Shelah Fane was known and loved throughout the world as a sultry goddess of the silver screen. When her glorious career came to a brutal end one moonlit night in Hawaii—stabbed to death on the tranquil beach of Waikiki—thousands clamored for the murder of their favorite star. "Death is the black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate," Charlie Chan tells the guests present at the actress's pavillion at the time of her murder. But as the detective digs deeper into the case, he finds an interrelated crime to investigate—a murky Hollywood mystery from the past. Through the confusion of alibis, false clues, and bizarre characters, Chan moves with the utmost calm—until the classic "gathering of suspects" climax, when his form of justice hits with shattering force.