The Chinese Lake Murders

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The Chinese Lake Murders
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	Print
Preceded by	The Chinese Bell Murders
Followed by	The Chinese Gold Murders

The Chinese Lake Murders is a gong'an historical mystery novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang dynasty). It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang 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 The Chinese Lake Murder was written at roughly the same time as The Chinese Bell Murders but remained unpublished for some years.

Plot introduction

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 floating brothels 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 story The Morning of the Monkey, a short novel in The Monkey and the Tiger.

Literary significance and criticism

"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]

References

^ Barzun, Jacques and Taylor, Wendell Hertig. A Catalogue of Crime. New York: Harper & Row. 1971, revised and enlarged edition 1989. ISBN 0-06-015796-8

External links

The Chinese Lake Murders at Faded Page (Canada)

v t e Judge Dee
Books	Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee The Chinese Maze Murders The Chinese Bell Murders The Chinese Gold Murders The Chinese Lake Murders The Chinese Nail Murders The Haunted Monastery The Red Pavilion The Lacquer Screen The Emperor's Pearl The Willow Pattern Murder in Canton The Phantom of the Temple Judge Dee at Work Necklace and Calabash Poets and Murder
Films	Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010) Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018)
TV series	Amazing Detective Di Renjie (2004) Amazing Detective Di Renjie 2 (2006) Amazing Detective Di Renjie 3 (2008) Mad Detective Di Renjie (2010) Young Sherlock (2014) Judge Dee's Mystery (2024)
Video Games	Detective Di: The Silk Rose Murders (2019)

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