
The house without a key
- First published
- 1926
- Reading level
- Easy
- Price
- Free
About the book
"The House Without a Key" by Earl Derr Biggers is a novel published in 1925. This first Charlie Chan mystery unfolds in 1920s Hawaiʻi, where a Boston bond trader arrives to retrieve his vacationing aunt but becomes entangled in a murder investigation. The victim, a former Boston society member, has been killed under mysterious circumstances. As the straitlaced young Bostonian assists Detective Charlie Chan, he discovers the islands' enchanting culture, encounters unexpected romance, and finds himself questioning his carefully planned future back East.
- Detective and mystery stories
- Chan, Charlie (Fictitious character)
- Police
- Honolulu (Hawaii)
Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #73771. The house without a key on Wikipedia.



