Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
31st out of 181 books
—
50 voters
The House Without a Key (Charlie Chan #1)
Una delle inchieste dell'amabile cinese, un investigatore filosofo.
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
September 1st 1986
by Popular Library
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
More lists with this book...
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
563)
This is the book that started it all - the movies, etc. Charlie Chan is a respected detective in the Hawaiian police force.
John Quincy Winterslip has come to Hawaii from Boston to get his Aunt Minerva to return home. She has been in Hawaii for quite some time staying with the family blacksheep, Dan Winterslip. John Quincy is not happy as he arrives in San Francisco - but he has a feeling of homecoming at San Francisco, like he's been there before. He meets an uncle in San Francisco who he stays...more
John Quincy Winterslip has come to Hawaii from Boston to get his Aunt Minerva to return home. She has been in Hawaii for quite some time staying with the family blacksheep, Dan Winterslip. John Quincy is not happy as he arrives in San Francisco - but he has a feeling of homecoming at San Francisco, like he's been there before. He meets an uncle in San Francisco who he stays...more
The House Without a Key, published in 1925, was the first of the Charlie Chan mysteries by Earl Derr Biggers. The six Charlie Chan novels were immensely successful but the movies based (loosely) on them were even more so - in fact there were no less than 40 Charlie Chan movies!
The movies have been attacked for supposedly promoting racial stereotypes. I haven’t seen the movies but the intention behind the books was to overturn racial stereotypes by having a Chinese hero at a time when Chinese vil...more
The movies have been attacked for supposedly promoting racial stereotypes. I haven’t seen the movies but the intention behind the books was to overturn racial stereotypes by having a Chinese hero at a time when Chinese vil...more
1925 Hawaii was an idyllic sort of place, a place where a straight-laced New England Puritan could lose himself in the heady scent of night blooms and the sunset gilding of the sea. And that’s just what happens to John Quincy Winterslip, a Boston bond dealer who is sent by the family to fetch home his aunt, who left months ago for a visit and hasn’t come home.
His ship arrives in the evening and because of bureaucratic red tape (yes, even in Hawaii Territory in 1925) the ship has to sit outside t...more
His ship arrives in the evening and because of bureaucratic red tape (yes, even in Hawaii Territory in 1925) the ship has to sit outside t...more
I thought it was okay. Having been a fan -- and seen most -- of the Charlie Chan movies with Sidney Toler (I don't care for the Warner Oland Chan movies, and I haven't seen any with the one who replaced Toler after Toler's death), it was a disappointing step down. I noticed an error in the site's writeup, though: Chan didn't solve the murder with his son. In fact, his son made only a single cameo appearance: when John Quincy Winterslip happened to visit the Chan household and Charlie was playing...more
The first appearance by Charlie Chan, the controversial detective who speaks in broken aphorisms but who seems to put it all together perfectly. Told from the point of view of a vapid Boston Brahman, this is a book of adventure and mystery the way they did it in the 20s. Great looking women, menacing big men with and without guns, strange dealings in the night. It's dated, but in a very fun way. I know, I know--some Chinese Americans see Chan as a racist figure created by a white man. For these,...more
Jun 25, 2011
Hannah
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mysteries,
2011-reads
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 sh...more
In Biggers' 1925 debut whodunnit featuring Chan, it really sh...more
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...more
1 like · like · see review
I have seen many of the Charlie Chan films, and I have always enjoyed them, but I had not read any of the books. I was pleasantly surprised that I found this first book very enjoyable.
The book has a complex plot that held my interest. A family originally from Boston, the Winterslips, has some members living in Hawaii. One of the wealthy Winterslips living in Hawaii is murdered. A younger member of the family, John Quincy Winterslip, has been sent to Boston to check up on his Aunt Minerva and pe...more
The book has a complex plot that held my interest. A family originally from Boston, the Winterslips, has some members living in Hawaii. One of the wealthy Winterslips living in Hawaii is murdered. A younger member of the family, John Quincy Winterslip, has been sent to Boston to check up on his Aunt Minerva and pe...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this first Charlie Chan mystery, and can't believe that I never picked one up before! I imagine this will be a series that I'll tear through.
The mystery itself was good, of course, and it probably stands on par with any number of Agatha Christie mystery novels, but for me the mystery wasn't what made this book so enjoyable. It was the subtle humor, and the wispy strokes of humanity that Earl Derr Biggers gave to his characters that made me fall for this book. Charlie's way w...more
The mystery itself was good, of course, and it probably stands on par with any number of Agatha Christie mystery novels, but for me the mystery wasn't what made this book so enjoyable. It was the subtle humor, and the wispy strokes of humanity that Earl Derr Biggers gave to his characters that made me fall for this book. Charlie's way w...more
One half postcard of Hawaii, one third soft boiled murder mystery, and the rest is an early Twentieth Century time and people social study. The three parts never quite mesh that well, you get the impression that the mystery is only there to excuse a book on Hawaii. But it's still affectionately written, and the mystery itself is solidly done mixing classic who-dunit twists and clues with a Gatsby-esque fish out of water hero.
