Behind That Curtain - by Earl Derr Biggers (Paperback)

About the Book

Behind That Curtain (1928) is the third novel in the Charlie Chan series of mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers. It is set almost exclusively in California (as opposed to Chan's native Hawaii), and tells the story of the former head of Scotland Yard, a detective who is pursuing the long-cold trail of a murderer. Fifteen years ago, a London solicitor was killed in circumstances in which the only clue was a pair of Chinese slippers, which he apparently donned just before his death. Sir Frederic Bruce has been following the trail of the killer ever since. He has also been interested in what appears to be a series of disappearing women around the world, which has some connection to the disappearance of a woman named Eve Durand in rural India also fifteen years ago. Just when it seems he might finally solve the murder case, at a dinner party to which a number of important and mysterious guests have been invited, Inspector Bruce is killed - and was last seen wearing a pair of Chinese slippers, which have vanished. It is left to Chan to solve the case and tie up all loose ends.

Book Synopsis

In the third installment of the Charlie Chan mysteries the diminutive Chinese detective who hails from Honolulu finds himself back in San Francisco after his incredible adventures in the California desert with the previous book, The Chinese Parrot. A former head of Scotland Yard comes to town hot on the trail of a 15-year-old murder, where the significant clue is a pair of Chinese slippers. There is also the mysterious disappearance of a series of women, one of whom the British inspector believes may be linked to his case. When the English sleuth is himself inexplicably murdered in a social gathering, it's up to Charlie Chan to figure out the guilty party, and solve the related mystery.

About the Author

Earl Derr Biggers was born in Warren, Ohio in 1884. He graduated from Harvard University in 1907, and lived for many years in California. He wrote six novels featuring detective Charlie Chan, who became a staple of the movies. He died in Pasadena, CA in 1933.