The Chinese Bell Murders

Meet Judge Dee, the detective lauded as the "Sherlock Holmes of ancient China"

Fans of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series will thrill to this reissue of the first volume in Robert van Gulik's classic Chinese Murders series. The Chinese Bell Murders introduces the great Judge Dee, a magistrate of the city of Poo-yang in ancient China.

In the spirit of ancient Chinese detective novels, Judge Dee is challenged by three cases. First, he must solve the mysterious murder of Pure Jade, a young girl living on Half Moon Street. All the evidence points to the guilt of her lover, but Judge Dee has his doubts. Dee also solves the mystery of a deserted temple and that of a group of monks' terrific success with a cure for barren women.

Author: Robert Van Gulik
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 08/03/2004
Pages: 262
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.38w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780060728885

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 12/01/2004 pg. 184

About the Author
Van Gulik, Robert: -

Robert Van Gulik was born in the Netherlands in 1910. He was educated at the Universities of Leyden and Utrecht, and served in the Dutch diplomatic service in China and Japan for many years. His interest in Asian languages and art led him to the discovery of Chinese detective novels and to the historical character of Judge Dee, famous in ancient Chinese annals as a scholar-magistrate. Van Gulik subsequently began writing the Judge Dee series of novels that have so captivated mystery readers ever since. He died of cancer in 1967.