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A Dee and Lao Mystery
by John Shen Yen Nee, S.J. Rozan
Book Reviewed by:Judge Dee and Lao She must use all their powers of deduction—and kung fu skills—to take down a sinister conspiracy between Imperial Russia, Japan, and China in a rollicking new mystery set in 1920s London.
The follow-up to The Murder of Mr. Ma, this historical adventure-mystery is perfect for fans of Laurie R. King and the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films.
London, 1924. Following several months abroad, Judge Dee Ren Jie has returned to the city to foil a transaction between a Russian diplomat and a Japanese mercenary. Aided by Lao She—the Watson to his Holmes—along with several other colorful characters, Dee stops the illicit sale of an extremely valuable "dragon-taming" mace.
The mace's owner is a Chinese businesswoman who thanks Dee for its retrieval by throwing a lavish dinner party. In attendance is British banking official A. G. Stephen, who argues with the group about the tenuous state of Chinese nationalism—and is poisoned two days later. Dee knows this cannot be a coincidence, and suspects Stephen won't be the only victim. Sure enough, a young Chinese communist of Lao's acquaintance is killed not long after—and a note with a strange symbol is found by his body.
What could connect these murders? Could it be related to rumors of a conspiracy regarding the Chinese Eastern Railway? It is once again all on the unlikely crime-solving duo of Dee and Lao to solve the case before anyone else ends up tied to the rails.
Prologue
Beijing, 1966
It seems every tale of Dee Ren Jie begins with a fight.
Dee himself is the most patient and just of men; yet in some places and in some times, patience and justice are not the virtues most prized by some men. In those times and places, preparing oneself for the rigors of physical combat is the way of wisdom, and Dee is also wise.
In years to come, men looking back on China in our day, as I am looking back now on England in an earlier one, may conclude that was how things were with us. I cannot say.
But with certainty, I can say this: it was how things were in London in the late summer of 1924.
CHAPTER ONE
London, 1924
I'm just telling yer, Mr. Dee, and with respect, o' course, I don't much like this place yer've brought us to. A mist so thick I can almost grab 'old of it, and trees way over me 'ead, with 'oo knows what's walking around in 'em. Monkeys and such, I'll warrant! And the smell in the air—it ain't natural, sir. With nary a streetlamp to be seen....
Dee, like Sherlock Holmes, is a savant, with extraordinary physical and observational skills; Lao, like Dr. Watson, is his well-intentioned and loyal sidekick, often clueless and a bit bumbling, who narrates their adventures... But the two men are fleshed-out, individual characters, with lives outside of their partnership. Dee supports China's Nationalists while Lao is an avowed Communist... Much of the book revolves around China's internal struggles at the time—namely, the rise of both the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party and the conflicts between the two groups...continued
Full Review
(810 words)
(Reviewed by Kim Kovacs).
Judge Dee Ren Jie, the protagonist of the Dee and Lao mystery series, frequently masquerades as Spring-heeled Jack, a legendary figure out of Victorian London. Sometimes Dee uses the costume to intimidate suspects into divulging information, but more often, he uses it to disguise his true identity while interacting with London's police force.
Tales of the figure who ultimately came to be known as Spring-heeled Jack first started appearing in and around London in 1837. In the first known report, a businessman returning home late one September evening was frightened by "a 'muscular man of devilish features' that included large, pointed ears and nose and protruding, glowing eyes." The phantom had leapt over the high railings of Barnes ...
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