The Chinese Bell Murders is another of the classic Judge Dee mysteries authored by Robert Van Gulik. This book, along with the Chinees Maze Murders, is probably the best of the Judge Dee books.

The plot of this story involves three disparate events, a rape/murder, shenanigans in a Buddhist temple where women with fertility problems are apparently giving birth due to divine interventions, and a corrupt businessman who is involved in a bloody family feud. Along the way, Judge Dee and his assistants have an encounter with the bell that is the title of the story. Van Gulik ties up everything in a tidy package that is engrossing and gives the reader an insight into ancient China.

What is impressive about this book is the historical accuracy and insights about the Chinese character given by Van Gulik, no doubt due to his service in the Dutch foreign service and his credentials as a Sinologist. The Buddhist influence in T'ang Dynasty China and the corruption of monks was a constant problem and Van Gulik is not complimentary in his portrayal, which is similar to the unfavorable portrayals of Buddhism by Chinese writers throughout history. Also, the corruption of businessmen in China and the conflict between northern and southern China is well portrayed. Only a Chinese or somebody who is familiar with China can understand the nuances and conflict.

As one of the original five Judge Dee books (this one is the second book in the sequence), the detail and the plot are very much in line with the famous Chinese stories of the day, albeit in a more compact form. This lends authenticity and makes these stories better than the later Judge Dee stories, which are still good.

Yet another strong entry in Robert Van Gulik's series about a crime solving Imperial Magistrate in seventh-century China. In this book, Judge Dee has taken up a new posting in the large and flourishing district of Poo-yang on China's east coast. The district seems prosperous and relatively crime free, so the judge's retinue consisting of his faithful retainers Sergeant Hoong, Ma Joong, Tao Gan and Chiao Tai are all looking forward to an easy posting. But contrary to all expectations, the team has to deal with several crimes in the district soon after arrival. A young girl has been raped and murdered with her killer absconding and the judge is also asked to look into a long series of crimes committed by one of Poo-yang's wealthiest merchants Lin Fan by one of his victims who may have her own hidden agenda....To make matters more complicated, the judge soon learns that the monks in the wealthy Buddhist temple in the area may be preying upon unsuspecting women and cheating them of large sums of money by promising them that they will be able to conceive a child by offering prayers and money at the temple! This may seem like an overwhelming series of problems, but Judge Dee with the help of his assistants is able to clear up the various crimes with his usual flair and wisdom. Enormously entertaining, both for its wealth of historical detail about ancient China as well as for its finely plotted mysteries. Highly recommended for fans of the series and even those who are just looking for a good mystery read.

This book is part of Van Gulik's Judge Dee series of 'historical fiction' that chronicles the cases investigated by the famous magistrate from classical Chinese detective stories. Despite being written more than 40 years ago (first published in 1960), the book remains surprisingly readable even today.

The story is well plotted and full of historical details of Chinese culture and practices of the period (the author having been a diplomatic envoy based in China for many years). A refreshing change from typical detective novels, this book is and others in the series are unique and deserves a place on the shelf of every mystery fan.

This is the first of a series of Judge Dee novels set in seventh-century China. Judge Dee is an Imperial Magistrate who in the course of his job, is posted all over the Imperial Chinese Empire. He has a keen interest in solving crimes and is interested in interacting actively with the people around him. The novel opens with Dee leaving the imperial capital for the district of Peng-lai, near the Korean border. This is his first posting as District Magistrate. He leaves accompanied by his adviser Sergeant Hoong and on the way, meets two highwaymen, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai. Impressed by his forceful personality, the two men decide to give up their life of crime and become officers of the tribunal under Judge Dee. Upon arrival in Peng-lai, Judge Dee has to deal with multiple crimes; his predecessor was murdered, the wife of a prominent businessman has disappeared, a tiger is terrorizing the locals, the judge's chief clerk has gone missing and there are suspicions that Peng-lai is a center for gold smuggling into Korea! Into this hotbed of crime, comes Judge Dee who is able to pull all the threads together and solve the crimes. I loved the wealth of historical detail in the book as well as the actual mysteries, and Judge Dee himself is refreshingly human and is amused by the antics of his underlings! Would highly recommend the book to all those interested in historical mysteries - it's great fun!

Long before Brother Cadfael, there was Judge Dee. The series started in the 1950s but they are modelled after Judge Dee mysteries written in early China. In this adventure, Judge Dee arrives at a new post and must solve the murder of his predecessor. As with all of his adventures, there are several side mysteries to unravel. Well written and skillfully plotted, the Judge Dee mysteries are must reads.

I have all of Van Gulik's Chinese murder mysteries and this is the one to start out with. Not only is the book entertaining on its own merits as a mystery but you learn about a historical Chinese culture. The plot twists and villains are clever and Judge Dee is the bomb.

