The Black Camel

By Earl Derr Biggers

This early work by Earl Derr Biggers was originally published in 1929 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. "The Black Camel" tells the story of a Hollywood star (Shelah Fane), who is stopping in Hawaii after she finished shooting a film on location in Tahiti. She is murdered in the pavilion of her renter house in Waikiki during her stay. Chan, in his position as a detective with the Honolulu Police Department, "investigates amid public clamor demanding that the murderer be found and punished immediately. "Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate. Tonight black camel has knelt here", Chan tells the suspects. Earl Derr Biggers was born on 26th August 1884 in Warren, Ohio, USA. Biggers received his further education at Harvard University, where he developed a reputation as a literary rebel, preferring the popular modern authors, such as Rudyard Kipling and Richard Harding Davis to the established figures of classical literature. Following in their footsteps upon graduating, he himself began a career as a popular writer, penning humorous articles and reviews for the Boston Traveler. While on holiday in Hawaii, Biggers heard tales of a real-life Chinese detective operating in Honolulu, named Chang Apana. This inspired him to create his most enduring legacy in the character of super-sleuth Charlie Chan. The first Chan story "The House Without a Key" (1925) was published as a serialised story in the Saturday Evening Post and then released as a novel in the same year. Biggers went on to write five more Chan novels and all were licensed for movie adaptations by Fox Films. These films were hugely popular with several different actors taking the lead role of Chan. Eventually; over 40 films were produced featuring the character. Biggers only saw the early on-screen successes of Charlie Chan due to his death at the age of only 48 from a heart attack in April 1933.

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Press
• Release date: Jul 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781473371552

Earl Derr Biggers

Earl Derr Biggers (1884–1933) was an American writer born and raised in the Midwest. He attended Harvard University and became a journalist for The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. Biggers eventually fell in love with fiction and made it his primary focus. Some of his earlier works include Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913) and Love Insurance (1914). Yet, Biggers is best known for the popular Charlie Chan detective series, which began with the 1925 novel, The House Without a Key. There were six novels in all, adapted across multiple mediums including film, television, radio, and comics.

Reviews for The Black Camel

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As I have said elsewhere, I like best the Chan novels such as this one which are actually set in Hawaii. This one involves the murder of a slightly over the hill movie star.

[gttexas · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Charlie is in great form in a better than average mystery. Enjoyed it.

[f5bludevil · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read three books in this series "Charlie Chan" and I have to admit to a little bit of an addiction developing. With each book my initial thoughts are that the books are just too typical of the whole English mystery genre. Somebody either glamorous or mysterious or both dies than an never ending lists of suspects followed by twists and turns galore and finally all the suspects are gathered in a room and the murderer is revealed.Well if it sounds a little formulated - it is, but then it's also a great deal of fun. So, if you want a little relief from the psychotic, serial killer body count, slaughter-thriller-mystery-current-formula and yearn for a little of the old fashioned, nostalgic "who done it" formula?And, have a couple of hours to waste on a little bit of fun - try some Charlie Chan.You'll sleep better tonight.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a shame that Earl Derr Biggers only wrote six of these jewels. They hold up well and are very entertaining. The Black Camel is no exception. A clever plot, a clever detective and way too many suspects in the death of a Hollywood starlet who is passing her prime. The solution wasn't telegraphed, but it also wasn't hidden. Charlie Chan is smart, humble, droll and pretty dang funny. What's not to like?

[condorena · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

THE BLACK CAMEL by Earl Derr Biggers

'Death is the black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate.' This is the quote used by Charlie Chan minutes after he is called to investigate the murder of Shelah Fane a Hollywood actress who has just arrived in the Hawaiian Islands to wrap up a movie that had been begun in Tahiti. She had hoped to have some time to recuperate once filming was done. Shelah was quite famous for her work and appearance but these were on the cusp of a downhill slope, something that actresses in the movie business always feared when the little lines on the face became more obvious.

This is a very high profile case for Inspector Chan of the Honolulu police and he proceeds warily among many possible suspects. One man a mysterious crystal gazer or fortune teller known as Tarneverro is well known among the Hollywood set and a close personal friend of Miss Fane is very eager to help in the solving of this murder and Charlie accepts this philosophically with help from another wise saying: ‘the bird chooses the tree, not the tree the bird.’

Most of Charlie Chan’s approach relates to basic philosophy of what will be will be. Life is predestined and so there is no use worrying about things not easily controlled such as the weather, one’s weight, and other facts of life. But he has no intention of behaving like the crane, which waited for the sea to disappear and leave him dry fish to eat, starves to death. Thus he proceeds and in his quiet intuitive way knows he can find the murderer.

Charlie Chan has eleven children and in this book we are introduced to his oldest son, Henry, his oldest daughter, Rose and the next in line Evelyn. We also meet little Barry who was born while he was helping the SFPD during his recent adventures in California in BEHIND THAT CURTAIN.

[vernefan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Honolulu HomicideThe Black Camel is Earl Derr Biggers 4th Charlie Chan Mystery, and for me keeps pace with the previous three installments in being a very entertaining who-dun-it crime novel. Inspector Charlie Chan finally returns to his own home stomping grounds after solving the previous murders in San Francisco. The setting of palm trees and white sandy beaches in the Black Camel, fully gives the reader a tropical and lush backdrop and a vivid picture of Hawaii in the late 1920s. This story involves two murders. One of a Hollywood actor in the past, and the current killing of a beloved actress as the book opens. Within the first chapter gorgeous actress Shela Fane is about to make a grand entrance at a dinner party she is hosting at her rented Waikiki beach house, and is brutally murdered in the garden pavilion just minutes before dinner is served. A knife through her heart sends shocking screams through the night, interupting the sounds of the crashing waves on the moonlit sands nearby. All invited guests and servants are under suspicion and of course it is up to Charlie to interrogate the cast of characters, unravel the clues, and deduce who the villain is and how it relates to the murder in the past. An Ex-husband, a mysterious fortune teller, a comical beach bum, and many other friends within Shela’s film world, all are suspect and have reasons of their own for wanting her demise. Although I didn’t enjoy this episode as much as the previous three stories, it is still a very enjoyable read. I have recently found Earl Derr Biggers and have admired his writing style. For the period of time he was writing in, these crime novels are complex and are nicely condensed with a perfect blend of just the right amount of dialog and descriptive text, without an abundance of added filler and fluff to fill out the pages. The stories are perhaps a bit formulaic but the mysteries are so engaging you don't recognize any predictability or plot outline. One can't help but totally fall in love with Charlie Chan's character, a detective mastermind with a talent for seeing the unseen, while at the same time, endearing the characters within to his warmth, charm and sarcastic humor. A roaring twenties version of Columbo, Charlie Chan’s delightful and cunning persona will have modern day readers scooping up all six books and wishing there had been more.