Behind That Curtain · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for Behind That Curtain by Earl Derr Biggers.

Read with companions Book page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

Chapter 1
Dedication
The author dedicates the book to his wife, the only critic he loves.
Chapter 2
Behind That Curtain
Sir Frederic Bruce is found murdered in Barry Kirk's bungalow, prompting an investigation led by Captain Flannery and later joined by Charlie Chan. The discovery of a blank sheet of paper in the victim's mail and the mysterious behavior of various guests, including Eve Durand and Eileen Enderby, set the stage for a complex mystery involving past secrets and hidden identities.
Chapter 3
The Man from Scotland
Bill Rankin, a reporter for the Globe, interviews Sir Frederic Bruce, the former head of Scotland Yard's C.I.D., who is visiting San Francisco. Rankin proposes bringing Sir Frederic together with Detective-Sergeant Charlie Chan of the Honolulu police for a luncheon. Sir Frederic agrees, and they consult their host, Barry Kirk, who invites them to join a luncheon he has already arranged at the St. Francis Hotel. Rankin leaves, encountering a rival reporter and a mysterious girl in a green dress who had been weeping outside Sir Frederic's office.
Chapter 4
What Happened to Eve Durand?
At a luncheon at the St. Francis Hotel, Sir Frederic Bruce, Barry Kirk, Bill Rankin, and Charlie Chan gather. June Morrow, revealed to be the deputy district attorney J. V. Morrow, joins them. The conversation turns to crime detection methods, with Chan and Sir Frederic agreeing on the primacy of human psychology over scientific devices. Sir Frederic then recounts the unsolved mystery of Eve Durand, a young woman who vanished during a game of hide-and-seek in Peshawar fifteen years ago, a case that has haunted him ever since.
Chapter 5
III: The Bungalow in the Sky
Barry Kirk hosts a dinner party at his penthouse bungalow. Guests include June Morrow, Charlie Chan, Sir Frederic Bruce, Mrs. Dawson Kirk, Colonel John Beetham, Mrs. Tupper-Brock, Eileen Enderby, and Gloria Garland. Sir Frederic shows a pair of mandarin slippers from a past case. The conversation touches on fear of the dark, exploration, and Sir Frederic's search for Eve Durand. Gloria Garland makes a dramatic entrance after her pearl necklace breaks.

Dedication

Behind That Curtain

The Man from Scotland

What Happened to Eve Durand?

III: The Bungalow in the Sky