What do you think?
Rate this book
Fifty Candles
Biggers had always been interested in mystery fiction, but his interest in Hawaii clearly stems from a 1919 vacation in Honolulu. While there, he read a newspaper article on a Chinese detective named Chang Apana. Apana would become the model for Charlie Chan in Biggers' 1925 novel, House Without a Key, and there quickly followed five more Charlie Chan novels. Fifty Candles -- published just two years after that 1919 vacation -- shows how Hawaii, China, and murder had already begun to come together in Biggers' imagination. The story starts in a courthouse in Honolulu, moves to China, then to fog-shrouded San Francisco. Many of the elements used in the Charlie Chan series are Chinese characters (both sinister and sympathetic), the Honolulu legal system, a shrewd detective (in this case, the lawyer Mark Drew rather than a policemen), and a baffling murder complete with red herrings and plenty of suspects. Though Fifty Candles is a murder mystery, it is also a romance, with the ro
158 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1926
About the author
Earl Derr Biggers
250 books88 followersEarl 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 Boston Traveler to write a daily humor column. Soon, however, he became that paper's drama critic. It was at this time that he met Elanor Ladd, who would later become his wife and who would have a marked influence in his writing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 11, 2017
If you're a fan of Biggers' early Charlie Chans, and especially his earlier works such as The Agony Column, then you'll probably enjoy Fifty Candles. Set mainly in San Francisco, it has that blend of romanticism and mystery which is very old-fashioned, giving it great romantic charm. Not for all tastes, but a great deal of fun if you can get into the older style of mystery writing. Fans of Biggers' Charlie Chan series will find much to love in this light mystery touched with romance.
Just as in Biggers' first Charlie Chan mystery, "The House Without a Key," that romantic link between the Hawaii of a different era and the city of San Francisco is explored and holds the key to the mystery. Not lost either are the cultural and class differences brought about by those migrating from China through the romantic ports of Hawaii and on to San Francisco.
Young Winthrop is smitten with Mary Wills and longs to marry her. His pursuit of her will lead him to a party in the home of a former employer. The shady dealings of the employer with Winthrop point to our hero as the killer when said employer is found murdered. When his attorney son arrives to help police sort out the mess, it is discovered that Mary Wills has been protecting her ardent admirer by removing from the scene the weapon which would implicate him.
Young Winthrop's only thoughts, of course, are of surprise and joy that Mary would risk all to save him! Yes it's that kind of old-fashioned romantic charm that make this somewhat short book such a fun read. The solution will involve love once again, but not that of Winthrop and Mary Wills.
Biggers always wrote his mysteries with a romantic eye, knowing that love was usually behind most men's actions. He had the ability to create an atmosphere of nostalgia for a Hawaii and a San Francisco already beginning to change even as he wrote during the 1920s and early 1930s. It is a fun walk through the fog-shrouded San Francisco of another time. While not his finest work, it gives a glimpse into what came later. A fine book for an evening or two under warm covers when you want to read a light mystery which has the glow of innocent romance.
Just as in Biggers' first Charlie Chan mystery, "The House Without a Key," that romantic link between the Hawaii of a different era and the city of San Francisco is explored and holds the key to the mystery. Not lost either are the cultural and class differences brought about by those migrating from China through the romantic ports of Hawaii and on to San Francisco.
Young Winthrop is smitten with Mary Wills and longs to marry her. His pursuit of her will lead him to a party in the home of a former employer. The shady dealings of the employer with Winthrop point to our hero as the killer when said employer is found murdered. When his attorney son arrives to help police sort out the mess, it is discovered that Mary Wills has been protecting her ardent admirer by removing from the scene the weapon which would implicate him.
Young Winthrop's only thoughts, of course, are of surprise and joy that Mary would risk all to save him! Yes it's that kind of old-fashioned romantic charm that make this somewhat short book such a fun read. The solution will involve love once again, but not that of Winthrop and Mary Wills.
Biggers always wrote his mysteries with a romantic eye, knowing that love was usually behind most men's actions. He had the ability to create an atmosphere of nostalgia for a Hawaii and a San Francisco already beginning to change even as he wrote during the 1920s and early 1930s. It is a fun walk through the fog-shrouded San Francisco of another time. While not his finest work, it gives a glimpse into what came later. A fine book for an evening or two under warm covers when you want to read a light mystery which has the glow of innocent romance.
September 16, 2018
Enjoyable with lotsa twists (Victorian). Recommended for those who like clean mystery/romance. And the author is Charlie Chan’s “maker.”
May 27, 2017
The Charlie Chan mystery writer before Charlie Chan
Earl Biggers was a relatively successful writer in several media including comedic plays and newspaper columns. With some of that income he would travel across the United States and out to Hawaii. His fascination for the American Pacific would make him most famous for his creation the Chinese - Hawaiian police Detective Charlie Chan. In the 50 Candles we get to see Earl Biggers in an intermediate stage as he begins to experiment with the mystery novel before Charlie Chan but after his exposure to Hawaii.