I read this based on Sarah Vowell's recommendation in Nick Hornby's "Sh...more
I read this based on Sarah Vowell's recommendation in Nick Hornby's "Sh...more
The story takes place in the early 1920's Hawaii in Honolulu surrounding the murder of a wealthy man. A side story is that of a young man who has come from the chilly Boston area to the lovely tropical islands that are either buffeted by Kona winds or soothed by trade winds and he finds a a new world. I had a great time reading this book easily finding myself transported back to the era described in the book even as they bemoaned the fact that Hawaii had changed beyond recognition !! That damned...more
I loved this. It was a well-plotted, classic mystery. Biggers's characters are wonderful, and the Hawaiian setting is evocative of a long-lost time. Like all mysteries of the 1920s, the author trades in ethnic types to add local color, but I found the characters fully-formed, not simple stereotypes. What strains belief is not the multi-ethnic cast, but the fact that the Honolulu PD would allow a relative of a murder victim just off the boat to participate in the investigation as an equal. I thin...more
This is the novel that introduced detective Charlie Chan to the world. It's a light read, and reminded me of the Hardy Boys adventures I read as a child, with the teenagers replaced by adults. There's a murder, some innocent romance, fist-fights and non-lethal gunplay - all the standard elements. Despite the oft-heard complaint that Chan represents a negative ethnic stereotype, I found the portrayal of Chinese culture to be sensitive and generally positive. The story is set in 1920s Hawaii, and...more
First Charlie Chan mystery, and a very fun book it is to read. It is of it's time and gives some really interesting views of society at that time. It is wonderful to follow Chan and John Quincy Winterslip work together and develop a respect for one another that transcends many others in the story. Nice mystery as well, very visual, and let's face it... you'll want to go to Hawaii after reading of its beauty. The story follows John Quincy for the most part and he moves from a man raised and ready...more
I enjoyed this a great deal, it's a clever, well-paced mystery with an engaging enough romantic drama weaving in and out of the actual whodunnit.Surely I should be able to say more than that about a book I enjoyed so much? Not necessarily. I always try and say something about theme, style and resonance, but in this case it's simply a case of a book that sets out to do one thing - entertain the reader with a breezy, absorbing story, and everything within works to achieve just just that end - no m...more
2 likes · like · see review
Having only watched the Charlie Chan movies, and never having read the books, this story was actually better than I thought it would be. The writing was good, and Chan seemed a believable character - very different than the comic stereotype seen in the movies. However, Chan didn't really seem the detective here. The story seemed to be solved by the young hero, John Quincy. And while I liked the family of the Winterslips as portrayed in this story, as well as the time period covered by the story,...more
What grabbed me with this book is it's the very first in the Charlie Chan series. That brought back fond memories of watching the old B movies as a kid on L.A. TV. Even as a kid I knew there was something oddly wrong with having a Western actor playing the Chinese detective. Ironically, these movies always cast the very Americanized jitterbugging #1 son with an actual Asian actor. One advantage of the book is that kind of miscasting is impossible. Surprisingly Charlie Chan is only a side charact...more
I love everything Charlie Chan, from the novels to the black-and-white movies with Warner Oland as Chan. I guess because I've seen the movies so many times, it was easy for me to read this book as if it were a movie; I mean that I was able to picture it all in my head, with Oland as Chan and, for some reason, Joan Plowright as Minerva Winterslip. The book was an easy read, and of couse, full of Chan's witticisms. Not only does he solve the mystery, but he also manages to help Aunt Minerva get ov...more
Miss Minerva Winterslip, an over 50 unmarried proper Bostonian was visiting her relative, Dan Winterslip in Honolulu. When she wasn't coming home fast enough, her Boston relatives send young John Quincy Winterslip to bring her home. The night before he arrives, Dan Winterslip is killed on his lanai. John Quincy helps Charlie Chan to discover the murderer, and along the way he he is shot at, gets into a fight, falls in love, becomes less proper, and loses his desire to go right back to Boston. Th...more
This is the first of 6 Derr Biggers Charlie Chan books, and it is well worth the read. First published in 1925, it is certainly a mystery of the time. However, the main character (not part of D.B.'s first draft) goes on to become one of the great detectives of Western pop/pulp literature. This book not only inspired 5 more by BG, but also dozens of movies (from 1925-1981), a radio show, a few TV shows, comic books, and other characters. And, Chan was definitely an influence on many other mystery...more
