A Panama hat tip to George M. Cohan: Earl & Charlie couldn’t have done it without ya!

Had it not been for George M. Cohan's complete enthusiasm for Earl Derr Biggers' first novel, Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913), I've often wondered if Biggers' would have been as successful with mystery writing, or even--who knows--gone on to create our hero Charlie Chan! So with this year being the Centennial of Detective Charlie Chan's … Continue reading A Panama hat tip to George M. Cohan: Earl & Charlie couldn’t have done it without ya! →

Birds of a feather: Tony the Parrot & Cookie the Cockatoo.

History doth repeat itself! Once upon a time Author Earl Derr Biggers wrote a novel, The Chinese Parrot (1926). This second in the Detective Charlie Chan series featured an Australian Gray Parrot named "Tony," who spoke--you guessed it--Chinese. And in more recent times Biggers' biographer, Author Barbara Gregorich, wrote about another bird: the sensation of … Continue reading Birds of a feather: Tony the Parrot & Cookie the Cockatoo. →

Book review by Author Barbara Gregorich: Charlie Chan Carries On (1930)

Last month I suggested four summertime reads, but ended on this note, “should a reader prefer all his or her murders served-up on one delicious plate, just read the fifth Charlie Chan novel, Charlie Chan Carries On (1930.)” Here is a wonderful review by someone who has read that novel at least four times, and … Continue reading Book review by Author Barbara Gregorich: Charlie Chan Carries On (1930) →

Warren, Ohio’s month-long celebration of Author Earl Derr Biggers, March 2018

Most of us familiar with the fictional sleuth Charlie Chan are aware he was created by Author Earl Derr Biggers, born Warren, Ohio, August 26, 1884. To my great surprise, while glancing through the Warren-Trumbull County Library’s website I saw under their “One Book/One Community” program, their title book for March 2018 was none other than … Continue reading Warren, Ohio’s month-long celebration of Author Earl Derr Biggers, March 2018 →