Customer Reviews

POETS & MURDER (Judge Dee Mysteries)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Judge Dee is the guest of his fellow magistrate Lo Kwan-choong who is also a dabbler in the art of poetry. A rich man, Lo's official residence is in the palace of the former Ninth Prince who was executed years ago for plotting against the Emperor. The banquet Lo is giving has a small but select guest list. Five illustrious poets, four men and a woman, all literary stars of the day feast on fine food, recite snatches of poetry and toast their host.

But during the fireworks display the dancer hired to perform for the company is murdered. Judge Dee knows that one of the guests must be guilty, but which one? He discovers that the crime actually has roots in the old plot against the Emperor...

This lovely atmospheric mystery has a simple but well-executed plot. I find myself returning to this slender volume time after time, not so much for the story as for the sheer aesthetic pleasure in contemplating the passion, poetry and literary atmosphere of ancient China.

As far as plot goes, this book isn't all that great. Van Gulik wrote his Judge Dee stories in his spare time and apparantly didn't have a lot of it. What makes this book worth reading, though, is the impecable recreation of classical Chinese society and Confucian social structure. That being kept in mind, this book is a worthy read.

This isn't the kind of book to pick up if you're looking for an intricate mystery full of twists and reversals, or for a thriller that will keep you eagerly turning the pages in a rush of excitement and dread. Good ol' Judge Dee doesn't really have to knock himself out too much to solve this problem; the clues and confessions practically come crawling and whimpering to him.

But if you're interested in a different setting than usual, this might be your...um...cup of tea. It's set in a China of hundreds of years ago, with a society that's different from the West in many of its attitudes but all too similar in basic human fears and needs.

The characterization is not too deep, but you can find a good amount of material here about customs and clothing and buildings and food. The period details, in other words, are really more important than the plot.

This is a good tool for a fantasy role-player doing some research for her next character. Or, if you only have a couple of hours and you need something to read, this slim little volume is not a bad choice. Just don't expect to be blown away in wonder.