Customer Reviews

Necklace and Calabash (Panther crime)

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"Necklace and Calabash" initiates the third Judge Dee series, which Heinemann Publishers dubbed as "More Judge Dee Mysteries". This third and last series was conceived at the beginning of 1966 in Tokyo so that van Gulik would explore more directly the character of Judge Dee, who would solve cases without the help of his assistants. "Necklace and Calabash" proved to be the penultimate Judge Dee Mystery.

As van Gulik notes in the book's postscript, the calabash or bottle gourd has played an important role in Chinese philosophy and art. In "Necklace and Calabash" Judge Dee, the quintessential Confucianist, meets a Taoist monk who emphasizes to him the importance of emptiness - as in the emptiness of a calabash. With the pressure mounting on a timely solution to the theft of a princess's pearl necklace, Judge Dee empties himself and discovers the key to the mystery.

Once the puzzles are solved, Judge Dee springs into action. In his temporary exalted position as Imperial Inquisitor, he conducts himself with equanimity, even when dealing with the highest officials of the Water Palace; incorruptible, he dispatches the cases fearlessly and unmoved by temptations of wealth or status.

When Judge Dee, on horseback, tired and soaked through, arrives at Riverton one rainy evening, he has to rub his eyes, for he believes for a moment that he has run into his double. But no, he is only looking at a harmless old hermit, riding a donkey. Blame it on the dusk.

What else does a mystery lover need? A beautiful princess in distress, the Emperor's guilty secret, youthful love, court intrigue, mobsters, gruesome murders, and water, water everywhere: the rain, the river, the canals that run through the summer palace, the malodorous moats that surround it.

And what about the hermit? Oh, he was the mystery, and the solution to the mystery. He was no one really...

Necklace and Calabash has long been one of my favorites in the Judge Dee series. The judge finds himself alone, without his usual assistants, and facing several baffling problems, all of which are solved with his usual insight and aplomb. The characters are beautifully drawn, particularly the mysterious Taoist "Master Gourd" and the princess. It is well written and very much worth your while.

"Necklace and Calabash" is van Gulik's final, valedictory novel, a good end to a great series. It is quieter and less dramatic than some of the other Judge Dee novels, almost elegiac in tone. Almost, but not quite. It is set in the middle period of the Judge's career. Judge Dee, returning to Poo-yang, intends to spend a few days in a quiet country town, fishing. But as soon as he arrives, an event has occurred--a body has been fished out of the nearby river. As time goes on, it becomes apparent that mysterious things are going on behind the scenes. But what, exactly? The Judge is as baffled as the reader for most of the story. Then the truth starts to emerge, and the story draws to a satisfying conclusion.

The novel has the usual collection of deftly drawn characters: a mysterious Taoist recluse, a young woman who takes a fancy to the judge, the military captain who has authority over the area, and a number of others.

Finally, there is a poignancy in van Gulik's last novel being set in the Judge's Poo-yang period--for his very first published Judge Dee novel was set in Poo-yang ("Chinese Bell Murders").

This novel is a must-read for all Judge Dee fans.

I found this book rather dull perhaps because I generally dislike "period" mysteries. A few clever paragraphs to be sure, but in between these were alot of somewhat stereotypical characterizations and forgettable dialogue. Those who enjoy period pieces and all their assumptions and artificiality may like this novel but I did not.