The Chinese Parrot (Charlie Chan Detective Series)

About this issue

The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers is the second novel in the Charlie Chan detective series, originally serialized in the Saturday Evening Post from June to July 1926. The narrative opens in San Francisco at the luxury jewelry firm Meek and Eden, where the owner Alexander Eden meets with his old acquaintance Madame Sally Jordan from Honolulu. Jordan seeks to sell the famous Phillimore pearls—a valuable necklace she inherited—to cover financial losses incurred by her son Victor's failed investments. She contacts wealthy financier P.J. Madden, who offers $220,000 for the pearls (valued at approximately $300,000), agreeing to take possession within a week. The novel develops through multiple chapters involving ranch settings, desert locations, and various supporting characters, establishing the framework for a mystery concerning the pearls' journey and Madden's true intentions toward his transaction.