Review of 'Celebrated cases of Judge Dee = Dee goong an' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I first started reading the Judge Dee mysteries by Robert van Gulik (1910-1967) back in the 1990s. I discovered them in the Common Reader catalog (alas, no more). They looked different than what I had been reading - British mysteries - so I thought I would give them a try. Different? Definitely an understatement.
Judge Dee was a real person - Di Renjie, Duke Wenhui of Liang, a Chinese official, statesman, and judge who lived from 630 to 700. Robert van Gulik came across an 18th century Chinese mystery novel, "Dee Goong An," that was based on Di Renjie. Van Gulik translated the novel (and edited it for modern tastes) and published it as "Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee." The book was a success and van Gulik turned his hand to writing his own stories about Judge Dee. Though Judge Dee is from the 7th century, the setting is actually …
I first started reading the Judge Dee mysteries by Robert van Gulik (1910-1967) back in the 1990s. I discovered them in the Common Reader catalog (alas, no more). They looked different than what I had been reading - British mysteries - so I thought I would give them a try. Different? Definitely an understatement.
Judge Dee was a real person - Di Renjie, Duke Wenhui of Liang, a Chinese official, statesman, and judge who lived from 630 to 700. Robert van Gulik came across an 18th century Chinese mystery novel, "Dee Goong An," that was based on Di Renjie. Van Gulik translated the novel (and edited it for modern tastes) and published it as "Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee." The book was a success and van Gulik turned his hand to writing his own stories about Judge Dee. Though Judge Dee is from the 7th century, the setting is actually the Ming Dynasty (1300-1600).
Of all the books in the series, this one is the roughest, probably because it was actually a translation and not really van Gulik's work. However, it is an excellent mystery and one I have read many times. There are three mysteries for Judge Dee to handle - a double murder involving traveling merchants, the death by poison of a bride on her wedding night, and the mysterious death of a man.
Judge Dee is no armchair detective. He actively investigates crimes, even disguising himself. He is detective, forensic specialist, judge, and jury all rolled up in one. There are no lawyers in this society. Basically, it is up to the magistrate and he will be held accountable if he does something wrong. Dee does make mistakes. He has been known - quite often, really - to suspect an innocent person. However, he is cautious enough to
Judge Dee is assisted in his work by Hoong Liang, sergeant over the constables, and his lieutenants: Ma Joong and Chiao Tai, best friends, and Tao Gan, cynical and sharp-tongued. Hoong Liang was a servant of Dee's family, and is his most trusted adviser. Ma Joong and Chiao Tai are part-warrior and part-rogue, and are my favorite supporting characters in all this. They met Dee when they tried to rob him. However, they were impressed by his bravery and bearing, and chose to serve him instead. Tao Gan is more of a trickster with a very low opinion of humanity. He was originally a swindler and a "runner" for a magistrate. He became so unpopular that he sought refuge with Judge Dee. Dee realized Tao Gan's usefulness and the man became a valued lieutenant.
Judge Dee is appointed magistrate of Chang-Ping and holds a tribunal, where people come to present their grievances to him. The first case he is presented with involves the murder of the two merchants. Koong Wan-deh runs a hostel where the two travelers spend the night and then leave the following morning. Later, Koong is accused by the village warden of robbing and killing the men. The village warden has the men's corpses dragged to Koong's hostel and leaves them in front of the entrance. He demands 500 pieces of silver to hush up the crime. Panicking, Koong flees to Judge Dee's tribunal and presents his case.
The second case involves the mysterious death of Bee Hsun, a merchant. Judge Dee comes across this case accidentally while investigating the previous one. In an attempt to get information on a suspect, he disguises himself as a doctor when he meets Mrs. Bee, Bee Hsun's mother, and learns of her son's mysterious death, not to mention the fact that his young daughter has become mute for an unknown reason. Bee Hsun's widow, Mrs. Djou (her maiden name - to keep from confusing her with her mother-in-law) is extremely arrogant and rude, even when she learns who Judge Dee really is. He immediately suspects foul play, but proving it is another matter.
The third case involves another mysterious death, that of the young bride Lee-goo. The morning after the wedding, she is found dead, covered with blue spots and bleeding from "the seven apertures." Her widowed mother believes Lee-goo was murdered. Some young men who were "testing the newlyweds." This is a custom that involves accompanying the bride and groom to the bridal chamber, and engaging in all kinds of horseplay in an attempt to make the bride blush. They also make the groom drink a large number of toasts. One of the young men, Candidate Hoo, refuses to leave when asked by the groom's father and flies into a violent rage, saying that the old man would be sorry for this. Needless to say, suspicion falls on Hoo when the young bride is found dead, but is he really responsible?
I really enjoyed this book, but if you want to start reading the Judge Dee mysteries, I recommend one of the later ones - "The Haunted Monastery," "The Chinese Maze Murders," "The Monkey and the Tiger," or the short story collection, "Judge Dee at Work." While "Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee" is good, they're more reader-friendly.