50 Candles is a brief novella not quite 150pages and therefore a briskly moving whodunit. The plot begins with the scene oddly applicable to 2013 America. A Hawaiian born American citizen is forced to defend his citizenship before a doubting American courtroom. Being that he is racially Chinese his documentation is doubted and he loses his court case. The scene dissolves and the story picks up 20 years later. The story is now narrated by young Winthrop - he does not appear to have a first name.
Mr. Winthrop is a mining engineer hired by the elderly Mr. Drew to turn around a failing mine in China. The young man succeeds but is cheated by Mr. Drew. Despite the enmity between these two men young Winthrop finds himself at a 50th birthday party held in Mr. Drew's giant San Francisco home. Of course the main event at the party is the stabbing death of Mr. Drew. A thick tule fog shrouding San Francisco hides truths that will ultimately reveal the murderer.
Given the brevity of the book is to Bigger's credit that he manages to include a romance and several red herrings. There are some contrivances the most obvious being the willingness of Winthrop to attend a party sponsored by his enemy - it is explained away by his romance with another of the Drew's employees. But it is also necessary to the plot for the impecunious Winthrop to share a stateroom from Hawaii to San Francisco with the very rich evil old man Drew and a third-party who will also become a suspect in the murder.
Mostly this is a fairly typical whodunit except that Bigger is very capable in creating a mood and keeping the story moving forward. Winthrop is the narrator of our story, half of the romantic plot and a very likely suspect. He is not the man to solve the crime. In introducing us to the man who will solve the crime, Biggers treads very close to my one most sacred requirement for a mystery; to wit the solution cannot be drawn from information known only to the person who solves crime. I'm inclined to forgive Biggers for veering so close to this line because overall 50 Candles is a well-crafted short read that should appeal to anyone who enjoys the later Charlie Chan novels.
Earl Biggers was a relatively successful writer in several media including comedic plays and newspaper columns. With some of that income he would travel across the United States and out to Hawaii. His fascination for the American Pacific would make him most famous for his creation the Chinese - Hawaiian police Detective Charlie Chan. In the 50 Candles we get to see Earl Biggers in an intermediate stage as he begins to experiment with the mystery novel before Charlie Chan but after his exposure to Hawaii.
50 Candles is a brief novella not quite 150pages and therefore a briskly moving whodunit. The plot begins with the scene oddly applicable to 2013 America. A Hawaiian born American citizen is forced to defend his citizenship before a doubting American courtroom. Being that he is racially Chinese his documentation is doubted and he loses his court case. The scene dissolves and the story picks up 20 years later. The story is now narrated by young Winthrop - he does not appear to have a first name.
Mr. Winthrop is a mining engineer hired by the elderly Mr. Drew to turn around a failing mine in China. The young man succeeds but is cheated by Mr. Drew. Despite the enmity between these two men young Winthrop finds himself at a 50th birthday party held in Mr. Drew's giant San Francisco home. Of course the main event at the party is the stabbing death of Mr. Drew. A thick tule fog shrouding San Francisco hides truths that will ultimately reveal the murderer.
Given the brevity of the book is to Bigger's credit that he manages to include a romance and several red herrings. There are some contrivances the most obvious being the willingness of Winthrop to attend a party sponsored by his enemy - it is explained away by his romance with another of the Drew's employees. But it is also necessary to the plot for the impecunious Winthrop to share a stateroom from Hawaii to San Francisco with the very rich evil old man Drew and a third-party who will also become a suspect in the murder.
Mostly this is a fairly typical whodunit except that Bigger is very capable in creating a mood and keeping the story moving forward. Winthrop is the narrator of our story, half of the romantic plot and a very likely suspect. He is not the man to solve the crime. In introducing us to the man who will solve the crime, Biggers treads very close to my one most sacred requirement for a mystery; to wit the solution cannot be drawn from information known only to the person who solves crime. I'm inclined to forgive Biggers for veering so close to this line because overall 50 Candles is a well-crafted short read that should appeal to anyone who enjoys the later Charlie Chan novels.
July 31, 2020
ENGLISH: A mystery novella where the protagonist narrator is dragged into the position of maximum suspect in a double murder case.
The problem is solved in a surprising way, as the fifty candles of the title take an important part in the solution.
ESPAÑOL: Una novela corta de misterio en la que el narrador protagonista parece ser el máximo sospechoso en un caso de doble asesinato.
La solución del problema es sorprendente, y las cincuenta velas del título desempeñan un papel importante.
The problem is solved in a surprising way, as the fifty candles of the title take an important part in the solution.
ESPAÑOL: Una novela corta de misterio en la que el narrador protagonista parece ser el máximo sospechoso en un caso de doble asesinato.
La solución del problema es sorprendente, y las cincuenta velas del título desempeñan un papel importante.
August 28, 2013
A classic murder mystery by the author of the Charlie Chan series.
A millionaire with more enemies than friends is murdered and no one can be ruled out as a suspect.
