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A review by naverhtrad
The Chinese Nail Murders by Robert van Gulik
5.0
Warning: spoilers
This is not my favourite of the classic Judge Dee mysteries by van Gulik, but without a doubt it ranks among the best-written. It is the last of the books in the Judge's career as magistrate, and it is the last of the books in which Hong Liang makes an appearance. It reads as a murder mystery and as a typical gong'an novel, yes. But it also reads as a tragic drama in grand traditional Chinese style - complete with mournful poetry, a tale of doomed love, and a true moral dilemma which entraps both Di Renjie and his subordinates.
In his first few weeks in the fictional town of Beizhou, Di Renjie is, as usual, confronted with three cases: the disappearance of the betrothed Miss Liao Lianfang; the grisly murder of Mrs Pan, the wife of an elderly antiques dealer; and the poisoning of the famous martial artist Lan Dakui. These turn out, in fact, to be two separate murder cases rather than one, but they pit Judge Dee and his opponents against one of the single cleverest, most skilful, most determined and most ruthless villains van Gulik has yet written. All the more so because, thanks to her intimate knowledge of the law, near-sociopathic daring and her ability to manipulate people, the widow Chen Baozhen comes very, very close to beating Di Renjie at his own game. Through a careful web of lies she manages to situate herself as the wrongful victim of his corruption, and thereby place him at risk of his career, his life and the total ruin and shame of his family.
In order to bring Chen Baozhen to justice, Di Renjie brings himself to the end of his resources. None of his regular assistants can help him, and one of them has himself been murdered in the course of his duties. One woman alone, the kindly and sensible Mrs. Guo, holds the vital clue, but she can't divulge it to the just judge without incriminating herself of a cold-case murder long since buried and forgotten. Di Renjie himself has to decide between his duties as an administrator of justice and his personal feelings of gratitude and growing affection for Mrs. Guo. Van Gulik writes this tragedy superbly - Mrs. Guo sacrifices herself by giving the judge the clue that saves his life and career, but he is then forced by his office to investigate her, knowing exactly where it will lead.
The underworld, martial-arts, 'barbarian' and supernatural elements are still present in this novel, but they are downplayed considerably in favour of the central drama of the investigation and its consequences. However, the Sinophile puzzles - in this case, qiqiaoban (tangrams) - play a very major role in the investigation, and provide a vital clue in the murder of Lan Dakui which leads to Chen Baozhen as the culprit.
I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I claim that this is van Gulik's best-written novel. It shows Judge Dee at his most vulnerable, and thus also best illustrates the strength of his character. If you don't read any other books in this series - read this one.
This is not my favourite of the classic Judge Dee mysteries by van Gulik, but without a doubt it ranks among the best-written. It is the last of the books in the Judge's career as magistrate, and it is the last of the books in which Hong Liang makes an appearance. It reads as a murder mystery and as a typical gong'an novel, yes. But it also reads as a tragic drama in grand traditional Chinese style - complete with mournful poetry, a tale of doomed love, and a true moral dilemma which entraps both Di Renjie and his subordinates.
In his first few weeks in the fictional town of Beizhou, Di Renjie is, as usual, confronted with three cases: the disappearance of the betrothed Miss Liao Lianfang; the grisly murder of Mrs Pan, the wife of an elderly antiques dealer; and the poisoning of the famous martial artist Lan Dakui. These turn out, in fact, to be two separate murder cases rather than one, but they pit Judge Dee and his opponents against one of the single cleverest, most skilful, most determined and most ruthless villains van Gulik has yet written. All the more so because, thanks to her intimate knowledge of the law, near-sociopathic daring and her ability to manipulate people, the widow Chen Baozhen comes very, very close to beating Di Renjie at his own game. Through a careful web of lies she manages to situate herself as the wrongful victim of his corruption, and thereby place him at risk of his career, his life and the total ruin and shame of his family.
In order to bring Chen Baozhen to justice, Di Renjie brings himself to the end of his resources. None of his regular assistants can help him, and one of them has himself been murdered in the course of his duties. One woman alone, the kindly and sensible Mrs. Guo, holds the vital clue, but she can't divulge it to the just judge without incriminating herself of a cold-case murder long since buried and forgotten. Di Renjie himself has to decide between his duties as an administrator of justice and his personal feelings of gratitude and growing affection for Mrs. Guo. Van Gulik writes this tragedy superbly - Mrs. Guo sacrifices herself by giving the judge the clue that saves his life and career, but he is then forced by his office to investigate her, knowing exactly where it will lead.
The underworld, martial-arts, 'barbarian' and supernatural elements are still present in this novel, but they are downplayed considerably in favour of the central drama of the investigation and its consequences. However, the Sinophile puzzles - in this case, qiqiaoban (tangrams) - play a very major role in the investigation, and provide a vital clue in the murder of Lan Dakui which leads to Chen Baozhen as the culprit.
I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I claim that this is van Gulik's best-written novel. It shows Judge Dee at his most vulnerable, and thus also best illustrates the strength of his character. If you don't read any other books in this series - read this one.