Brought back into print in the 1990s to wide acclaim, re-designed new editions of Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee Mysteries are now available. Written by a Dutch diplomat and scholar during the 1950s and 1960s, these lively and historically accurate mysteries have entertained a devoted following for decades. Set during the T'ang dynasty, they feature Judge Dee, a brilliant and cultured Confucian magistrate disdainful of personal luxury and corruption,...
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,...
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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.
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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...
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