Throw away everything you ever thought you knew about Charlie Chan from the Charlie Chan movies of the 1930s and 40s. Earl Derr Biggers' Charlie Chan books, written in the 1920s and 1930s, are much more interesting, putting on view the commonly held stereotypes of Chinese Americans during this period and the racism they encountered. The Charlie Chan of the books is an intelligent and subtle opponent of those attitudes. The mystery is clever and great fun, and like all of the Charlie Chan books,...more
The Ohio-born novelist and playright, Earl Derr Biggers, following a stint of writing for Broadway after graduating from Harvard in 1907, headed to California to enjoy seeing his early writing turned into silent films. By the early 1920, his health was in decline and spent some time convalescing from stress in the US territory of Hawaii; here he had an opportunity to meet Chang Apana of the Honolulu Police Department. Apana is the model for Charlie Chan, who made his first appearance in The Hous...more
This is Charlie Chan's first mystery... I had to look this up on wikepedia though since I had no idea who Charlie Chan was. He isn't as popular as Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes... or perhaps that's just me. Minerva Winterslip is visiting the Hawaiian islands after a long time. She is a vibrant elderly woman who has dashed societies norms while staying in Hawaii which doesn't sit well with her family back home. Her nephew John Quincy, the prim and proper, is dispatched immediately to retriev...more
This book is the first of the Charlie Chan mysteries and I was quite excited to read it. I'm a big fan of the Charlie Chan movies and wanted to read the novels that inspired them. I was a bit disappointed with this one for a few reasons. First of all, there is not enough Charlie Chan. As one of my Goodreads friends pointed out to me, Earl Derr Biggers didn't realize that character would be such a sensation. So perhaps subsequent books will have more Charlie Chan. Another thing is that I didn't r...more
1 like · like · see review
The first Charlie Chan book from the 20s. Set in Waikiki, the Honolulu police department solves a murder mystery with the help of both recent and long time visitors to the area. I loved each characters impressions of the island and having cocktails at the former home that was the setting of the book under the century-old Kiawe tree from the story was dreamy. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Did I mention I may now be obsessed with Hawaii.
There's been a lot of articles about the Charlie Chan movies recently, so I went to my library and found the first novel featuring Charlie Chan. Except for the strange dialects of English Biggers puts in the mouths of Chan and other Asian-American and Hawaiian characters, this mystery is very good, well-plotted and well-written. Biggers plausibly includes multiple suspects and clues, and quite a bit of backstory.
After reading the biography of Charlie Chan, I wanted to read a Charlie Chan mystery. This was a wonderful engaging story. Aside from the whodunit, it is a coming of age story of a young man from a Boston Brahmin society who finds a new identity in the free romantic atmosphere of Hawaii. Charlie Chan is a key figure with all the charm and wit that I remembered about him.
Not as much Chan as I would have liked but Derr Biggers is a super writer. The book is filled with interesting characters that keep the pages moving. I should point out that this is the first Charlie Chan novel and Chan is sprinkled lightly throughout. Obviously the author had no idea the character would take off like he did. All in all a great read! Enjoyed it start to finish. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.
I don't know why the character, Charlie Chan, is so put down by today's critics. He is marvelous. A Chinese-American serving on the Honolulu police force in the 30's--against all that racism implied in the novels, Chan carries himself with dignity and honor. Biggers, as the creator of Chan, does a little more recognition.
This first Charlie Chan book isn't really a Charlie Chan book. Chan doesn't appear until about 1/4 of the way in, and is more of a supporting character. Nonetheless, it's a great mystery and an enjoyable read. On a side note, I just love Chris Rahn's old-school noir artwork on these editions.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Earl Derr Biggers was born in Warren, Ohio on August 24, 1884. Years later, while attending Harvard University, Biggers showed little passion for the classics, preferring instead writers such as Rudyard Kipling and Richard Harding Davis. Following his graduation from Harvard in 1907, he worked briefly for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and at Bobbs-Merrill publishers. By 1908, Biggers was hired at the...more
More about Earl Derr Biggers...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“He turned to Miss Minerva. "I'm relying on you, at any rate. You've got a good mind. Anybody can see that."
"Thank you," she said.
"As good as a man's," he added.
"Oh, now you've spoiled it!”
—
2 people liked it
"Thank you," she said.
"As good as a man's," he added.
"Oh, now you've spoiled it!”
“he dragged his words painfully from the poets”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
Dec 18, 2012 10:53pm
Dec 18, 2012 11:36pm