Seven Keys to Baldpate

By: Biggers, Earl Derr

Book Excerpt: could get no further."Yes," said Mr. Magee brightly, slipping into a rocking-chair. "Yes, I'm going to spend the next few months at Baldpate Inn."Mrs. Quimby, who seemed to have settled into a stout little mound of a woman through standing too long in the warm presence of her stove, came forward and inspected Mr. Magee."Of all things," she murmured."It's closed," expostulated Mr. Quimby; "the inn is closed, young fellow.""I know it's closed," smiled Magee. "That's the very reason I'm going to honor it with my presence. I'm sorry to take you out on a night like this, but I'll have to ask you to lead me up to Baldpate. I believe those were Hal Bentley's instructions--in the letter."Mr. Quimby towered above Mr. Magee, a shirt-sleeved statue of honest American manhood. He scowled."Excuse a plain question, young man," he said, "but what are you hiding from?"Mrs. Quimby, in the neighborhood of the stove, paused to hear the reply. Billy Magee laughed.Read More

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN13: 9798722258151
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.5" x 11.0"

Customer Reviews

There are at least seven movies based on the play written by George M. Cohan.

The stories most aligned with the book have the same name. One outlier is named “House of the Long Shadows” (1938), where only the names are similar. A lightweight writer, Mr. McGee, besides that, it was time for him to write a classic novel; to write this novel, he needed to find a place for perfect solitude. That place turns out to be an inn high up on Baldpate Mountain that was closed for the winter. Little did he know that there were seven Keys to Baldpate Inn. Each key can be held by a person or persons with unique characteristics and a good reason for being there. If you can believe who they are and their reasons. Mr. McGee suspects them all of being some part of a convoluted plot that n-o-b-o-d-y will let him in on. We go along for the ride. There is no use speculating. And Mr. McKee's chivalry may be his undoing. Be sure to read the book to the last sentence. I came to this book by Earl Derr Biggers (of Charlie Chan fame) after watching the 1935 version of “Seven Keys to Baldpate” with Walter Brennan as the station master. I have several video versions of “Seven Keys to Baldpate.” I have still to see them play live; however, the movie versions were more based on the play than the book. Some of the statements were directly out of the book, but many others had that Cohan feel. Meantime the book stands alone as a great example of a 1913 Earl Derr Biggers mystery.