The Chinese Parrot

The Charlie Chan Mysteries, Book 2

By: Earl Derr Biggers

Narrated by: John Rayburn

Back around 1920, Earl Derr Biggers went to Hawaii on vacation and got an idea for a new kind of fictional hero. About four years later, he put the notion to work as he developed the character of Charlie Chan, a Chinese detective who was eventually featured in five different films over a thirty-year period. He first emerged in the Saturday Evening Post Magazine as the minor character’s role grew to being the leading player in the ensuing installments.

The story you’re about to hear is the second Charlie Chan novel, and it features a parrot named Tony who is witness to a crime. The unusual bird spoke Chinese and had a less-than-perfect use of English grammar, but was killed by the criminals as a precaution.

Chan himself was a friend of a family selling jewels and agreed to deliver them on his first trip to mainland California. While there, he masquerades as a pidgin-speaking cook during his undercover investigation. His profound and original intelligence offers genial humor and witty dialogue.

Although the series originated nearly a century ago, it still has a fresh and modern feel. One review described it as, “Dated—yes! Outdated—never!” Listen as an investigative light begins to dawn.

Public Domain (P)2022 John D. Rayburn

Another good entry in the Charlie Chan series

This is the second in the Earl Derr Bigggers Charlie Chan series of books. Unlike the first book which took place on the Island of Hawaii, this book's action primarily occurs in San Francisco and in the desert east of Los Angeles.

Much like he did in his first Charlie Chan book (The House Without a Key), the author brings to life a point in time (about 100 years ago) and makes it real to us today. This is definitely a strength Biggers has as a writer. However, unlike the first book, this book has a plot line that is less believable than the first.

The character of Charlie Chan is developed more in this book than it was in the first volume, which is both expected and welcome. The book is still gripping, just not as much as I would have liked it to be. The narrator, the same who read "House..." makes listening very easy on the ears.