ISBN: 9999968503 Order from: Recorded Books
Plenty of suspects and puzzling clues swirl around this deadly investigation of a murder in a remote Chinese town.
Reviewed by David on July 12, 2003
Genre: Mystery (Police Procedural, Historical, China)
Synopsis: This is an unabridged recording of The Phantom of the Temple.
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.
A decapitated body starts this investigation. Many puzzling things about the body cause the judge to continue investigation around the temple.
Rumors of ancient pagan practices, along with years-old disappearance of an Imperial gold shipment confuse the detection process, as does an apparently vicious murderer who threatens everybody around the abandoned temple.
Full Review: Judge Dee is a formidable investogator, in the manner of Holmes and Poirot, using his powers of observation, knowledge of human nature, and an unshakable faith in the Chinese culture and social order to arrive at the truth.
This is a slightly longer novel, allowing an almost Victorian profusion of threads, which nonetheless all work well together and serve to ultimately expose the truth, as well as the exotic culture of China fifteen centuries ago, so different in some ways, and yet with familiar age-old human nature shaping the interactions.
This is a pleasant, enjoyable novel, with an exoticv setting, and leaves the reader waiting for more of the Judge Dee mysteries.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 4.5; Style: 6; World-building: 7; Originality: 7;
Copyright date 1966, Recorded Books, 1987, Audio cassette, 4 cassettes
ISBN: 9999968503 Order from: Recorded Books