📖 About Charlie Chan

Charlie Chan is a series universe written by Bill Pronzini. The complete collection runs to 8 books across 2 series, published between 1925 and 1985.

The main series is Publication Order of Charlie Chan Books with 7 books. It opens with The House Without a Key (1925) and currently runs to Charlie Chan in the Temple of the Golden Horde (1974).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with Charlie Chan

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: The House Without a Key (1925), book 1 of Publication Order of Charlie Chan Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

Each of the 2 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 Charlie Chan Books in Order

Publication Order of Charlie Chan Books
7 books
1
The House Without a Key book cover1The House Without a Key1925Buy on Amazon
The Chinese Parrot book cover2The Chinese Parrot1926Buy on Amazon
Behind That Curtain book cover3Behind That Curtain1928Buy on Amazon
The Black Camel book cover4The Black Camel1929Buy on Amazon
Charlie Chan Carries On book cover5Charlie Chan Carries On1930Buy on Amazon
6Keeper of the Keys1932Buy on Amazon
Charlie Chan in the Temple of the Golden Horde book cover7Charlie Chan in the Temple of the Golden Horde1974Buy on Amazon
Publication Order of Charlie Chan Collections
1 books
2
Celebrated Cases of Charlie Chan book cover1Celebrated Cases of Charlie Chan1985Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many Charlie Chan books are there?
There are 8 books in the Charlie Chan collection, organised into 2 series and published between 1925 and 1985.
What is the first Charlie Chan book?
The first book is The House Without a Key, published in 1925.
What order should I read the Charlie Chan books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the Charlie Chan books?
The Charlie Chan books were written by Bill Pronzini.
Is the Charlie Chan series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Charlie Chan Books, has 7 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the Charlie Chan series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1925, and the most recent in 1985.