Synopses & Reviews
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 wont disappoint Judge Dees legions of loyal fans.
"The China of old, in Mr. van Guliks skilled hands, comes vividly alive again."—Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
As Judge Dee copes with the administration of the plague-ridden Imperial Capital, he must also bring his skills to bear on the mystery of two seemingly unconnected murders that could mean the extinction of the city's oldest, most aristocratic families.
"All the charm, cruelty and fragile magic of China in the Tang Dynasty."—Chicago Sun-Times
"A tense and exotic mystery."—Publishers Weekly
Robert van Gulik (1910-67) was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from popular detective novels that appeared in the seventeenth century.
About the Author
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.
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