Robert van Gulik
It all begins on the night of the Poo-yang dragonboat races in 699 A.D.: a drummer in the leading boat collapses, and the body of a beautiful young woman turns up in a deserted country mansion.Â  There, Judge Deeâ€”tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avengerâ€”steps in to investigate the murders and return order to the Tang Dynasty.,Â ,In ,The Emperorâ€™s Pearl,, the judge discovers that these two deaths are connected by an ancient tragedy involving a near-legendary treasure stolen from the Imperial Harem one hundred years earlier. The terrifying figure of the White Lady, a river goddess enshrined on a bloodstained altar, looms in the background of the investigation. Clues are few and elusive, but under the expert hand of Robert van Gulik, this mythic jigsaw puzzle assembles itself into a taut mystery.,Â ,â€œIf you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes from the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes.â€â€”Robert Kirsch, ,Los Angeles, Times,Â ,â€œThe title of this book and the book itself have much in common. Each is a jewel, a rare and precious find.â€â€”,Atlanta, Times,Â 
Mystery,Mystery,Crime,Historical,Historical Fiction,Fiction,Cultural,China,Historical,Mystery,Detective,Mystery,Historical Mystery,Literature,Thriller,Mystery Thriller
The Emperor's Pearl