ISBN: 9998971640 Order from: Recorded Books
Deft detective stories, in an unusual setting, with lightly sketched but still colorful characters.
Reviewed by David on July 12, 2003
Genre: Mystery (Police Procedural, Historical, China)
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of five Judge Dee short stories.
During the Tang dynasty, over a thousand years ago, much of China was ruled by well-developed beauracrocy, staffed with scholarly officials who passed tough civil examinations. Nonetheless, despite the organization and booming trade, the country still had plenty of poverty and crime.
And thus much occupation for a district magistrate Judge Dee, well-known for his ability to investigate crimes.
"Murder on the Lotus Pond" presents Dee with a murder on an isolated pavillion in the middle of a serene pond. The only clues are a missing wine cup and the croaking of frogs.
"The Two Beggars" starts when a body of a dead beggar is found in the street, with few clothes and no identification.
"The Wrong Sword" is a murder by sabotage: someone substituted a real sword for a special fake one used in a magic performance.
"The Coffins of the Emperor" finds Judge Dee in a remote, unfriendly outpost, in rough conditions and with his job almost irrelevant by the impending war with the nomad hordes. However, even in this environment, Dee finds a use for his detecting skills, and defends justice.
"Murder on New Year's Eve" occurs when Dee, on the same remote outpost, investigates a suspected murder, and unravels the clues—only to find several rash mistakes, including his own, almost leading to a tragedy.
Full Review: These are short, well-crafted stories in the detective tradition. A sleuth, in this case a Chinese official, is presented with a puzzle, and uses his intelligence, skills of observation, and knowledge of human nature to solve the crime.
The puzzles are all intellectually satisfing, and the setting is exotic enough, and drawn well enough, to present its own charm.
The characters are skethced lightly, and most of them are transient. Overall, this is a pleasant collection, as is the entire Judge Dee series.
Includes: Murder on the Lotus Pond; The Two Beggars; The Wrong Sword; The Coffins of the Emperor; Murder on New Year's Eve
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 4.5; Style: 6; World-building: 7; Originality: 7;
Copyright date 1967, Recorded Books, 1985, Audio cassette, 3 cassettes
ISBN: 9998971640 Order from: Recorded Books