ABOUT THIS BOOK

A delightfully clever and cozy mystery starring the beloved detective Judge Dee, whom the Los Angeles Times ranked with Sherlock Holmes

Judge Dee and his entourage, seeking refuge from a mountain storm, become trapped in a Taoist monastery, where the Abbott Jade mysteriously dies after delivering an ecstatic sermon. The monks call it a supernatural experience, but the judge calls it murder. Recalling the allegedly accidental deaths of three young women in the same monastery, Judge Dee seeks clues in the eyes of a cat to solve cases of impersonation and murder. A painting by one of the victims reveals the truth about the killings, propelling the judge on a quest for justice and revenge.

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

“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.”

— Los Angeles Times, Robert Hirsch

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

— Allen J. Hubin, New York 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

The First Lady Directs the Maids
Judge Dee and Tao Gan in the Store-room
A Poet Taunts a Taoist Abbot
Judge Dee Visits an Exalted Person
Scroll-Painting of the Old Abbot's Cat
Judge Dee and his Helpers Inspect the Crypt
A Young Girl in the Hands of Evil Persons
Judge Dee and his Three Wives

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