The Willow Pattern

by Robert Van Gulik Book 12 in the Judge Dee Mysteries series.

First published 1965

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4.1(1,590)

Serving as emergency governor of the imperial capital during plague and drought, Judge Dee must maintain order as hunger and fear threaten an uprising. The death of an aristocrat in a deserted mansion appears accidental, but a shattered willow-pattern vase and the body of a bondmaid suggest a deliberate connection between elite households and people without power.

Dee’s assistants investigate across sharply divided social worlds, encountering a fighter who uses weighted sleeves and a courtesan rescued from drowning. The case tests whether the law can operate impartially during civic crisis, when wealthy families expect protection and the poor are already close to rebellion.