paul_cornelius's review against another edition
3.0
This particular Charlie Chan mystery got a bit stuffy towards the end. Needed a bit of airing out. But still it made for a good extension of the series. And, yes, there is a payoff to reading these Charlie Chan novels in the order they were published. It's possible, of course, to read them independently in any way or fashion. But there is an extra appreciation that comes from reading them in order, especially with Charlie Chan Carries On.
Earl Derr Biggers made a bit of an experiment in this book, bringing back the Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Duff, who featured so prominently in Behind That Curtain and allowing him to dominate the first half of the mystery. Only in the second half does Charlie reassert himself. But when he does so, Chan arrives as a dominant force.
By this time, in the series, there is no doubt. Charlie will get his man. It's just a matter of time. Charlie has left the somewhat hesitant Sgt. Chan of the early novels far behind. And while the earlier formula for Biggers' fiction is still at work--with the romance between high society lawyer Mark Kennaway and a beautiful young woman--that formula has seen its proportions severely changed. Kenneway is at this point in the series mere window dressing, an ornament through which only a few threads of the plot are processed. Those earlier novels, where Charlie worked hand in hand or even depended upon the high society White aristocrat are long gone. In fact, at the end of Charlie Chan Carries On, the Boston Brahmin, Kenneway, has agreed to abdicate his throne, so to speak, unlike, say, John Quincy Winterslip of The House Without a Key, who proves himself worthy of his inheritance in that book.
Still, things don't really work out as well in this book as the dedicated reader of Chan fiction might hope. So interesting had Duff's tale become that you regret his disappearance into the background during the mystery's second half. And Charlie himself operates in a more methodical workmanlike manner than in the earlier novels. The conclusion, as a result, did just that, conclude. There is not nearly the excitement of the solving of the case as in the four earlier books.
One thing of note: the mention of the Great Depression for the first time makes its way into the pages of a Charlie Chan mystery. It hovers in the background of the novel. Perhaps that is why some of the twinkle and glitter of the earlier books seem to have disappeared.
Earl Derr Biggers made a bit of an experiment in this book, bringing back the Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Duff, who featured so prominently in Behind That Curtain and allowing him to dominate the first half of the mystery. Only in the second half does Charlie reassert himself. But when he does so, Chan arrives as a dominant force.
By this time, in the series, there is no doubt. Charlie will get his man. It's just a matter of time. Charlie has left the somewhat hesitant Sgt. Chan of the early novels far behind. And while the earlier formula for Biggers' fiction is still at work--with the romance between high society lawyer Mark Kennaway and a beautiful young woman--that formula has seen its proportions severely changed. Kenneway is at this point in the series mere window dressing, an ornament through which only a few threads of the plot are processed. Those earlier novels, where Charlie worked hand in hand or even depended upon the high society White aristocrat are long gone. In fact, at the end of Charlie Chan Carries On, the Boston Brahmin, Kenneway, has agreed to abdicate his throne, so to speak, unlike, say, John Quincy Winterslip of The House Without a Key, who proves himself worthy of his inheritance in that book.
Still, things don't really work out as well in this book as the dedicated reader of Chan fiction might hope. So interesting had Duff's tale become that you regret his disappearance into the background during the mystery's second half. And Charlie himself operates in a more methodical workmanlike manner than in the earlier novels. The conclusion, as a result, did just that, conclude. There is not nearly the excitement of the solving of the case as in the four earlier books.
One thing of note: the mention of the Great Depression for the first time makes its way into the pages of a Charlie Chan mystery. It hovers in the background of the novel. Perhaps that is why some of the twinkle and glitter of the earlier books seem to have disappeared.
samykookis97's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
shallowgal00's review against another edition
3.0
Charlie Chan #5 .... and he doesn't show up for quite some time.
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