Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An) cover art

Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An)

An Authentic 18th-Century Chinese Detective Novel

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Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An)

By: Robert van Gulik
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Stefan Rudnicki, Lorna Raver, Yuri Rasovsky
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About this listen

 Long before Western writers had even conceived the idea of writing detective stories, the Chinese had developed a long tradition of literary works that chronicled the cases of important district magistrates. One of the most celebrated of these was Judge Dee, who lived in the seventh century.

This book, written anonymously in the 18th century, interweaves three of Judge Dee's most baffling cases: a double murder among traveling merchants, the fatal poisoning of a bride on her wedding night, and the suspicious death of a shop keeper with a beautiful wife.

The crimes take him up and down the great silk routes, into ancient graveyards where he consults the spirits of the dead, and through all levels of society, leading him to some brilliant detective work.

Public Domain (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Historical Mystery Crime Fiction Detective Chinese Mystery
All stars
Most relevant
Would hold its own among 20th century detective novels, complex story full of suspense and a historical portrayal of Chinese daily life.

Amazing historical window

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I'm a Van Gulik fan and the story is typical of his books. Explanatory notes at the end give insight to traditional Chinese thinking and enriches the experience. Only gripe is the narrator who is otherwise very good uses American interpretation of some common pronunciations. Get your head around that and all is well.

Chinese detective mystery.

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Unique and enjoyable. Great characters and easy listening. Awesome authors note at the end. Highly recommend

Authentic historical detective story,

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Very entertaining, great plot and very immersive. Judge Di is pragmatic and clever. The translator’s notes at the end are very informative.

Has ethnographic qualities. A deep dive into historical Chinese law, culture and society

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