The Complete Charlie Chan Series – All 6 Mystery Novels in One Edition (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The House Without a Key, The Chinese Parrot, Behind That Curtain, The Black Camel…By Earl Derr Biggers
Length56h 16m
About this audiobook
The Complete Charlie Chan Series gathers Earl Derr Biggers's six detective novels—beginning with The House Without a Key and culminating in Keeper of the Keys—into a single arc of Golden Age mystery fiction. Written in polished, brisk prose, the books combine fair-play detection, travel writing, social comedy, and atmospheric settings from Hawai'i to California and beyond. Their importance lies both in their ingenious plotting and in their complicated literary context: Charlie Chan, a Chinese-Hawaiian detective, was conceived as a corrective to sinister "Yellow Peril" figures, yet remains inseparable from the racial assumptions of his era. Earl Derr Biggers (1884–1933), an American novelist and playwright, found his enduring subject after encountering reports of Chang Apana, a real Honolulu police detective. Biggers's background in popular fiction and theater shaped his taste for lively dialogue, urbane pacing, and carefully staged revelation. His fascination with Hawai'i, modern tourism, and cross-cultural encounter helped produce a detective whose courtesy and intellect challenged many contemporary expectations. This collection is recommended for readers of classic detective fiction, literary historians, and anyone interested in the evolution of popular mystery. Read critically, the series offers both elegant puzzles and a revealing portrait of American attitudes in the interwar period.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.2 (391)
Includes Amazon, Goodreads
GenreMystery and Thriller
Length56 hrs 16 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 17, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Complete Charlie Chan Series – All 6 Mystery Novels in One Edition (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5The House Without a Key
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter I. Kona Weather
7Chapter II. The High Hat
8Chapter III. Midnight on Russian Hill
9Chapter IV. A Friend of Tim's
10Chapter V. The Blood of the Winterslips
11Chapter VI. Beyond the Bamboo Curtain
12Chapter VII. Enter Charlie Chan
13Chapter VIII. Steamer Day
14Chapter IX. At the Reef and Palm
15Chapter X. A Newspaper Ripped in Anger
16Chapter XI. The Tree of Jewels
17Chapter XII. Tom Brade the Blackbirder
18Chapter XIII. The Luggage in Room Nineteen
19Chapter XIV. What Kaohla Carried
20Chapter XV. The Man From India
21Chapter XVI. The Return of Captain Cope
22Chapter XVII. Night Life in Honolulu
23Chapter XVIII. A Cable From the Mainland
24Chapter XIX. "Good-By, Pete!"
25Chapter XX. The Story of Lau Ho
26Chapter XXI. The Stone Walls Crumble
27Chapter XXII. The Light Streams Through
28Chapter XXIII. Moonlight at the Crossroads
29The Chinese Parrot
30Chapter I. The Phillimore Pearls
31Chapter II. The Detective From Hawaii
32Chapter III. At Chan Kee Lim's
33Chapter IV. The Oasis Special
34Chapter V. Madden's Ranch
35Chapter VI. Tony's Happy New Year
36Chapter VII. The Postman Sets Out
37Chapter VIII. A Friendly Little Game
38Chapter IX. A Ride in the Dark
39Chapter X. Bliss of the Homicide Squad
40Chapter XI. Thorn Goes on a Mission
41Chapter XII. The Trolley on the Desert
42Chapter XIII. What Mr. Cherry Saw
43Chapter XIV. The Third Man
44Chapter XV. Will Holley's Theory
45Chapter XVI. "The Movies are in Town"
46Chapter XVII. In Madden's Footsteps
47Chapter XVIII. The Barstow Train
48Chapter XIX. The Voice on the Air
49Chapter XX. Petticoat Mine
50Chapter XXI. End of the Postman's Journey
EARL DERR BIGGERS Ultimate Collection: 20+ Mystery Novels, Detective Tales & Short Stories, Including the Charlie Chan Series (Illustrated) (Annotated)Earl Derr Biggers99h 32m4.1 (120)$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Mysteries of Earl Derr Biggers – 11 Titles in One Volume (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)Earl Derr Biggers84h 12m4.4 (31)$2 · $0.00
SEVEN KEYS TO BALDPATE (Mystery Classic) (Annotated)Earl Derr Biggers8h 58m3.3 (886)$2 · $0.00
Fifty CandlesEarl Derr Biggers3h 14m3.7 (182)$2 · $0.00
The Ebony StickEarl Derr Biggers1h 4m$2 · $0.00
