The Conspiracies of the Empire - (Judge Dee Investigation) by Qiu Xiaolong

Book Synopsis

The legendary Judge Dee Renjie returns, in this lyrical combination of mystery, history and ancient Chinese politics from the author of the renowned Inspector Chen mysteries

In Tang dynasty China, Empress Wu - seductive, ambitious and vindictive - rules with an iron fist. Her premier minister, Judge Dee Renjie, is honored to be trusted by her. But when she orders him to carry out an urgent investigation into the disappearance of disgraced poet Luo Binwang, he can't see why the matter is of such vital importance.

Luo Binwang joined a doomed uprising against Her Majesty, and vanished after the final, bloody battle. Is he missing - or dead? Either way, now that the rebellion has been mercilessly quashed, what harm could a poor, elderly poet do?

Traveling out of the great capital of Chang'an, accompanied by his loyal manservant Yang, Judge Dee launches a painstaking investigation in the hopes of achieving what the empress' secret police could not. But the journey is marred by ill omens, and with death and disaster following his every step, Judge Dee soon begins to wonder if the empress trusts him as much as he thought . . .

Review Quotes

An elaborate and satisfying souffle of mystery, history, and poetry-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Shadow of the Empire"

Balances a passion for literature with a measured, character-driven investigation-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Judge Dee and Yang are an endearing duo for this delightful series-- "The Historical Novels Review on The Shadow of the Empire"

Qiu combines a sophisticated puzzle with appropriate period detail, avoiding the anachronisms of previous Judge Dee fiction. Fans of those books, by Robert van Gulik and others, will clamor for more-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of The Shadow of the Empire"

Qiu effortlessly constructs a dense, multilayered suspense plot, while leaving plenty of space for evocative period detail and fascinating historical asides. It's another winner-- "Publishers Weekly"

Qiu writes in a lyrical style . . . Poems become clues, even evidence, in the far-from-cursory probe he conducts-- "Wall Street Journal on The Shadow of the Empire"

Qiu's rendition [of Judge Dee] is just as approachable and good-natured as his contemporary murder mysteries-- "The Asian Review of Books on The Shadow of the Empire"

Qiu's stylish hybrid is half fictional literary memoir and half crisp whodunit-- "Kirkus Reviews on Becoming Inspector Chen"

The latest Chen is both a scathing indictment of contemporary China and an explanation of how poet Chen came to be Chief Inspector Chen. Gripping-- "Booklist on Becoming Inspector Chen"

While series fans will be delighted at the background Qiu provides, this is an accessible starting point for newcomers ... in his superior 11th novel featuring Shanghai policeman and poet Chen Cao-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Becoming Inspector Chen"