The Red Pavilion

Name: The Red Pavilion
Rating: 4.12 (1887 reviews)

by Robert Van Gulik Book 11 in the Judge Dee Mysteries series.

First published 1961

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4.1(1,887)

While visiting Paradise Island during a festival, Judge Dee encounters Autumn Moon, the most powerful courtesan in its entertainment quarter. A recent suicide, an older unexplained death and a new killing draw him into the Red Pavilion, where several generations of passion and resentment have left contradictory accounts of what happened.

Working with the local magistrate and the island’s wardens, Dee reconstructs the relationships behind the deaths while Ma Joong enters the dangerous world of courtesans and hired fighters. The investigation exposes the human cost of a commercial society built around desire, status and the exploitation of women.