Charlie Chan Island Mystery
The great Chinese-Hawaiian detective, Charlie Chan, returns to solve several cases of murder on a tropical island.
The story begins five years earlier in 2031 when two men, Ben Parson and Nadir Shimalaya, go on a fishing expedition but find the boat’s motor has malfunctioned and they drift out into the Pacific Ocean. Things look bad for the two. Without Ben knowing, Nadir attempts to kill him over his own infatuation with Donna, whom Ben is intending to propose marriage to once back on the mainland of Australia. Nadir is already married to Naraishi.
The two stranded men land on an un-mapped island where resides castaway Walden, who has discovered a “miracle” rock that absorbs the sun’s energy during the day and emits light and heat during the night.
Nadir kills Walden and attempts to kill Ben, but he escapes. Nadir leaves the island: the boat’s motor was never nonworking but deliberately made not to work by Nadir.
Five years later, in 2036, Nadir is a billionaire, whose “starry stone” is becoming the world’s new energy source. But he is murdered.
Charlie Chan is called in from Honolulu to help the Australian detective already on the case. The most likely suspect, Donna Shimalaya, second wife of Nadir, is soon also killed.
Then Charlie Chan is given another possibility of murder when weeks earlier Nadir’s son met with a supposed accident. Then there is the case of years earlier of Naraishi who has gone missing while holidaying in India, who eventually is officially declared to be dead, almost immediately after which Nadir marries Donna.
All appears overwhelming for Charlie Chan, who enlists the assistance of others. One of the assistants is Belle, 13, suffering from anorexia nervosa, whom Charlie Chan wishes to help by engaging her and her distraught father on the cases. He advises the father to do five things: 1. “make words of daughter have power: if hint of action, do action”; 2. “make light of world so daughter not get anxious”; 3. “always positive”; 4. “unconditional love, nothing bad, daughter do, ever lose love from parent”; 5. “father and mother never show bad feeling to each other”.
Charlie Chan interviews several suspects. From them he realises there is a phantom roaming the island at nights. He also faces the open hatred for Nadir and Donna from among the suspects.
Charlie Chan discovers Ben, alive, living the hermit’s life in a cavern. He forces a confession from Ben and imprisons him in the cavern.
Eventually, Charlie Chan solves all cases but strangely allows one murderer to escape justice.
The story ends with Charlie Chan back in Honolulu. A letter from Belle’s father tells of some improvements in his daughter’s health, which pleases Charlie Chan. He reads from a newspaper that Ben has returned to the island and is given his rightful half share of the proceeds from the mining of starry stones. Charlie Chan is pleased with the outcomes.
[The adventures of Charlie Chan will continue in six more titles over the next 12 years].
LATEST NEWS
What a way to welcome the new year, 2026, with a new screenplay first completed 3 January 2026. It is called Charlie Chan Island Mystery.
The lead character, Charlie Chan, is a throwback to the Honolulu detective made famous mainly in films of the 1930s and early 1940s. He is the product of novelist Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933).
Over the next 12 years I intend to follow up by writing to the following titles:
Charlie Chan Cruise Mystery;
Charlie Chan Mansion Mystery;
Charlie Chan Train Mystery;
Charlie Chan Carnival Mystery;
Charlie Chan Caribbean Mystery;
Charlie Chan Honolulu Mystery.
ScriptLinks
Post Your Script Here!Behind The Veil
Film Noir. Los Angeles, 1947. A private detective struggles with moral inequities as he assists a corrupt federal judge's efforts to contact his estranged, gay son.
Charlie Chan Island Mystery
The great Chinese-Hawaiian detective, Charlie Chan, returns to solve several cases of murder on a tropical island.
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