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Book Overview
It all begins on the night of the Poo-yang dragonboat races in 699 A.D.: a drummer in the leading boat collapses, and the body of a beautiful young woman turns up in a deserted country mansion. There, Judge Dee-tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger-steps in to investigate the murders and return order to the Tang Dynasty. In The Emperor's Pearl, the judge discovers that these two deaths are connected by an ancient tragedy involving a near-legendary treasure stolen from the Imperial Harem one hundred years earlier. The terrifying figure of the White Lady, a river goddess enshrined on a bloodstained altar, looms in the background of the investigation. Clues are few and elusive, but under the expert hand of Robert van Gulik, this mythic jigsaw puzzle assembles itself into a taut mystery. "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."-Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times "The title of this book and the book itself have much in common. Each is a jewel, a rare and precious find."-Atlanta Times
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0226848728
ISBN13:9780226848723
Release Date:November 2008
Publisher:University of Chicago Press
Length:192 Pages
Weight:0.39 lbs.
Dimensions:0.4" x 5.2" x 8.0"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Thew Emperors Pearl
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
I thought I had read all of the Judge Dee books and then I stumbled across this one. I absolutely love Van Gulik and this book does not disappoint.
Clever mystery with a little extra
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This novel, written by the author both in English and in Dutch ("De Parel van de Keizer") is part of the second series of mystery books featuring Judge Dee as the sleuth. These novels are a bit shorter and a bit "lighter" than the first series of five books, which starts with "The Chinese Maze Murders" ("Labyrinth in Lan-Fang"). Once again Judge Dee solves three unrelated mysteries, using his skills of observation and logical thinking, employing casual conversations with various protagonists as his main approach. However, in this book Judge Dee also surprises the reader by an unusual gambit that almost misfires. What I liked most about this book were hints of the supernatural that nonetheless stay within the limits of the traditional mystery novel. This novel makes great bedtime or vacation reading!
Excellent
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
All the "Judge Dee" books I have read are good. Some better than others, sure, but I like them all. Intelligent, well written, humane, and even sometimes with a touch of humor. A good mystery is worth a lot and these books by Gulik are certainly that.
The Emperor's Pearl
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
ROBERT VAN GULIK HAS THE ABILITY TO HOLD YOU IN SUSPENSE FROM BEGINNING TO END. HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE AREAS OF CHINA AND THE PEOPLE HELP ONE TO IMMEDIATELY ENTER INTO THE STORY AS IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY THERE. I HAVE READ ALL OF JUDGE DEE MYSTERIES AND WISH THERE WERE MORE.
Excellent Judge Dee mystery
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I have read several Judge Dee mysteries and this is one of my favorites. There are a lot of interesting plot twists and some sad and cruel surprises. Judge Dee has the help of Sargeant Hoong in this one, but Ma Joong and Chiao Tai are on leave so Dee must travel to some of the seedier places by himself. I stayed up until late at night to finish this one...enough said.
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