Fifty Candles

Rating:
Summary: Classism, Romance, and Murder
Review: Fifty Candles - Earl Derr Biggers
Henry Drew was a ruthless capitalist who abused everybody in his life to further his own goals. He was surrounded by people who, although under his control, disliked him. During a mysterious birthday party where the cake has fifty candles one of these abused people hated him enough to kill him. As the story unfolds, romance blossoms between a young engineer and a young woman Henry Drew hired as a companion for his wife.
For fans of Derr's Charley Chan novels, Mr. Drew has a Chinese servant, Hung Chin-Chung, who is the subject of much stereotyping by the white characters. "Who done it?" and "Will the boy get the girl?" are the two themes that drive the action. The setting is the classism of the United States in the early 20th century. While it does not rise to the literary level of The Great Gatsby, another novel of this time covering similar class issues, this is an enjoyable work that is fun to read.

Rating:
Summary: Lost In The Fog?
Review: Who was the man, cloaked in fog, who escaped Henry Drew's garden? Was it the murderer? Why throw a huge party, when there's no reason to celebrate? And what does any of this have to do with a man deported to China fifty years before? Another Biggers classic that will leave you guessing until the very last page!