Charlie Chan Carries OnEarl Derr Biggers9h 47m4.0 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Mysteries of Earl Derr Biggers – 11 Titles in One Volume (Illustrated Edition)Earl Derr Biggers84h 3m4.4 (31)$1 · $0.00
Behind That CurtainEarl Derr Biggers9h 7m4.0 (1.4K)$1 · $0.00
The Agony ColumnEarl Derr Biggers3h 28m3.7 (556)$2 · $0.00
Inside the LinesEarl Derr Biggers7h 25m3.8 (30)$2 · $0.00
The Black CamelEarl Derr Biggers9h4.0 (720)$2 · $0.00
EARL DERR BIGGERS Ultimate Collection: 20+ Mystery Novels, Detective Tales & Short Stories, Including the Charlie Chan Series (Illustrated)Earl Derr Biggers99h 25m$1 · $0.00
Seven Keys to BaldpateEarl Derr Biggers8h 7m3.2 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
The Best Thriller Novels of Earl Derr BiggersEarl Derr Biggers83h 27m$1 · $0.00
MYSTERY CLASSICS Boxed Set - Earl Derr Biggers Edition (Illustrated)Earl Derr Biggers84h 16m4.1 (38)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Earl Derr Biggers: 11 Mystery Classics, Thrillers & Detective StoriesEarl Derr Biggers83h 28m4.4 (23)$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Mysteries of Earl Derr Biggers – 11 Titles in One Volume (Illustrated Edition)Earl Derr Biggers84h 15m4.4 (31)$2 · $0.00
Seven Keys to BaldpateEarl Derr Biggers8h 49m3.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
EARL DERR BIGGERS Ultimate CollectionEarl Derr Biggers99h 39m4.2 (20)$2 · $0.00
Unfinished BusinessBlair Howard7h 17m4.8 (373)$23
The New Human Revolution, vol. 1Daisaku Ikeda7h 46m4.7 (669)$12 · $0.00
Meddlesome MoneyMildred Abbott8h 21m4.7 (1.3K)$20
Dark RisingJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 47m4.7 (1.3K)$27
Midnight ShadowsS.E. Smith5h 40m4.7 (2.5K)$17
CollateralBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson13h 8m4.6 (7K)$23
The ReunionJana Deleon6h 31m4.6 (1.6K)$26 · $0.00
Animal 3K’wan6h 33m4.6 (2.8K)$20
To Hold and ProtectSandra Owens7h 59m4.6 (1.1K)$8 · $0.00
Extinction WarNicholas Sansbury Smith12h 1m4.6 (6K)$23
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Complete Edition)Arthur Conan Doyle12h 28m4.6 (286.7K)$2 · $0.00
Savy WisdomPeggy McColl2h 53m4.7 (448)$15
3 a.m. Premium: Books 1–5Nick Pirog15h 27m4.6 (8.2K)$25
Farewell My Lovely (Annotated)Raymond Chandler10h 37m4.6 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Labyrinth of the SpiritsCarlos Ruiz Zafon27h 55m4.5 (77.2K)$53 · $0.00
Tracing Killer EvidenceJodie Bailey5h 46m4.7 (242)$12 · $0.00
Sign of the MakerBrian Shea7h 13m4.6 (2.5K)$17
No Sin UnpunishedLynDee Walker7h 43m4.6 (1.4K)$17
Sherlock HolmesMade for Success14h 22m4.5 (4.3K)$25
Sons of War 4: SoldiersNicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams12h 54m4.6 (507)$25
You may also like
The Secret of Father BrownG. K. Chesterton6h 58m4.0 (2.3K)$2.30 · $0.00
Father Brown: Complete Series (All 53 Stories in One Volume)G. K. Chesterton40h 19m4.2 (17.9K)$1 · $0.00
FATHER BROWN Complete Series - All 51 Short Stories in One EditionG. K. Chesterton39h 9m4.1 (18.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Secret of Father BrownG. K. Chesterton6h 54m4.0 (2.4K)$2.30
Poirot InvestigatesAgatha Christie5h 56m4.0 (88.2K)$1 · $0.00
FATHER BROWN Complete Series - All 51 Short Stories in One EditionG. K. Chesterton39h 8m4.1 (17.1K)$1 · $0.00
The Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesArthur Conan Doyle9h 37m4.4 (130K)Free
The Widow Lerouge (Annotated)Émile Gaboriau14h 53m3.9 (2K)$0.99 · $0.00
A Study in ScarletArthur Conan4h 43m4.2 (562.6K)$3.50 · $0.00
Mystery of the Yellow Room (The first detective Joseph Rouletabille novel and one of the first locked room mystery crime fiction novels)Gaston Leroux8h 18m3.7 (17.9K)$1 · $0.00
The Labors of HerculesAgatha Christie8h 44m4.0 (39K)$26 · $0.00
ThreadbareMonica Ferris7h 3m4.0 (2.4K)$22
The Innocence of Father BrownG. K. Chesterton9h 43m4.0 (27K)$1 · $0.00
John Thorndyke's CasesR. Austin Freeman9h 3m4.1 (542)$2.30
A Deadly EpisodeAnthony Horowitz8h 4m4.1 (8.3K)$29 · $0.00
Detective BookCarujo3h 43m$6 · $0.00
S.S. VAN DINE Premium Collection: Thriller Classics, Murder Mysteries, Detective TalesWillard Huntington Wright, S.S. Van Dine115h 45m$2 · $0.00
The Field BazaarArthur Conan Doyle6m3.4 (160)$2 · $0.00
The Great Detectives Omnibus – 3 Classic Detective TalesArthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, Robert Barr19h 3m$2
Arthur Morrison Ultimate Collection: 80+ Mysteries, Detective Stories & Dark Fantasy TalesArthur Morrison89h 14m$2 · $0.00