The House Without a Key: Charlie Chan #1

By Earl Derr Biggers and John Gregory Betancourt

The House Without a Key is the classic novel in which Charlie Chan makes his debut as Inspector of the Honolulu Police Department. Earl Derr Biggers brings Honolulu to life with deft descriptions of the landscape and of its hybrid ethnic communities. With the creation of Detective Chan, Biggers also shatters stereotypes and is ahead of his time in highlighting the positive aspects of Chinese-Hawaiian culture, just as his skillful rendering of San Francisco is noteworthy of its modernity and keen sense of place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wildside Press
• Release date: Jan 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781479455225

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.

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