John Quincy Winterslip, Bostonian

The House Without a Key

Charlie Chan #1

by Earl Derr Biggers

Reviewed by Aaron DeWeese

 

I actually had never heard of Earl Derr Biggers. It seems he vacationed in Honolulu in 1919, read in a newspaper the exploits of a Chinese detective named Chang Apana, and immediately was inspired to create his Charlie Chan character.

The 1st Charlie Chan novel, "The House Without A Key", was originally published in 1925. I might mention Derr Biggers was a playwright as well as novelist, graduate of Harvard, and one who saw fame within his lifetime.

I was immediately struck by the hauntingly poetic prose of Derr Biggers which so ably gives us a picture of the old Hawaii, of Bostonian culture, of life in general. It makes the style of postmodern novels seem overly simplistic; childish even. I believe it is proof of the serious gaps in education today—we do not produce academics, but cookie-cutter workers, who, if writers, produce mere filler instead of prose.

The book follows not Charlie Chan, but Bostonian John Quincy Winterslip, a 30 year old cultured business man of a widely known family who comes into his own through misadventure. I really enjoyed the logical flow of the novel, and must say, I distrusted that ________ from the beginning.

I hope the next Charlie Chan novel gives of a closer look at that man.