This was a free download of 2 of the short stories contained in the collection 'Judge Dee at Work'. It takes a little while to get used to the style of writing, and the format of the law and justice in ancient China - the Judge's henchmen really enjoy dishing out punishment! Luckily, Judge Dee is there to reason his way to the truth.
'Murder on the Lotus Pond' is very atmospheric. The murderer is totally plausible, and there's a great deal of satisfaction in the revenge of the frogs.
'Murder on New Year's Eve' finds Judge Dee without his three (!) wives and children (visiting his First Lady's mother and not due back till spring), and he has added to his isolation by permitting his aides the night off to join in the celebrations, so he has to rely on his constables to help solve the mystery of a child's missing parents and a pool of blood on the floor. This is a simply-told tale, full of misunderstandings and wrong conclusions at all levels, until Judge Dee's logical brain finds the solution - just in time for the festivities.
Both stories are very good, although there are a couple of annoying misprints. Still highly recommended, but, since I see this is no longer a free download, I'd recommend buying the whole book from which these are taken, rather than paying for these two very short tales.
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![Murder in Ancient China: Two Judge Dee Mysteries (Chicago Shorts) by [Robert van Gulik]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41PH0+vXeXL._SY346_.jpg)
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