5 STARS
A millionaire with more enemies than friends is murdered and no one can be ruled out as a suspect.
5 STARS
May 31, 2018
Fifty Candles is one of Earl Derr Biggers' earlier works and predates the Charlie Chan novels by four years. Nonetheless, it contains many of the tropes and imagery that would become commonplace in the Charlie Chan series. It starts out, for example, in Hawaii--just two years after Biggers had vacationed there at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which would become a setting for some of the Chan mysteries. It also experiments with the mystery puzzle setup in classical form, which will come to dominate the latter novels. But it is the pointed imagery and even phrases the pop out. For example, the beautiful woman making an entry by a stairway; the elegant young sophisticated man who pursues her; the reference to Honolulu and Hawaii as a "melting pot" of races and ethnicities; and the defense of the Chinese and their development in his fiction as more than mere backdrops.
It's not all that mysterious. But the atmosphere of a foggy San Francisco night in the waning days of its being an opening to the treaty ports of the Far East still lingers as a worthwhile treat. A short read of less than two hours, Fifty Candles is the prototype for Biggers' later mystery novels.
It's not all that mysterious. But the atmosphere of a foggy San Francisco night in the waning days of its being an opening to the treaty ports of the Far East still lingers as a worthwhile treat. A short read of less than two hours, Fifty Candles is the prototype for Biggers' later mystery novels.
June 18, 2019
Earl Derr Biggers's novels have a steady pace. He was a popular writer in the early 20th century, and it is easy to see why. This is an enjoyable but forgettable novel, great for leisurely beach reading.
This book was adapted to the screen in 1921.
This book was adapted to the screen in 1921.
October 30, 2018
Ahort story with events taking place over a day.
December,1928 murder mystery in San Francisco and the only clue is a birthday cake with 50 candles and a mystery that goes back 20 years to a trial in Honolulu. Millionaire Henry Drew renegs on a lucrative promise to engineer Winthrop regarding a mining project in China. Needless to say Winthrop is extremely unhappy with Drew, yet accepts his party invitation the night they arrive in fog shrouded San Francisco.
December,1928 murder mystery in San Francisco and the only clue is a birthday cake with 50 candles and a mystery that goes back 20 years to a trial in Honolulu. Millionaire Henry Drew renegs on a lucrative promise to engineer Winthrop regarding a mining project in China. Needless to say Winthrop is extremely unhappy with Drew, yet accepts his party invitation the night they arrive in fog shrouded San Francisco.
August 8, 2018
A similar cadence and flow to his Charlie Chan novels, but without Charlie Chan. Entertaining short story with a familiar writing style by this talented author. He has a knack for creating characters, the setting, and word selection that I like.
September 29, 2023
1.5/5
The amound of racisizm in this book is incredible. Of course I realize that the times in which it was written were full of this phenomenon, but the combination of this abomination with the main character professing love in every second sentence was quite uncomfortable to read.
The amound of racisizm in this book is incredible. Of course I realize that the times in which it was written were full of this phenomenon, but the combination of this abomination with the main character professing love in every second sentence was quite uncomfortable to read.
August 9, 2019
Historia corta, típica de la época. Algo de intriga y final feliz.
July 30, 2020
Intriguing 50's mystery. Who is the birthday cake and party for and which guest murdered the host? Kept me guessing til the end. Recommended
May 25, 2021
Fun, quick mystery.
April 26, 2022
Unlike the Charlie Chan novels, the culprit - in this atmospheric mystery set in the wealthy neighborhood of Russian Hill that rises above San Francisco Chinatown - may not be lily white...
January 8, 2019
Short, interesting mystery by author Earl Derr Biggers, creator of super-sleuth Charlie Chan. Fifty Candles, published in 1921, predates the first Chan story, House Without A Key, by four years. Though not as clever as the string of marvelous stories featuring Detective Chan, this early effort by the fine-writing author is still a marvel of words and of atmosphere; even if, in the end, the mystery at hand is too quickly and too easily solved.
January 7, 2016
I didn't enjoy this as much as some of his other books which I've read but it was still a nice little read. I would definitely recommend The Agony Column, Love Insurance or 7 Keys to Baldpate over this book though.
September 13, 2010
dated look at 1900 mystery - melodrama
April 15, 2013
iBook,own
June 13, 2013
Two hours tops reading this delightful little book. Well worth it. Good pacing, well structured story, a joy, just a joy.
June 14, 2013
Two hours tops reading this delightful little book. Well worth it. Good pacing, well structured story, a joy, just a joy.
July 20, 2013
Another find through the Classic Mysteries podcast.
January 1, 2016
No Charlie Chan in this book
Nicely written but I was expecting Charlie Chan. Short story, not a book. I do like the Author's ability to set the scene
Nicely written but I was expecting Charlie Chan. Short story, not a book. I do like the Author's ability to set the scene
August 8, 2010
the author of the charlie chan novels -- early book
September 23, 2014
A great quick read. A compelling mystery that had me hooked from the start.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews