paul_cornelius's review against another edition
3.0
Quite a clever book, this second in the series of Charlie Chan mysteries. Earl Derr Biggers moves from the lush tropical islands of Hawaii, surrounded by their sea of clear waters, in the first novel, to the deserts of Southern California, surrounded by their sea of sand and arid air. A bigger contrast of settings would be impossible to make.
And Biggers has improved on some aspects of the Chan story. The mystery itself is better in this novel. And Charlie himself a stronger character, although he is still secondary, as in the first Chan novel, to the main protagonist. In this case, the protagonist is Bob Eden. And that is where The Chinese Parrot fails to live up to the first book, The House Without a Key. Bob Eden is annoying. Not only does he bumble around, become easily distracted, and constantly fall into childish mood swings, but he also doubts himself--and Charlie. Only through dumb luck, really, does he solve the case. This is markedly different from The House Without a Key, where the protagonist, John Quincy Winterslip, combines with and supports Chan.
The Chinese Parrot is still a wonderful mystery and fun book to read. Its frequent puns alone make for an effective break of the tension. Too bad about Louis Wong and Tony.
And Biggers has improved on some aspects of the Chan story. The mystery itself is better in this novel. And Charlie himself a stronger character, although he is still secondary, as in the first Chan novel, to the main protagonist. In this case, the protagonist is Bob Eden. And that is where The Chinese Parrot fails to live up to the first book, The House Without a Key. Bob Eden is annoying. Not only does he bumble around, become easily distracted, and constantly fall into childish mood swings, but he also doubts himself--and Charlie. Only through dumb luck, really, does he solve the case. This is markedly different from The House Without a Key, where the protagonist, John Quincy Winterslip, combines with and supports Chan.
The Chinese Parrot is still a wonderful mystery and fun book to read. Its frequent puns alone make for an effective break of the tension. Too bad about Louis Wong and Tony.
kathyscottage's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0
frahorus's review against another edition
4.0
Primo giallo di Biggers che leggo e devo dire che mi è piaciuto molto. Innanzitutto la figura dell'investigatore cinese Charlie Chan mi ha subito fatto tanta simpatia, i suoi modi di fare gentili e molto zen, il suo modo paziente di investigare e di riflettere senza prendere subito per buono quello che i vari indizi ti portano a credere. Poi l'ambientazione western nel deserto in cui conosceremo il milionario che vuole questa collana di perle il più presto possibile è stata ben curata e ammetto che fino alla fine, dove poi ci saranno i colpi di scena, l'autore è riuscito a farmi appassionare ai vari misteri da risolvere. Il povero pappagallino farà una brutta fine ma sarà importante per far partire le indagini dei due protagonisti, l'investigatore e il suo amico Eden che si innamora della bella bionda.
Se vi aspettate delitti con sangue e violenza, non è questo il genere di giallo che leggerete, tutto il contrario. E devo dire che questa eccezione ci sta nel genere. Ho letto con rammarico che l'autore americano ha scritto soltanto sei romanzi del ciclo di Charlie Chan, e ovviamente li voglio recuperare tutti!
Se vi aspettate delitti con sangue e violenza, non è questo il genere di giallo che leggerete, tutto il contrario. E devo dire che questa eccezione ci sta nel genere. Ho letto con rammarico che l'autore americano ha scritto soltanto sei romanzi del ciclo di Charlie Chan, e ovviamente li voglio recuperare tutti!
samykookis97's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
shallowgal00's review against another edition
4.0
excellent ~ Charlie Chan in the California desert.
slferg's review against another edition
4.0
Charlie Chan ventures out of Hawaii. I woman he worked for as a child has requested her bring her valuable pearl necklace to San Francisco. She is selling it to raise money for her shiftless son. The buyer of the necklace is an autocratic man who knew Mrs Jordan when her family was extremely wealthy and he was a busboy at a hotel. He sees this as a chance for evening the score. He directs them to deliver the necklace only to him in New York, but then the jeweler receives a call ordering the necklace to be delivered to his ranch retreat in Arizona. Chan and the jeweler's son plan to go to the ranch to see what is going on and make sure the buyer is indeed who he claims since he changed the delivery place. What they run into is complicated goings on, made even more complicated by a film crew and a stranger who had followed the jeweler's son at the boat when he was supposed to be meeting Charlie Chan. But he got suspicious and led the guy astray. Then the man turns up at the ranch...and rips him off in a poker game.
nhayner's review against another edition
5.0
Y’all… go read this book omg. Easily as good as any Hercule Poirot story
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
The Chinese Parrot (1926) is the second in Earl Derr Biggers's mystery series featuring Charlie Chan. The Charlie Chan stories were first serialized in The Saturday Evening Post. What is interesting is that these stories were running during the same time period as Sax Rohmer's "yellow peril" Fu Manchu. Biggers's representation of Asians may not be perfect, but it is certainly far more positive than most of the Western literature of the early 20th century. The Chinese detective from Honolulu manages to outsmart everyone in this snapshot of 1920s America. And he's using his intelligence for good, rather than in an evil "yellow" plot to wipe out civilization.
