Wildside Mystery Classics
2 total works
The story starts in a courthouse in Honolulu, moves to China, then to fog-shrouded San Francisco. Many of the elements used in the Charlie Chan series are present: Chinese characters (both sinister and sympathetic), the Honolulu legal system, a shrewd detective (in this case, the lawyer Mark Drew rather than a policemen), and a baffling murder complete with red herrings and plenty of suspects. Though Fifty Candles is a murder mystery, it is also a romance, with the romantic elements at times in the forefront. Mostly, though, it is a book that will delight Biggers' many fans as they trace the origins of Charlie Chan.
Baldpate Inn has SEVEN keys. The novelist has one. The other six fall into the hands of six apparent lunatics--(1) a hermit who flees from barbers and women has a key, (2) a peroxide blonde who "just loves" men has a key, (3) a college professor who has been laughed out of his job has a key, (4) a political "boss" who eats cigars alive and he has a key, (5) a Belle of High Societee has a key, (6) a bold, bad clubman who has a key and--The Girl. She (bless her) hasn't a key, you notice, but she provides one--to the mystery that Baldpate Inn immediately becomes soaked in.