The Chinese Gold Murders [Hardcover]

Robert Hans van Gulik (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Harper & Brothers Publishers; First American Edition edition (1959)
• ASIN: B001L135DQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,148,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great opening entry to a fascinating series!, May 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Chinese Gold Murders (Judge Dee Mysteries) (Paperback)

This is the first of a series of Judge Dee novels set in seventh-century China. Judge Dee is an Imperial Magistrate who in the course of his job, is posted all over the Imperial Chinese Empire. He has a keen interest in solving crimes and is interested in interacting actively with the people around him. The novel opens with Dee leaving the imperial capital for the district of Peng-lai, near the Korean border. This is his first posting as District Magistrate. He leaves accompanied by his adviser Sergeant Hoong and on the way, meets two highwaymen, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai. Impressed by his forceful personality, the two men decide to give up their life of crime and become officers of the tribunal under Judge Dee. Upon arrival in Peng-lai, Judge Dee has to deal with multiple crimes; his predecessor was murdered, the wife of a prominent businessman has disappeared, a tiger is terrorizing the locals, the judge's chief clerk has gone missing and there are suspicions that Peng-lai is a center for gold smuggling into Korea! Into this hotbed of crime, comes Judge Dee who is able to pull all the threads together and solve the crimes. I loved the wealth of historical detail in the book as well as the actual mysteries, and Judge Dee himself is refreshingly human and is amused by the antics of his underlings! Would highly recommend the book to all those interested in historical mysteries - it's great fun!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another reader, December 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Chinese Gold Murders (Judge Dee Mysteries) (Paperback)

I have all of Van Gulik's Chinese murder mysteries and this is the one to start out with. Not only is the book entertaining on its own merits as a mystery but you learn about a historical Chinese culture. The plot twists and villains are clever and Judge Dee is the bomb.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for historical mystery fans, May 17, 2000

By 

Larry Eischen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chinese Gold Murders (Judge Dee Mysteries) (Paperback)

Long before Brother Cadfael, there was Judge Dee. The series started in the 1950s but they are modelled after Judge Dee mysteries written in early China. In this adventure, Judge Dee arrives at a new post and must solve the murder of his predecessor. As with all of his adventures, there are several side mysteries to unravel. Well written and skillfully plotted, the Judge Dee mysteries are must reads.