Judge Dee at Work
 First edition | |
| Author | Robert van Gulik |
|---|---|
| Series | Judge Dee |
| Genre | Gong'an fiction, Mystery, Detective novel, Crime |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
Publication date | 1967 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 174 |
| Preceded by | The Phantom of the Temple |
| Followed by | Necklace and Calabash |
Judge Dee at Work is a collection of gong'an detective short stories 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.
The book features eight illustrations by the author.
The book also has a postscript where the author places all the novels and stories into a coherent timeline for his semi-fictional character.
Overview
Judge Dee, a magistrate in Imperial China is a crime solver, a detective. In these stories Judge Dee solves a series of un-related crimes from different times in his career. There is no over-all narrative to these stories.
List of Stories
- Five Auspicious Clouds - set in the year 663 when Judge Dee was a magistrate of Peng-lai.
- The Red Tape Murder - set in the year 663 when Judge Dee was a magistrate of Peng-lai.
- He Came with the Rain - set in the year 663 when Judge Dee was a magistrate of Peng-lai.
- The Murder on the Lotus Pond - set in the year 666 when Judge Dee was a magistrate of Han-yuan.
- The Two Beggars - set in the year 668 when Judge Dee was a magistrate of Poo-yang.
- The Wrong Sword - set in the year 668 when Judge Dee was a magistrate of Poo-yang.
- The Coffins of the Emperor - set in the year 670 when Judge Dee was a magistrate of Lan-fang.
- Murder on New Year's Eve - set in the year 670 when Judge Dee was a magistrate of Lan-fang.