ABOUT THIS BOOK

An exceptionally clever, cozy mystery that will thrill all fans of Judge Dee, whom the Los Angeles Times ranked with Sherlock Holmes

Judge Dee has been appointed emergency governor of the plague- and drought-ridden Imperial City. As his guards help the city fend off a popular uprising, an aristocrat from one of the oldest families in China suffers an "accident" in a deserted mansion.

In The Willow Pattern, the illustrious judge uses his trademark expertise to unravel the mysteries of the nobleman, a shattered vase, and a dead bondmaid. Along the way he encounters a woman who fights with loaded sleeves, a nearly drowned courtesan, and an elaborate trap set for a murderer. Packed with suspense, violence, and romance, The Willow Pattern won’t disappoint Judge Dee’s legions of loyal fans.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Robert van Gulik (1910–67) was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. His many works include sixteen Judge Dee mysteries, a study of the gibbon in China, and two books on the Chinese lute.

REVIEWS

"The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik’s skilled hands, comes vividly alive again."

— Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review

“If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes from the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes.”

— Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Entertaining, instructive and oddly impressive. Judge Dee, the officers of his tribunal and the people with whom he and they are concerned are interesting folk, and the world of crime, mystery, violence, lust, corruption and ceremony in which they move is formidably picturesque.”

— Times Literary Supplement

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Illustrations
Judge Dee and Chiao Tai
A meeting in a dark street
A girl assaulted by four ruffians
Judge Dee receives Mrs. Mei
A lady kneels before the judge
Judge Dee has tea in the Willow Abode
Ma Joong saves a drowning girl
Judge Dee in the boudoir of a dead lady
Ma Joong and Chiao Tai view two bodies
Coral's dance
A cruel tyrant and his victim
Judge Dee in the guestroom of the Mei mansion
The judge questions a suspect
A man meets his dead mistress
A young girl takes vengeance

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