A society lady who has fallen on hard times (read: her wastrel son has squandered the fortune his father had left) is forced to sell her valuable string of pearls in order to meet debts and have something to live on. Millionaire P. J. Madden is determined to have the pearls as what he calls a just revenge for how this lady looked right through him when he was a nobody bellhop. A deal is arranged by Eden, a prominent San Francisco jeweler (and friend of the lady's family). Charlie Chan, formerly a houseboy in the lady's home and now a detective with the Honolulu police, is asked to transport the pearls to San Francisco where he will join the jewler's son, Bob, for the journey to New York to deliver the pearls.
But the jeweler receives a phone call changing the plan--Madden has decided to visit his desert ranch and wants the pearls delivered there instead. There are known criminals lurking about and Bob Eden--and Chan--begin to be worried about the arrangements. It is decided that the two will travel separately and Chan will disguise himself as a man in need of work in order to get into Madden's home. He masquerades as Ah Kim, a "boy of all work" who tends the fireplace, cooks, picks up supplies, and occasionally chauffeurs. Once established on the ranch, they encounter a Chinese-speaking parrot who dies before he can tell all, someone else will be murdered, and Bob will play poker with a millionaire and one of the shady characters. There will be tales of arsenic and Chan will find a hidden bullet hole as well as the missing gun which was responsible.
I grew up watching the Charlie Chan movies on Saturday/Sunday afternoon television and I must say that I appreciate this novel much more. I enjoyed the mystery and the wisdom of Chan. It didn't matter that I suspected who was responsible the entire time...there were enough twists and turns and unknowns to make for an enjoyable read. Three and a half stars.
This was first posted to my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks!
A society lady who has fallen on hard times (read: her wastrel son has squandered the fortune his father had left) is forced to sell her valuable string of pearls in order to meet debts and have something to live on. Millionaire P. J. Madden is determined to have the pearls as what he calls a just revenge for how this lady looked right through him when he was a nobody bellhop. A deal is arranged by Eden, a prominent San Francisco jeweler (and friend of the lady's family). Charlie Chan, formerly a houseboy in the lady's home and now a detective with the Honolulu police, is asked to transport the pearls to San Francisco where he will join the jewler's son, Bob, for the journey to New York to deliver the pearls.
But the jeweler receives a phone call changing the plan--Madden has decided to visit his desert ranch and wants the pearls delivered there instead. There are known criminals lurking about and Bob Eden--and Chan--begin to be worried about the arrangements. It is decided that the two will travel separately and Chan will disguise himself as a man in need of work in order to get into Madden's home. He masquerades as Ah Kim, a "boy of all work" who tends the fireplace, cooks, picks up supplies, and occasionally chauffeurs. Once established on the ranch, they encounter a Chinese-speaking parrot who dies before he can tell all, someone else will be murdered, and Bob will play poker with a millionaire and one of the shady characters. There will be tales of arsenic and Chan will find a hidden bullet hole as well as the missing gun which was responsible.
I grew up watching the Charlie Chan movies on Saturday/Sunday afternoon television and I must say that I appreciate this novel much more. I enjoyed the mystery and the wisdom of Chan. It didn't matter that I suspected who was responsible the entire time...there were enough twists and turns and unknowns to make for an enjoyable read. Three and a half stars.
This was first posted to my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks!
lauraellis's review against another edition
3.0
This is a remarkable book for its time, because it was written by an American in 1926 and it presents a positive view of a Chinese American, Charlie Chan. He is a detective sergeant in the Honolulu police force. But even with this, racism of the time slips in ("slanty-eyed flappers"). Also, Charlie Chan is not really the main character. Instead, it is Bob Evans who is the lead character, who assists Charlie in the search for the answer. One of the amazing things was how Bob seemed to feel compelled to bring every new friend he makes into the search, without any thought that they may be involved or may not be as nice as they seem.
This is a very traditional mystery, aside from the positive view of Chinese Americans. I enjoyed it, both as a mystery and as a glimpse into a view of the times, but I will not be keeping the book in my library.
This was my selection for the “Less than a hundred reviews on Goodreads” category in the 2019 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.
This is a very traditional mystery, aside from the positive view of Chinese Americans. I enjoyed it, both as a mystery and as a glimpse into a view of the times, but I will not be keeping the book in my library.
This was my selection for the “Less than a hundred reviews on Goodreads” category in the 2019 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge.
a20261's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up not knowing it was a Charlie Chan mystery. The main story meanders through the novel, without any significant subplots, and in the end wraps up neatly. There isn't any real chance for the reader to piece together the mystery, but instead a Christie-like new fact is tacked-on at the conclusion to explain it all. The primary characters are filled out nicely, most of the dialogue sounds natural (but obviously(?) a bit dated); but the novel lacks development of the secondary characters which could have added to the world-building and helped draw the reader into the story. Also lacking: an element of danger, especially for our lead characters, until the penultimate moment. However, I'm not one to write-off an author after only one story, so I'll be keeping my eye out for another Charlie Chan mystery.
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