer has been killing off some of the people taking a leisurely around-the-world tour. As the first killing happened in London, a Scotland Yard detective is dispatched to try to find the murderer and bring him or her to justice. The detective winds up in Honolulu, where he plans to join the traveling group. But he stops by a police station to visit an old friend, now an inspector in the Honolulu police. And, while visiting, the Scotland Yard man is shot. Gravely wounded, he whispers to the Honolulu detective…carry on, Charlie. Which is precisely what Charlie does…quite brilliantly…in Charlie Chan Carries On, by Earl Derr Biggers.
Although there were dozens of Charlie Chan movies made between 1930 and the 1950s, there were only six books written featuring the Honolulu detective – all written prior to 1931; the author, Earl Derr Biggers died in 1932. Charlie Chan Carries On was the fifth of the six books, and I think it’s one of the most enjoyable – even though Charlie Chan really takes part only in the last third of the book.
The main character in the first two thirds is Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Duff, who is called in to investigate the murder of a guest at an upper-class hotel in London. The victim was traveling with a group of Americans who are going on an around-the-world tour. Remember, the novel was written in 1930, and round-the-world travel involved primarily ships, trains and other forms of surface travel – quite slow, by today’s standards.
At any rate, there appears to be no particular reason why this individual should have been murdered, and Inspector Duff is unable to hold the party in London…and so they travel on. But before they get very far…only to the French Riviera…another member of the party is murdered. Inspector Duff – now convinced that the killer must be traveling with the tour group – goes to the Riviera – only to have another victim turn up in Italy. And this time the person is shot while riding in a sort of open elevator with Inspector Duff.
The tour continues – without Inspector Duff, who must return to London. The investigation continues, and Duff flies to America to pursue possible leads there. When another police investigator working on the case – and traveling with the tour group – is murdered, Duff sails to Honolulu, to meet up with the party and travel back to the mainland with them.
In Honolulu, he looks up an old friend, Inspector Charlie Chan. But then fate – in the person of the killer – catches up with Inspector Duff, and he is shot and gravely wounded – right in Charlie Chan’s office. Waiting for the ambulance, he manages to say to his friend…"carry on Charlie".
And that’s what Charlie Chan does, joining the tour for the last leg of their trip, the voyage from Honolulu to San Francisco (where the American tour group will break up). How he eventually does identify the killer – from a clue which is provided to the reader as well as to the detective – is an excellent piece of fictional detective work.
If you only know Charlie Chan from the movies, you don’t really know him. He has become, over the years, a very controversial figure, with many Asian Americans in particular objecting to what they see as racism in the way he was portrayed. This is particularly true of many of the later movies – but it was not true of the books; Biggers took considerable pains to make his detective a hero, not a caricature. At one point, there is a marvelous exchange. Charlie is speaking with one of the passengers on the tour, who is telling him that she admires the Chinese. She says…
A grand people, Mr. Chan. But you know all that.
Charlie smiled. All I know, I do not speak. Appreciation such as yours makes music to my ears. We are not highly valued in the United States, where we are appraised as laundrymen, or maybe villains in the literature of the talkative films. You have great country, rich and proud, and sure of itself. About rest of world – pardon me – it knows little and cares extremely less.
That attitude is prevalent throughout Charlie Chan Carries On – and the other mysteries featuring Chan as well. The books by Earl Derr Biggers hold up remarkably well, and this book is a thoroughly entertaining, well-plotted and worthwhile reading experience.
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You can listen to the original podcast review by clicking here.
Next: Exploits of the Patent Leather Kid, by Erle Stanley Gardner
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