first published in 1925, 'the house without a key' is the first book in earl derr biggers' hugely successful charlie chan mysteries. atmospheric and entertaining, biggers shows you a side of hawaii that few will ever see. in this first novel, chan comes to the aid of an aristocratic boston family who finds themselves in dire straits over what has befallen dan winterslip, the black sheep of the family, who lives in a mansion on waikiki beach-the house without a key. the troubles begin when a young nephew is dispatched by the family in boston to retrieve a wayward aunt who has overstayed her welcome in dan winterslip's house. biggers brings honolulu to life with his deft descriptions of the landscape and its hybrid ethnic communities. and with the creation of inspector chan, biggers also shatters stereotypes and is ahead of his time in highlighting the positive aspects of chinese-hawaiian culture.