Biggers' third book in the Charlie Chan series involves the detective in a case that spans decades and continents, culminating in the city of San Francisco. This time Charlie pulls aside the curtain that conceals a mystery far in the past. The plot links a present day murder with another murder some year previously, combined with a series of disappearances of young women. Charlie Chan is still trying to leave San Francisco after a vacation that turned into a job of detection. Once again he's kept from leaving by a case: the murder of Sir Frederick Bruce, ex-head of the Criminal Investigation Unit at Scotland Yard. Despite his retirement, Sir Frederick can't resist pursuing certain unsolved cases to their end. His end comes before his success, and it's Charlie Chan's fate to carry on. How Charlie gets involved is a part of the deliciously complex plot that the reader can look forward to.