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 First UK edition | |
| Author | Robert van Gulik |
|---|---|
| Series | Judge Dee |
| Genre | Gong'an fiction,Mystery,Detective novel,Crime,Historical mystery |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph (UK) Harper & Brothers (US) |
Publication date | 1960 |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | The Chinese Bell Murders |
| Followed by | The Chinese Gold Murders |
The Chinese Lake Murders is agong'anhistorical mystery novel written byRobert van Gulik and set inImperial China (roughly speaking theTang dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character ofJudge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), amagistrate andstatesman of theTang court, who lived roughly 630–700.
This book was originally written by Robert van Gulik sometime between 1953 and 1956. Like its predecessor,The Chinese Maze Murders it was intended for a Japanese or Chinese audience but he later choose to publish it in English.The Chinese Lake Murder was written at roughly the same time asThe Chinese Bell Murders but remained unpublished for some years.
In the year 666, Judge Dee, the newly appointed magistrate of the fictional town of Han-yuan, must solve three murders. Han-yuan is an isolated town famous for its floatingbrothels or "flower boats". The murders seem to be related but just how they are connected is a mystery. The whole investigation turns into a maze of political intrigue, sordid greed, and dark passions.
Han-yuan was also the setting for another storyThe Morning of the Monkey, a short novel inThe Monkey and the Tiger.
"The murder of Almond Blossom on the Flower Boat, while Judge Dee is being entertained, is preceded by a confusing chapter of pseudo-supernatural terror. The rest is a good gangster story: lowlifes and blondes translated into Chinese. Only the judge and his three loyal goons are original and freshly entertaining".[1]
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