Written close to 40 years ago (first published in 1961), this book is part of Van Gulik's Judge Dee series which chronicles the cases investigated by the famous magistrate of classical Chinese detective stories.

A staple of the Judge Dee stories are the multi-layered plot and accurate historical details of ancient Chinese culture and practices and this book does not disappoint in both areas. Unique and superbly readable, this series deserves a place on the shelf of every mystery fan. One small note: This new version seems to have omitted the chinese-style illustrations found in the original printing - probably due to the (very low-key) nudity that the publisher found offensive.

I have read all of Van Gulik's murder mysteries and this is has to be my favorite. The characters are intriguing and some sinister. The end is satisfying and bittersweet, challenging integrity vs justice. I would, however, recommend you read the others first (chronological is good, Chinese Gold Murders is first) to get to know the main characters although this book can stand on on its own.

Robert Van Gulik evidently had a lot of fun translating "Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee"; when he couldn't find any more Judge Dee mysteries, he decided to write his own. "The Haunted Monastery" takes place during one night (appropriately dark and stormy) in a Buddhist monastery where several young girls have disappeared without a trace; among the characters are a Taoist sage, a dissolute abbot, a performing bear, and a female impersonator, all set against a backdrop of dark winding corridors, secret rooms and a version of the Taoist Hell. By morning the storm outside has abated, and the mystery inside has been solved. "The Chinese Maze Murders" involves an overgrown, impenetrable (literally and figuratively) garden maze, a painting with a secret clue that will give the key to how to reach the maze's center; two young sisters, and a particularly vile murderer who specializes in torturing and killing young ladies. Of the two, I thought "Monastery" was more fun, but both books are excellent examples of the Chinese mystery genre and Van Gulik succeeds in capturing the essence of the original Judge Dee. Of all Van Gulik's Judge Dee novels, "Monastery" and "Maze" come closest to the unknown Chinese author and are therefore, for this reviewer, his two best original books.

I've read all of the Judge Dee Mysteries and this double novel is one of the best. The Haunted Monastery gives fans a fascinating glimpse into Judge Dee's family life, including relationships among his three wives. The plots all revolve around the loves and mores of the Chinese upper and lower classes. The Chinese Maze Murders follows Judge Dee's dangerous attempt to end a criminal overlord's stranglehold on the Judge's new district of Lan-fang. The story of how Judge Dee out maneuvers this ruthless godfather and his hidden backers provides an excellent read. Don't miss this economically priced complete edition of two of the best Judge Dee mysteries

I first became aware of the Judge Dee stories after reading the short story "He Came with the Rain" in a historical mystery collection. I loved the story so much that I promptly went to Amazon.com to find more Judge Dee novels and stories. This collection of eight short stories is particularly interesting as it covers about 20 years in Judge Dee's career through several of his postings. The stories are extremely interesting, both for the wealth of historical detail as well as the actual mystery content. Judge Dee as a District Magistrate is the leading civilian authority but I found stories such as "The Red Tape Murder" particularly interesting when he clashes with military authorities. This gives Dr. Van Gulik the opportunity to introduce snippets about ancient Chinese history, particularly about the clashes with Korea and the Tartar offenses on China's Western borders. This is a period of Chinese history where very little is known - almost a sort of Chinese Dark Ages - so it is wonderful to learn more about that time, also about the social customs of the era, which I found surprisingly modern, with the exception of the accepted practice of polygamy! If you are interested in historical mystery fiction, I would highly recommend the series. Also try the Sister Fidelma series about a mystery solving nun in Dark Ages Ireland - it is equally atmospheric!

The wonderful thing about these stories is the sense of time and place which comes through in all of them. We find ourselves easily transported to seventh century China, and the world of a highly organised empire, with its representative in the various cities which serve as venues for the stories, the Magistrate, in the person of Judge Dee.

Robert Van Gulick's picture of Chinese life, crafted from his own extensive study of China, both underpins and overlays these elegant detective stories. Those inhabiting these stories are truly the inhabitants of the places: walking through the streets, eating at the restaurants, working in the Tribunal, and interacting with all classes of their highly stratified society.

The characters are well developed, from Judge Dee himself to his various colourful assistants and lieutenants, who do most (but not all) of the Tribunal's leg work. Criminals, victims, witnesses, and others along the way complete the fascinating tableaux.

There are references to the various Judge Dee novels at the beginning of each story providing a context within the magistrate's career. Numerous line drawings by the author gently illuminate the stories.

Robert Hans van Gulik was a Dutch diplomat, a Sinologist -look it up! - a poet, musician, zoologist: and above all the author of the famous Judge Dee sequence of thrillers, set in T'ang China. Janwillem van de Wetering is a writer and ex-monk with a passionate interest in the East, and the ideal person to write Gulik's life - he died in 1967. Yet this book is out of print! PLEASE SOMEONE REPRINT IT SOONEST!!

