The Black Camel
First edition dust cover
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| Author | Earl Derr Biggers |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Charlie Chan |
| Genre | Mystery, Novels |
| Publisher | Bobbs-Merrill |
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Publication date
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1929 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Preceded by | Behind That Curtain |
| Followed by | Charlie Chan Carries On |
The Black Camel (1929) is the fourth of the Charlie Chan novels by Earl Derr Biggers.
It tells the story of a Hollywood star (Shelah Fane), who is stopping in Hawaii after she finished shooting a film on location in Tahiti. She is murdered in the pavilion of her rental house in Waikiki during her stay. The story behind her murder is linked with the three-year-old murder of another Hollywood actor and also connected with an enigmatic psychic named Tarneverro. Chan, in his position as a detective with the Honolulu Police Department, "investigates amid public clamor demanding that the murderer be found and punished immediately. "Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate. Tonight black camel has knelt here", Chan tells the suspects."
It was adapted into a film of the same name based on the book and released in 1931. This was the second of a series of sixteen Chan films to feature Warner Oland as the sleuth.
2. In Robert A. Heinlein's novel I Will Fear No Evil, the kneeling black camel reference is employed as a euphemism for death near the start of chapter 2.
3. In Robert A. Heinlein's very first published work, a short story called Lifeline, Dr. Pinero says "I can tell you when the Black Camel will kneel at your door."
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Wikipedia