"Man who buries treasure in the snow, forgets that summer is coming." -- Charle Chan

Hawaii's Charlie Chan gets his first look at snow in Keeper of the Keys. In another first for the Chinese detective from Honolulu, this mystery will move Chan to facilitate the flight of someone involved deeply in a murder and its aftermath. Not a first by any means in this old-fashioned series, Chan will also facilitate a budding romance.

As Charlie travels by train through the snow-clad mountains all the pieces for mystery and murder are put in place because the passenger list includes the ex-husbands of singer Ellen Landini. Ellen joins them at Dudley Ward's estate overlooking the blue lake and pine trees, bringing with her young Hugh Beaton, her latest conquest. Charlie's attempt to discover if rumors of a man's offspring are true quickly take a dark turn, and he is soon helping investigate a murder.

As Charlie assists Sheriff Holt in his investigation, it is not lost on Charlie that the young man has a blind spot where the lovely Leslie Beaton is concerned. As Charlie reminds the young sheriff to remained focused, Charlie has trouble doing so himself. When evidence begins to mount against one of his own race, the suspect makes it clear to Charlie that he no longer considers Chan a true Chinese, because of his American ways, which pains Charlie greatly.

An unsigned will points to one person, blackmail to another, and a seemingly "essential" clue only serves to muddy the waters further. When a second murder occurs the case takes on great urgency. Everywhere Charlie turns points toward China, which will lead our favorite Hawaiian detective to do the unthinkable.

Reporter Bill Rankin from an earlier entry, Behind that Curtain, makes a welcome appearance in Keeper of the Keys. For Chan, however, Bill's arrival is not nearly so welcome when he spills the beans on some of Charlie's activities! It ain't over till it's over in this one, with Biggers wrapping up both the mystery and the romance quite nicely. This one is quite fun for Charlie Chan fans, and a must if you've missed this entry in the Charlie Chan series. ( )

La acción de «El criado chino» tiene lugar en 1932. Los ex-maridos y amantes de la cantante de ópera Ellen Ladona son convocados a una casa en las orillas del Lago Tahoe. Su dueño trata de averiguar si alguno conoce la existencia y el paradero de su hijo.

Detektivní román, v němž detektiv Charlie Chan, znalec lidských povah a vášní vyřeší případ vraždy slavné zpěvačky.

Čtyři bývalí manželé slavné zpěvačky se sejdou na sídle jednoho z nich, ke schůzce je pozván i známý detektiv. Hostitel, Dudley Ward, první z exmanželů má pro všechny otázku, nevědí-li něco o osudu jeho dítěte, které se narodilo po rozvodu. Na schůzku se dostaví i jejich bývalá manželka se svým nynějším milencem. Vzápětí je však zavražděna. Každý z těchto mužů měl pádný důvod k jejímu zavraždění. Na honolulském detektivovi čínského původu je, aby případ vyřešil. Schopný detektiv se případu ujímá se svou příslovečnou bravurou. Román napsaný ve 30. letech nese všechny znaky tehdejšího pojetí detektivky.

Unlike the film version of Charlie Chan, who traveled the world from Shanghai to Europe, the Charlie Chan of Earl Derr Biggers' novels only made it to Hawaii and California--with a ship ride in between the two. And the two settings in rural California turned out to be the least effective for his mysteries, especially this last novel set on Lake Tahoe.

Charlie seems tired in this book. Maybe Biggers was getting tired of him. Hard to say. But this was just another workmanlike finish for Biggers. I was sorry to see the series end on such a comparatively less inspired note.

Perhaps I am annoyed with Biggers' depiction of the common folk. For in Keeper of the Keys, Charlie's helper(s) have been replaced. Instead of high society social figures, the reader finds more than a dose or two of the local county sheriff and his father, Don and Sam Holt. And their folk wisdom. And, worse, their folksy dialogue. Earl Derr Biggers is not John Steinbeck. And so's I reckon I hear'ed jes' 'bout a'neff of that ther'n Sam Holt feller. I reckon. Mebbe his son, too. I reckon.

Still, I would have liked to see more novels. A pity Biggers died so young.

*A note to myself. In the past five months, I've read through all the Mr. Moto and Charlie Chan novels. Marquand is a better writer than Biggers, although Biggers is better at constructing a crime mystery per se. But then Marquand's Mr. Moto series is not just about a mystery. It's more of an adventure series, with a good mystery thrown in. Two very different type novels, really. ( )

This is the last of the Charlie Chan books, and a fine one it is. Charlie is invited by a rich man to his house on Lake Tahoe. His ostensible job is to learn if the man had had a son by his ex-wife, an opera diva, and if so, to find the son. Also invited to the house are the diva's three other ex-husbands as well as her designated #5, once her Reno divorce on #4 becomes final. So, naturally, the diva shows up as well and manages to get murdered in her sitting room, just as the plane that is to take her back to Reno comes flying over to land. Oh yeah, the pilot of that plane is also sweet on the diva, much to the chagrin of the pilot's spouse, a maid in the household.

Anyway, you can guess that things are rather complicated. Charlie, being an outsider, gets involved at the behest of the new local sheriff, who is way out of his depth, but who knows tjat. It's a complex plot, but rather fun.

I don't know if Earl Derr Biggers had plans to continue with Charlie's adventures, but unfortunately, he died shortly after this book was published. This book is a fine one on which to end the Chan series, still well plotted and well written. ( )