Judge Dee is an imperial magistrate who travels the country solving mysteries and murders. Not content merely to judge cases as they come to court, Judge Dee investigates crimes himself.

This book comprises of two short stories. In the first one, Judge Dee is upset to discover murder in his own home. It starts when he is watching a troop of monkeys playing in his garden and one of them drops an expensive emerald ring. Examining it, Dee realises the ring is encrusted with blood. When Judge Dee stumbles over a mutilated body hidden in his garden he decides to find out who is responsible. With the help of his assistant Tao Gan, Dee set out to investigate a nest of pawnbrokers, thieves and vagabonds.

In the second story, Judge Dee is travelling to the capital in order to receive a promotion thanks to his solving of the Chinese Nail Murders. Unfortunately the weather is fierce: Dee is separated from his staff and takes refuge in a large isolated country house. Here he finds that the family a mourning a young dead girl, seemingly a victim of a heart attack. The theft of 40 shining bars of gold, however, leads Dee to think there is more to the story. Beset by bandits, ghosts and superstitious hosts who believe that their troubles are foretold by the almanac and therefore immutable, Dee sets out to solve the mystery.

Judge Dee was practising in the 7th century but the writer, Robert Van Gulik, was a Dutch diplomat living in China in the early 20th Century. Interested in Chinese history, he decided to write a series of detective novel based old Chinese stories. Beautifully written, each Judge Dee story is a pearl of literature. The English is beautiful yet modern, easy to read yet evocative of the China that existed over 20 centuries ago.

Van de Wetering (a Dutch) is a very interesting author of quite unique "mysteries", set in a very everyday Amsterdam and also writes interestingly about his experiences with Zen Bhuddism. Van Gulik was a Dutch diplomat (before, during and after WW II), and a scientist working on Chinese history and culture who could play old Chinese instruments and mastered calligraphy - and who wrote mysteries in an old Imperial Chinese setting. Gulik is clearly one of Van de Wetering' s "heroes" and he is very aptly portraited as an interesting person living in interesting times and doing interesting things.

This book is great! I have read it 4 times!

This is a reprint of a detective novel written in the 18th century that is set in 7th century China. Written by someone well versed in Chinese law, it outs three of Judge Dee's most famous cases together into one novel. Judge Dee was a district Magistrate, a combination prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner (if necessary). Magistrates had pretty wide authority to interrogate anyone, and use any method to get a confession, including beatings and torture. But, if a Magistrate executed someone who was later found to be innocent (for instance), the Magistrate was executed.

In the first case, a pair of silk merchants spend the night at a hostel in a certain town. The next morning, just outside of town, one of them is found dead. The local Warden (the town policeman) immediately accuses the hostel owner of killing, then robbing, the merchant, something the hostel owner vigorously denies. The second case involves a young bride who is poisoned on her wedding night. In the third case, a young widow and her mother live alone. The widow's husband died a year previously under less than clear circumstances. Not only does the young widow lock herself in her room for half a day every day, she also gets very angry and belligerent toward her mother whenever any men come around; not just potential suitors, but any men. As Judge Dee investigates, and interroagtes both women, the circumstances of the husband's death get more and more mysterious.

Chinese detective novels are very different than their western counterparts. The culprit is introduced in the beginning of the story, and the interest is in seeing how the crime is solved. They tend to get very detailed, especially concerning the method of torture and execution, so a length of several hundred pages is common. This novel is one of the shorter ones that are available.

For mystery lovers who want to read a very different type of novel, this is worth checking out. Agatha Christie has little to fear from Chinese detective novels regarding competition, but it is still worth the reader's time.

This book is a novel based on an actual character, Judge Dee, a Chinese magistrate who lived around 700 A.D. and whose job responsibilities involved solving local crimes. The Chinese detective story is different from what we are used to in that we know right off the bat whodunit; the fun is in watching the criminal be tracked down and caught. The three crimes in this novel, none of which are connected to each other, include a hardened criminal who robs and kills two merchants; an adulterous woman who murders her husband to live with her young lover, and a young student suspected of killing his bride on their wedding night. Aided by four trusty henchmen -- two reformed highwaymen, an old family servant, and an erstwhile con-man, Judge Dee unravels the tangled clues until he brings all the perpetrators to justice. Van Gulik shows us, in his excellent translation, that the ancient Chinese justice system, although harsh, was fair to all, and that no one was exempt from deserved punishment whatever their age, rank or gender. This book is a lot of fun for anyone who is interested in things Chinese, or who just enjoys a good, well-written detective story.

Slightly different than the purly fictional Judge Dee novels that came after this. Judge Dee appears more fallable in these cases than in later novels and the various personalities seem to have a bit more depth, perhaps due to the fact that this work purports to represent actual historical events. In other words, you can just notice the difference between Van Gulik the translator and Van Gulik the author.