The Chinese Gold Murders: A Judge Dee Detective Story (Judge Dee Mysteries) (Paperback)

~ Robert Van Gulik (Author) "THREE MEN WERE SILENTLY SIPPING THEIR WINE ON THE top floor of the Pavilion of Joy and Sadness, overlooking the highway crossing outside the north..." (more)
Key Phrases: dead magistrate, tea stove, floating brothels, Chiao Tai, Kim Sang, Sergeant Hoong (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Picaresque, clever, exceptionally ingenious, plotted with remarkable skill... Go now, buy the books..." -- Crime Factory, August 2002. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

In this, the second book in Robert van Gulik's classic mystery series of ancient China, Judge Dee must look into the murder of his predecessor. His job is complicated by the simultaneous disappearance of his chief clerk and the new bride of a wealthy local shipowner.

Meanwhile, a tiger is terrorizing the district, the ghost of the murdered magistrate stalks the tribunal, a prostitute has a secret message for Dee, and the body of a murdered monk is discovered to be in the wrong grave. In the end, the judge, with his deft powers of deduction, uncovers the one cause for all of these seemingly unrelated events.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060728671
• ISBN-13: 978-0060728670
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #296,371 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 3 in The Judge Dee Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 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!

6 of 6 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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Larry Eischen (Joliet, IL United States) - 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.