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    The Willow Pattern: A Judge Dee Mystery
    The Willow Pattern: A Judge Dee Mystery
    The Willow Pattern: A Judge Dee Mystery
    Ebook169 pages3 hours

    The Willow Pattern: A Judge Dee Mystery

    By Robert van Gulik

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    About this ebook

    Judge Dee has been appointed emergency governor of the plague- and drought-ridden Imperial City. As his guards help the city fend off a popular uprising, an aristocrat from one of the oldest families in China suffers an "accident" in a deserted mansion.

    In The Willow Pattern, the illustrious judge uses his trademark expertise to unravel the mysteries of the nobleman, a shattered vase, and a dead bondmaid. Along the way he encounters a woman who fights with loaded sleeves, a nearly drowned courtesan, and an elaborate trap set for a murderer. Packed with suspense, violence, and romance, The Willow Pattern won’t disappoint Judge Dee’s legions of loyal fans.

    "The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik’s skilled hands, comes vividly alive again."—Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
    Release dateJul 15, 2010
    ISBN9780226849034
    The Willow Pattern: A Judge Dee Mystery

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    Reviews for The Willow Pattern

    4/5

    87 ratings3 reviews

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    • 5/5
      #10 in the series; in this episode, Magistrate Dee is in the capital of the Empire where the plague has broken out. Not only that, but while there, he has to get to the root of 2 murders. As always, each subplot ties together, and it is fun watching Judge Dee figure it all out and unravel the case. This series is one of my absolute favorites in my library.
    • 5/5
      Kina, ca år 680Hovedstaden er ramt af pest og Dommer Di er blevet indsat som kejserens stedfortræder. Udover at bekæmpe pesten får han også en mordsag at opklare. Den aldrende, men stadigt meget flittige og dygtige købmand Mei Liang er tilsyneladende faldet ned ad en stejl trappe i sit hjem og har knust hovedet. Der var tre aldrende ledere af "de gamle familier" Mei, Ye og Hu, og en gammel gadevise spår at en skal miste sin seng, en sit øje og en sit hoved. Kort tid efter Meis død, bliver Ye fundet død, slået ihjel med grusom kraft, så hans ene øje er faldet ud. Yes kone hænger sig kort efter Yes død.Dommer Di finder ud af at det har noget at gøre med en gammel historie med en løskøbt kurtisane, som stikker af med en rigere bejler og bosætter sig i en stor villa. Villaen og piletræerne har givet anledning til et meget brugt porcelænsmønster, pilemotivet.Hu har i sin tid løskøbt fru Mei, men hun ville hellere være rig og ægtede Mei. Dog bedrog hun ham med mange andre, deriblandt Hu. En dag overraskede Mei de to og de slog ham ihjel med en tuschsten. Ye havde hang til at pine unge kvinder og havde for år tilbage forårsaget marionetdukkeføreren Yuan's kones død. Hans to tvillingedøtre, Blåhvid og Koral, er ikke ens, men vil begge hævne moderen. Blåhvid slår Ye ihjel med "jern i ærmet", dvs en jernkugle gemt i ærmerne på dragten, men Dommer Di bestemmer at hun skal gå fri for straf.En klam, men dygtig læge, doktor Yew, er også indblandet, men "nøjes" med at få en hård fængselsdom.Ma Jung er alvorligt forelsket i Blåhvid og det er Chiao Tai og Dommer Di helt indforståede med. Chiao Tai mener endda at han bør tage Koral med i købet som andenhustru.Sideløbende med historien rydder en pestepidemi godt ud i befolkningen i byen, men Tao Gan, Ma Jung, Chiao Tai og Dommer Di styrer byen sikkert igennem krisen. Undtagelsestilstanden gør det let at eksekvere dødsdomme, så Dommer Di rydder også hurtigt ud i forbryderne.Ma Jung redder Blåhvid fra druknedøden undervejs og Chiao Tai og sig selv fra nogle forbrydere forklædt som gadefejere. Blåhvid "betaler kontant", dvs med sin dyd. Chiao Tai anerkender Ma Jungs dåd og Chiao plejer at være tavsheden selv, så Ma Jung er godt tilfreds.En glimrende og meget læsværdig krimi, der foregår i det gamle Kina
    • 4/5
      Solid Judge Dee mystery about three cases in the plague-stricken imperial capital. I think he solves one of the mysteries too easily, but there are cool things such as the art of "loaded sleeves."

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