S. J. Rozan

In 1924, a White Russian agitator and a Japanese martial artist wielding a samurai sword meet in Richmond Park, London, to make an exchange. But before the Russian can hand over a valuable artifact, a dragon taming mace, the transfer is interrupted by a quartet, first encountered in The Murder of Mr Ma (2024). Judge Dee Ren Jie, recently returned from China on a secret mission, has once again disguised himself as a dime novel hero, Springheel Jack, in order to recover the mace for its show more rightful owner. Aided by his loyal assistants merchant Hoong, young pickpocket Jimmy Fingers, and academic Lao She, the theft is thwarted and the mace is returned to Wu Zie Tian, a wealthy and beautiful Chinese businesswoman living in Mayfair.

She invites Dee and Lao to a dinner party where they meet a powerful English banker. As guests discuss the future of a China riven by political violence, Lao girds himself to make a case for communism against the general belief that a nationalist government would be China’s best hope. A few days later, the banker is found dead – poisoned – and it’s only the first murder. Someone is determined to shape the future of China and control of the Chinese Eastern Railway, a rail line that White Russians, Soviet Russians, and Japan all hope to control, is rumored to be at the heart of a conspiracy.

This series, co-written by a seasoned mystery writer and a comic book publishing executive, is a curious mashup of cultural references. It joins the ranks of Sherlock Holmes pastiches, with Lao She playing the role of Watson, his shy, scholarly and somewhat dim nature a foil for the brilliant detective Dee. It also builds on the Gong’an fiction tradition, particularly from the last imperial Chinese era when puzzles solved by wise officials were joined with martial arts heroics. Westerners are largely unfamiliar with this centuries-old Chinese genre, apart from stories written by Dutch author Robert Van Gulik, who translated an eighteenth-century Gong’an novel and then wrote a series of his own with Judge Dee as his Holmsesian hero. This reinvented Judge Dee series also plays with “yellow menace” movie tropes and draws on more-recent martial arts films.

An additional element of the series, and perhaps its most compelling feature, is the way it highlights elements of early twentieth-century Chinese history and examines how Europeans interacted with Asian immigrants. In this case, the conflict is about who will win control of a vast country. It may seem to readers less emotionally engaging than the subject matter of the first book in the series: the use (and abuse) of Chinese laborers by European powers during and after World War I. The human toll of the political conflict is not as vividly woven into this story, and the frequent choreographed fight scenes may tire those who are not fans of martial arts films.

That said, it’s a creative exploration of genres in collision and an entertaining romp. It will be interesting to see where this series takes us next, and what we will learn about China during a period of upheaval and transition that many of us know very little about, but which has had an indelible impact on the present day.

https://crimefictionreview.com/the-railway-conspiracy-by-john-shen-yen-nee-and-s... show less

The publisher’s blurb for The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan recommends it for fans of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and I can’t disagree. But I would go further and recommend it for fans of Sherlock Holmes regardless of print, film, or audio or, well, really anyone who enjoys well-written and entertaining historical mysteries.

Set in 1924 London, someone is killing Chinese nationals and academic Lau She plays Watson to Judge Dee Ren Jie’s Holmes complete with show more amazing action moves, disguises, and a bit of a drug problem as they search for the killer. This is the first in a series and it is one rollicking tale of derring-do. The main characters are well-rounded and make for a very likeable duo. As to the mystery, it is complex and kept me guessing right to the big reveal at the end. And for us history buffs, there is some real history mixed in with the fiction. Definitely a fun beginning to the new series and I look forward to future adventures of Lao and Dee. I received an audioversion of this book from Netgalley and RB Media narrated by Daniel York Loh who does an amazing job especially with all the different London accents. show less

The Railway Conspiracy is the second volume in the Dee and Lao mystery series. Make that Judge Dee and Teacher Lao. The series is set just after WWI in London, but the two main characters are from China. Dee travels between London and Geneva working for the Chinese nationalist government. Lao teaches Chinese language and literature to not particularly enthusiastic university students. The two are a pair reminiscent of Holmes and Watson. Dee is always several steps ahead of everyone else, show more regardless of the situation, like Holmes. He's also a gifted gifted martial artist who is more than willing to get physical when circumstances warrant that. Lao is a Watson character, not as quick thinking as Dee, but stalwart, and committed to writing up his friend's investigative prowess.

The first volume in the series, The Murder of Mr. Ma, was a clever, engaging read offering not just a central mystery, but also a look at conditions for the Chinese Labor Corps, who were hired to assist the British during WWI. When one of the men Dee knew from the Corps is murdered, Dee takes it upon himself to investigate the death—and ore that follow it. Lao comes along as a sidekick, eager to do something besides teaching. This novel kept me going, putting me into that position of feeling torn between the desire to keep reading to see what would happen next and wanting to slow down, because a book is a finite entity, and I wanted this book to last.

I found The Railway Conspiracy interesting, but not as engaging as the previous volume. The characters remained their delightful selves, but this volume relied more on combat than the first did—and knowing little about martial arts, that meant there were lengthy passages in which I knew fighting was taking place, but didn't understand the language used to describe it sufficiently to feel a part of things.

I'm still looking eagerly forward to volume three when/if that is released, and I'm sure I will enjoy it, but I'm not sure how complete that enjoyment will be.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

I was excited to see S.J. Rozan involved in this collaboration. It's a strange but really fun (and subtly thought-provoking) historical romp set in 1920s London that pairs a Chinese Dr. Watson-style narrator with an impressive Judge Dee - not *that* Judge Dee, but cut from the same cloth as classical Chinese crime stories, a wise outsider who is able to solve crimes and fight bad guys with acrobatic skill; this is somehow paired with a dash of dime novel, but it all works.

The pair show more investigate the disappearance of a Chinese national who was recruited (like Dee) to provide labor in the battlefields of France during World War I. (Who knew? This is one of those historical lacuna that makes stories like this so enlightening.) They soon are investigating a string of murders while avoiding the interference of a bigoted police officer. There's just enough depth folded into this froth of a story to make it much more than it may seem on the surface.

There are hints Judge Dee will return in future adventures. I'm looking forward to them. show less