Necklace and Calabash

Name: Necklace and Calabash
Rating: 4.25 (1447 reviews)

by Robert Van Gulik Book 3 in the Judge Dee Mysteries series.

First published 1967

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4.3(1,447)

Travelling back to Poo-yang, Judge Dee stops at Rivertown hoping for several quiet days of fishing. A meeting with a Taoist recluse, a body recovered from the river and the suspicious guests of the Kingfisher Inn instead draw him towards the nearby Water Palace and the household of an imperial princess.

The disappearance of a valuable necklace and the meaning of the recluse’s calabash connect the murder to intrigue inside the royal residence. Working without the full machinery of his tribunal, Dee must protect the princess while determining which officials, servants and visitors are using court privilege to conceal their intentions.