The Chinese parrot
By: a novel by Earl Derr biggers
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Published: 1926
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 316
Subjects: Charlie Chan (Fictitious character); Fiction
Description: The character of Charlie Chan was based in part on the experiences of two Chinese detectives, Chang Apana and Lee Fook, who Biggers had read about in a honolulu newspaper while on vation. Biggers wrote six Charlie Chan mysteries. The Chinese Parrot is the second book in the series. Sally Jordan is a Honolulu heiress who is forced to sell a valuable set of pears. The pearls are sold to Wall Street financier P.J. Madden through a local jewler named Alexander Eden. The plan is to deliver the pearls to Maden in New York City. Charlie Chan and the jewler's son Bob are selected to make the delivery. Charlie and Bob learn that there has been a change of plans and the pearls will now be taken to Madden's ranch in the California desert. Charlie is suspicious and decides to send Bob ahead to the ranch without the pearls while he arrives later disguised as a Chinese cook. After arriving at the ranch, Bob and Charlie find a very nervous P.J. Madden, a bilingual parrot and evidence of a possible murder. The only thing lacking is a corpse. Because of the odd circumstances at the ranch, Charlie decides it is wiser to solve the mystery of the suspected killing before handing over the pearls. Whiloe Charlie and Bob stall for time, Madden's caretaker Louie Wong is murdered and the parrot dies of arsenic poisoning.