Western readers of suspense fiction look to the work of 19th century authors Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allen Poe for the origins of the detective novel. But in fact there are antecedents in China preceding the two men’s work by hundreds of years. Ming Dynasty stories appeared based on historical figures like Judge Bao (Bao Qingtian) or Judge Dee (Di Renjie). And they became the basis for later adaptations in print and on stage and screen. The most accessible of them for English-language readers are the 15 Judge Dee Mysteries created by Dutch author Robert van Gulik. And the ninth entry in his series, The Lacquer Screen, is typical. But the story relates an unusual case in which Judge Dee goes undercover without explanation in a neighboring district. There, with his sidekick Chiao Tai, the judge miraculously solves two baffling mysteries in two days flat.
Solving two confounding cases in short order
The two cases Judge Dee confronts on arriving in the Wei-ping District are equally confounding. A wealthy silk merchant named Ko has allegedly committed suicide by jumping in a fast-moving river. But it somehow seems obvious to the judge that the man was murdered, even though no one has found the body. Even closer to home, the wife of the Wei-ping District judge has obviously been murdered. The knife sticking out of her chest makes that clear. And the district judge confesses to Judge Dee that he is the guilty party! In short order, Judge Dee manages to prove (a) who murdered old Ko, and why; and (b) that someone else, not the district judge, murdered the wife. Even Hercule Poirot couldn’t do better.
The Lacquer Screen (Judge Dee Mysteries # 9 of 15) by Robert van Gulik (1962) 192 pages ★★★☆☆
A story riddled with weaknesses
Of course, we wonder why Judge Dee arrived in Wei-ping in disguise. Van Gulik never explains. And we find ourselves scratching our heads over Judge Dee’s eagerness to fall in with a criminal gang headed by an army deserter called “The Corporal.'” Naturally, what he learns from this bunch of criminals turns out to be pivotal in solving both murders. Either one might occupy the attention for months in any modern police department. But Judge Dee masters both in less than 48 hours. Miraculous, indeed!
It’s also disappointing that Van Gulik’s prose is less than stirring, and most of his characters come across as one-dimensional. This may be the result of his having written the novels in English, a second language for him. Or it just might be the case that he lacked literary skill in any language. It’s probably a combination of the two factors. In any case, it’s hard to recommend this or any of the other Judge Dee mysteries to anyone but specialists in the history of Ancient China.
About the author
Robert van Gulik (1910-67) was the Dutch orientalist and author who wrote the Judge Dee mysteries, borrowed from an 18th-century Chinese detective novel. Judge Dee was a character in a folk novel first written during China’s Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). It’s based on Di Renjie (c. 630 – c. 700), who was a magistrate and statesman of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) court in the seventh century CE.
Van Gulik was born in the Netherlands but lived for nine years as a child in the Dutch East Indies in what is today the city of Jakarta. He studied the history of Ancient China at Leiden University but received his PhD from Utrecht University. After translating that 18th-century Chinese story, he wrote 15 of his own novels based on the character. Van Gulik married a Chinese woman during World War II. They had four children.
For related reading
This is the second of the novels in this series that I’ve reviewed. The first was The Chinese Maze Murders – Judge Dee #8 (A fascinating Ancient Chinese detective novel). The novelty of that first book attracted me. But the attraction faded as I read this one.
You’ll find other engaging detective novels at:
- 30 outstanding detective series from around the world
- Top 20 suspenseful detective novels
- Top 10 historical mysteries and thrillers
And you can always find my most popular reviews, and the most recent ones, on the Home Page.
