Book Review: The Tangled String, A Charlie Chan Mystery by John L. Swann

I want to thank Author John L. Swann and Nicholas K. Burns Publishing, Utica New York, for the read ahead copy to Mr. Swann’s second Charlie Chan novella, The Tangled String. It was released November 25th, 2024 available wherever books are sold and just in time for Christmas.

The story takes place in Boston, where Rose Chan and John Quincy Winterslip are going to be married at The Statler Hotel. The entire Chan family will be in attendance and are hotel guests at the insistence of the Winterslips, for the wedding of Mrs. Grace Winterslip’s son to the Chan’ eldest daughter. However, soon Bostonian aristocratic family history and long-time traditions of the Winterslips comes into play. And Charlie is roped into assisting the police, when a ritual family heirloom sent to the hotel for the wedding is stolen and murder pursues! You can read a more complete synopsis at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

After finishing this novella within a week, I can only say Mr. Swann has surpassed himself with this second Chan book. It has the flavor and feel of a Biggers original. I don’t know how he tapped into it, but Mr. Swann has found his inner Chan with this one–it’s truly comparable to an original Chan novel, in my humble opinion. From the beginning chapter, I was in awe at how he captured the tone and voice of the original author. Charlie’s eloquent and often flowery speech are amazingly similar, and his aphorisms or at least metaphors and wit are perfectly placed where needed. Nothing slapstick or silly here.

     “Days pass one after the other, yet calendar does not keep up. Observe.” He indicated the topmost month. “Not only is January now long gone, but so too has 1930 faded into history. Very curious someone has altered correct year.”

     Watkins peered at the annual record and saw on January’s page that the year at the top was indeed “1930” due to an inked-in zero.

     “You got me, Mr. Chan. What’s the point?”

     “Small things sometimes tell big story,” Chan replied. “For now this only worth noting—along with any other not-so-ordinary things.”

     “Such as?”

     “Several call attention to themselves, I think.” Chan grinned. “No doubt fellow detective has already noticed them, so I will not point to them now. Also, disorganized items on desktop may yield clues on closer examination.”

Chapter VIII, Other Not-So-Ordinary Things

Swan does a good job developing his characters and there are quite a few red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Elevator operators, desk clerks, a manager, a hotel detective, hotel guests and a mysterious woman all seems to be in the running for the theft of a Winterslip-family heirloom and follow on murder!

Something I found quite interesting is Mr. Swan introduces us to each Chan family member (their first or given names) as they check into The Statler hotel: all eleven children and quite a surprise to me–Mrs. Chan’s first name! Most names are spot on from the original novels, but Mr. Swann supplies names against previously unnamed children from the Biggers’ stories as well as Momma Chan. I won’t give away the name’s here, especially not Mrs. Chan’s full name. However, I would be awfully interested to learn how he derived them, or perhaps found them somewhere I’m not aware of? Quite a bold move!

A pleasant surprise is the development of a very minor character from the original story, The House Without a Key, 1925: Mrs. Grace Winterslip, John Quincy’s mother. Plus, we find an old friend from that same novel, Miss Minerva Winterslip, who with Grace is planning the wedding.

Another thing I found quite nice was the names of each chapter. Just like in the original Chan stories, they act as teasers for the reader in anticipation of what’s ahead. He did a good job in my opinion on naming them and the association is obvious and satisfying (as the excerpt above.)

If I have one critique it would be toward the very end of the story. After Chan solves the case and to everyone’s surprise reveals the killer, I was ready for a no-brainer finish. However, in the next to last chapter, Mr. Swann explains the hidden inner family workings of the Boston Winterslips’ past, which required me to switch my brain back to thinking mode to follow. Perhaps though it’s just me as I’m recovering from an operation. And the very last chapter makes up for it, giving a satisfying finish.

So there you have it. In his PREFACE Mr. Swann states this series is tied to the centennial of the first Chan release, The House Without a Key, 1925, to entertain longtime Chan fans and perhaps introduce some new readers to the detective. I’d say he hit the mark with this one! On a 1-5 scale, I’ll say:

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD READ!

“Like pumpkins in a tub of water, we push one suspect down, and another pops up”

(Keeper of the Keys, 1932, Chapter 12, “HM”)