# Jim Egan — The House Without a Key character guide

> Jim Egan in The House Without a Key by Earl Derr Biggers.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Egan, Mr. Jim Egan, Mr. Egan, Mr. James Egan

**First appearance:** 0005-iv-a-friend-of-tim-s

## Snapshot

A down-at-heels hotel keeper with straw-colored hair gone gray, the last man to see Dan Winterslip alive and the first the police come looking for.

## Who they are

Egan runs a failing establishment on the edge of town, a man whose better days are visibly behind him and whose appointment with Dan Winterslip the night of the murder makes him the obvious suspect. He admits the meeting but insists he left his old associate alive and in good spirits, a claim Hallet clearly disbelieves. His nervous cigarette and furtive glance at the departing trolley suggest a man with more to hide than he is telling.

## Relationships

### [John Quincy Winterslip](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/characters/john_quincy_winterslip)

_rivalry_

Jim Egan is a suspect and antagonist who frequently clashes with John Quincy Winterslip.

### [Captain Hallet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/characters/captain_hallett)

_rivalry_

Captain Hallet suspects and pursues Jim Egan as a primary suspect in the murder case.

### [Captain Hallet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/characters/captain_hallett)

_rivalry_

Captain Hallet suspects and pursues Jim Egan as a primary suspect in the murder case.

### [John Quincy Winterslip](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/characters/john_quincy_winterslip)

_rivalry_

Jim Egan is a suspect and antagonist who frequently clashes with John Quincy Winterslip.

### [John Quincy Winterslip](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/characters/john_quincy_winterslip)

_rivalry_

Jim Egan is a suspect and antagonist who frequently clashes with John Quincy Winterslip.

### [Captain Hallet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/characters/captain_hallett)

_rivalry_

Captain Hallet suspects and pursues Jim Egan as a primary suspect in the murder case.

## In the story

### [The House Without a Key](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/chapters/the-house-without-a-key)

A mysterious figure who appears at the house and seems to have a connection to Dan's past.

### [VII: Enter Charlie Chan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/chapters/vii-enter-charlie-chan)

Mentioned in Miss Minerva's account of Dan's phone call; Hallet notes he runs the Reef and Palm Hotel.

### [IX: At the Reef and Palm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/chapters/ix-at-the-reef-and-palm)

Interrogated about his meeting with Dan Winterslip; refuses to disclose their business; linked to the murder via a Corsican cigarette stub; taken into custody.

### [X: A Newspaper Ripped in Anger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/chapters/x-a-newspaper-ripped-in-anger)

Discussed as a suspect; Miss Minerva has made inquiries and thinks he is a glorified beachcomber, but John Quincy defends him as a gentleman.

### [XVIII: A Cable from the Mainland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/chapters/xviii-a-cable-from-the-mainland)

Confesses to attempting blackmail of Dan Winterslip, revealing his past recognition of Winterslip as 'Williams' and his motive to fund Carlota's education.

### [IX: “Goodbye, Pete!”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/chapters/ix-goodbye-pete)

Proprietor of the Reef and Palm; speaks with John Quincy about the hotel's newfound social status and his brother Arthur.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/characters/jim_egan
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_house_without_a_key_se/characters