The Chinese Lake Murders (Judge Dee Mysteries) [Paperback]

Robert van Gulik (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226848655 | ISBN-13: 978-0226848655 | Publication Date: August 15, 1979 | Edition: First Thus

The Chinese Lake Murders describes how Judge Dee solves three difficult cases in A.D. 666, shortly after he has been appointed magistrate of Han-yuan.

"[Robert van Gulik] deftly interweaves three criminal cases involving exotic yet universally recognizable characters, then has his Judge Dee provide a surprising yet most plausible solution."—New York Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Van Gulik (1910-67) was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; First Thus edition (August 15, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226848655
• ISBN-13: 978-0226848655
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What happened to the illustrations!!!?, January 24, 1999

By A Customer

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

One of Van Gulik's better efforts in the "Judge Dee" series, but seriously flawed by the almost entire omission of Van Gulik's original illustrations. Since I have seen previous and subsequent volumes published by the University of Chicago which do contain the drawings, I have no idea why this curious dearth exists. Judge Dee fans, be warned; there are two other volumes in the series which likewise are lacking this important story-telling device.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant way to learn about ancient China., March 28, 1999

By A Customer

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

This is only my second Judge Dee mystery, and although I can't compare it to others by the same author, I am definitely hooked on the series. Robert van Gulik offers a unique avenue into thinking about Tang dynasty China (7th century A.D.) and serves up wonderful escapist fiction at the same time. Judge Dee is a conscientious and clever magistrate faced with the brutal murder of a beautiful courtesan who has complicated political and economic connections. As Judge Dee goes about solving the crime, we learn about pleasure boats, prostitution, what people wore (and didn't wear), insurgencies against the empire, and the necessity of a pot of hot tea whenever the going gets rough. The author was a Dutch diplomat and scholar of Chinese jurisprudence whose mysteries are tailor-made for the historically and culturally curious.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Entry in Judge Dee Series, May 17, 2001

By A Customer

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

The third novel in Robert Van Gulik's historical mystery series about a crime-solving Imperial District Magistrate in seventh-century China, sees Judge Dee transferred to the small town of Han-Yuan, along with his family and assistants - Sergeant Hoong, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai. Han-Yuan is only sixty miles from the imperial capital; however it is a small town cut off from most of the world as it surrounded by mountains. The town lies on the shore of a mountain lake which town locals whisper, holds mysterious, even supernatural forces. The novel opens with Judge Dee attending a banquet in his honor on a flower-boat - a floating house of prostitution. At the end of the evening, the judge discovers a famous local courtesan lying dead in the lake water! The suspects are many, since all of Han-Yuan's prominent citizens were attending the party and most of them had a plausible reason for wishing this courtesan dead. Judge Dee has to sort through confusing clues and his task is made more complicated by the sudden disappearance of a new bride and her husband, the violent death of a local carpenter and the suspicions that Han-Yuan may be a center for political unrest! The judge is able to sort through all the confusion and the realization that these multiple crimes are all inter-connected, with his usual blend of wisdom and sagacity. Judge Dee is a very interesting character and the novel itself paints a wonderfully evocative picture of ancient China with its complicated rituals of love and marriage and precise social order that governed everyone's life. The mystery itself is interesting, though perhaps a little too twisty; however, the ending is genuinely powerful and completely plausible. A must-read for fans of the series!