Behind That Curtain
In Earl Derr Biggers' 1928 mystery, the ever-astute Charlie Chan finds his working holiday in San Francisco abruptly interrupted. Just as he's preparing to return to Honolulu, he crosses paths with Sir Frederic Bruce of Scotland Yard, who is hot on the trail of a woman who vanished a decade and a half prior. Their paths intertwine further at a high-society dinner party, a gathering that takes a dark turn when Sir Frederic is found murdered. Now, instead of sailing home, Chan is pressed into service, delaying his Hawaiian return to unravel a complex web of deceit where the key to a present-day murder might lie buried in a fifteen-year-old disappearance.
X-Ray
About Behind That Curtain
Chapter Summaries
- I
- Reporter Bill Rankin interviews Sir Frederic Bruce, former head of Scotland Yard, about detective work. Sir Frederic dismisses scientific methods in favor of hard work and luck. Rankin realizes Sir Frederic's views match those of Detective-Sergeant Charlie Chan from Honolulu.
- II
- At lunch, Sir Frederic tells the story of Eve Durand, who disappeared during a picnic near Peshawar fifteen years ago. He also mentions the unsolved murder of Hilary Galt. The lunch is interrupted when Sir Frederic demands the story not be printed.
- III
- At Barry Kirk's dinner party, Sir Frederic shows the velvet slippers from the Hilary Galt case. During Colonel Beetham's slide show in darkness, Sir Frederic is murdered in Kirk's office below. His body is found wearing only socks - the slippers are missing.
Key Themes
- East Meets West
- The novel explores cultural differences and similarities between Eastern and Western approaches to detective work, with Chan's patient, philosophical methods contrasting with American urgency and British formality.
- The Past's Hold on the Present
- Events from fifteen years ago in India continue to drive the present-day murder, showing how unresolved mysteries and hidden secrets can have deadly consequences across time and continents.
- Truth vs. Appearance
- Multiple characters hide behind false identities and assumed names, while the most obvious suspects prove innocent and the least suspected proves guilty, emphasizing that appearances deceive.
Characters
- Charlie Chan(protagonist)
- Detective-Sergeant from Honolulu police, a wise and patient Chinese detective with eleven children. He becomes involved in the San Francisco murder case while on vacation.
- Sir Frederic Bruce(major)
- Former head of Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigation Department, murdered in Barry Kirk's office. He was investigating the disappearance of Eve Durand and the murder of Hilary Galt.
- Barry Kirk(major)
- Wealthy young San Francisco businessman who lives in a bungalow atop his office building. He becomes romantically interested in June Morrow while helping solve the case.
- June Morrow(major)
- Deputy district attorney, a capable and intelligent young woman lawyer handling the murder case. She proves herself in a male-dominated profession.
- Major Eric Durand(antagonist)
- British army officer and husband of the missing Eve Durand. He appears to be searching for his lost wife but is revealed as Sir Frederic's murderer.
- Colonel John Beetham(major)
- Famous explorer and author, a hard, determined man who has traveled to remote places. Initially suspected but ultimately innocent of murder.
