Necklace and Calabash

One of the best of the series, and the most like a Chandler novel. You wouldn't think one could do the scene where the detective is told to just shut up and get in the car in the 7th century, but van Gulik pulls it off.

Necklace and Calabash was a bit of a shot in the dark for me – and one that, while it hit the target, was sadly nowhere near the bullseye. It was a left-field choice: a detective story set in Ancient China written in English by a Dutch diplomat in the 1960s in the style of classical Chinese stories. The book had plenty of courtly intrigue and brought its ancient exotic setting to life, as well as providing, in Judge Dee, a rather interesting detective protagonist.

But I found the writing a bit bloodless and hasty, packing a lot into its 140 pages which meant it was difficult to savour some of the book's more unique tastes. The mystery never really had much, well, mystery to me, nor any ingenuity in the resolution of its central crime, show more and in truth there wasn't enough in Necklace and Calabash to compel me to return to the series. show less

This is a later Judge Dee novel from van Gulik. His writing and characterisation are at their best here. Unusually for a Judge Dee story, he is without his usual retinue; Ma Joong, Chiao Tai and Tao Gan. This gives van Gulik the opportunity to explore Judge Dee's character with a little more subtlety. The background story involves theft from an Imperial Palace, but as usual with van Gulik, several stories are developed simultaneously. Dee's story weaves alongside and into that of an itinerant zen monk; and as Judge Dee assumes and then lays down a temporary commission as Imperial Censor he reflects on the emptiness of all power. The book includes woodcut drawings by van Gulik, including the priceless "Judge Dee scrubs his boots with show more unnecessary vigour" as Fern (a twenty-something local girl) mischievously takes a bath in the river nearby. Robert van Gulik's life was extraordinary, travelling in Japan and China before and during WW2, he was a highly ranked Dutch diplomat and historian. He chose the medium of a real historical figure Judge Dee (630-700AD) to tell the story of T'ang Dynasty China. His love of China and Chinese history comes through in the sympathetic treatment of a different time and place. This is great detective fiction, a wonderful introduction to Chinese history, and clearly a novel that speaks from the author's heart. show less

A so-so Judge Dee novel is better than most other historical mysteries. In Necklace and Calabash, Judge Dee goes to Rivertown for a fishing vacation. But crime doesn’t take a vacation, and it turns out Judge Dee can’t, either. Judge Dee ends up in disguise as an eminent doctor; as is usual in Chinese mysteries, Judge Dee investigates three mysteries: the murder of an inn cashier, a missing wife, and a stolen imperial pearl necklace. While not as great as some other Judge Dee novels, Necklace and Calabash still provides an exciting read.

judge dee never disappoints and this was no exception
enjoy the setting and the philosophical bent

See the Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee by Van Gulik

Kina, år 668
Dommer Di er magistrat i Poo-yang og gør to dages ophold i Rivertown. I skoven møder han en taoist-munk, Master Gourd. Rivertown er et "specielt område" for Kejserens yndlingsdatter bor her i et smukt palads omgivet af hundrede af hoffolk og hofsnoge. Alle forbrydelser i byen kan tolkes som majestætskrænkelse og udløse "den langsomme død", så der er stille og fredeligt i alt fald på overfladen. Lige inden Di's ankomst er der dog fundet et lig i floden. Det er Kingfisher kroens kasserer, der er blevet torteret grusomt til døde. Di forklæder sig som læge og bliver indblandet i et tyveri af kejserens yndlingsdatters halskæde med 84 perler. Den er stjålet fra det stærkt bevogtede palads og efter lang tids show more hemmelig efterforskning finder Di ud af at det er paladsets overeunuk, der står bag. Eunukken har flere motiver, blandt andet at få total magt over kejseren, der måske/måske ikke begærer sin egen datter. Til sidst fortæller Master Gourd at det er ham, der har blandet Di ind i sagen og at det faktisk er ham, der er far til "Kejserens tredje datter".
Undervejs får Di via kejserlig fuldmagt total magt, men han afgiver den igen for at vende tilbage som magistrat i Poo-yang.

Glimrende fortælling med Dommer Di i solo-optræden show less