Destiny Laughing

Charlie Chan's homeward journey from a mainland case takes him to Chicago, where police and federal agents draw him into a murder investigation with hints of international espionage.

Honolulu's most famous detective arrives in the Windy City expecting to take the next train west when a mysterious death prolongs his stay. His Chief extends an already lengthy leave of absence so Chan can help Chicago police catch the killer. Anxious to return home, the reluctant detective bows to fate and takes on one of his most challenging cases.

A murderous attack on an undercover officer and evidence of a far-reaching political plot turn the murder investigation into something far more complex, baffling police. The victim's sordid past will provide grist for the mill of newspapers eager for news, and Chan enlists an old friend and a colorful columnist on his way to finding the startling solution. Along the way, he skillfully navigates the gritty realities of 1930s Chicago, still struggling to recover from the Great Depression. 

Like John L. Swann's earlier entries in the new Charlie Chan Returns series-Death, I Said (2023), The Tangled String (2024), Beyond Murder (2025), and Wheels Within Wheels (2026), Destiny Laughing continues Swann's revival of one of the twentieth century's most enduring fictional detectives and mixes mystery, humor, and a hint of romance-all grounded in the wit and wisdom of Earl Derr Biggers's original Charlie Chan.