My thanks to NetGalley and Severen House for an advance copy of this new mystery featuring a famous character from books, manga and movies investigating a missing poet in a time of political uncertainty, and unknown dangers.

When I first began reading I was big into mysteries and thrillers, starting with The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, and moving up the ranks from boy detectives to real detectives. Recently thought mysteries have not done anything for me. Most police procedurals have a fake earnestness that lacks both reality and Candy Crush phone use that seems to be modern policing. Same for thrillers. Why read about Jack Ryan stopping threats to democracy, when the same threats are campaigning in swing states. I have enjoyed a few mysteries though, and these tend to be set in different countries, or even in different eras. The stories seem larger, more interesting and usually have something else I enjoy in good stories, not just a whodunnit, but a lot of whydunnit. What makes a person do crimes, and what makes a person want to risk everything to find answers. I think that is why I have been enjoying this recent iteration of Judge Dee, known from popular movies, movie serials and books both in the mystery and horror genre. This Dee looks not only at the crime, but the larger story of what the crime means, and the repercussions it can have on society in whole, not just Dee's place in it. In The Conspiracies of the Empire: A Judge Dee Investigation by Qiu Xiaolong, Judge Dee is asked to find a missing person, one wanted by the government who might have ties to a coup against the Empress, or something even darker.

Judge Dee Renjie is a minister to the current empress of the Tang Dynasty, Wu, a trusted minister he would like to think, due to his age and stature. The Empress Wu comes to Dee with a task, and a mild rebuff, or maybe a warning. A recent coup attempt has caused much consternation in the government, mainly in that no one expected it to do as well as it did. Much of this has to do with with a poem decrying the actions of the Empress and her rise to power. This poet was last send with the rebels, whose ranks and morale surged with the poem, but was wounded and presumed dead in the battle that broke the rebellion. Dee is first told the Empress is annoyed for not telling her about the skill of this poet, as the Empress likes to keep artists around her. Than told to find out what happened to the poet, does he live, is he dead, and provide proof. Dee is wary finding that his trusted position might no be as trusted as he thought. This and the fact that the people he talks seem to die in ways that can only be murder.

A book that really places one in the era in which it takes place. Also a book about a poet that actually has decent poetry, unlike many books about artists, that sound very tin-eared. This is the second book in the series and the author has a very good feel for the story. Being a poet himself Qiu Xiaolong has a way of breaking down different works, explaining why the poems are so controversial, and giving Dee an interesting character trait that can be drawn on while working on this case. The story is good, and the narrative moves well. The setting is interesting and there is a long postscript describing the times that that author has drawn on, what is real and what is fake. Judge Dee is different here than his usual portrayal. Dee is older, tired, and feel guilt for dragging these people into his investigation, and getting them killed. I line he repeats quite a bit is ' I did not kill this person, but he or she died because of me". One doesn't usually get that in book, especially mysteries. Mike Hammer might be sad for a page when someone he knows dies, but after shooting a Commie in the gut, everything will be better. There is a weight to this case, one that asks a lot of questions. Is this a case worth solving, or will things be made worse?

If one like historical mysteries, or wants to try something new, this is quite good. One doesn't have read the first book in the series to understand things. For readers who enjoy this there are many Judge Dee books written by other hands, as well as more modern mysteries written by the author Qiu Xiaolong.

It took me a little while to get into this novel, but I'm glad a persisted. Really enjoyed learning about the Tang Dynasty and meeting elderly, thoughtful Judge Dee and his faithful servant and particularly liked being transported to the very different world of the 5th century court of Empress Wu. That it is based on what history and poetry remains from that time is also impressive. I would read more if a series.

This is a historical mystery set in Tang Dynasty China and starring the semi-fictional, semi-historical character Judge Dee. There was a historical magistrate by that name, but the Judge Dee of this novel is based on his various fictionalizations: first in an eighteenth-century Chinese crime novel, and then in the mysteries written by translator and writer Robert van Gulik (in English) in the mid-twentieth century. Qiu Xiaolong has a detailed postscript going into this, along with the historical basis for the novel and the changes he chose to make in writing it.

So! What's the plot of the book? Basically, the Empress Wu has quashed a recent rebellion, and assigns Judge Dee to track down a missing poet, one of the rebellion's figureheads, who vanished during the uprising and may, or may not, be dead. As Judge Dee attempts to track down his quarry, he finds himself being shadowed by mysterious figures with mysterious aims - and more than one death may be laid at the feet of his investigation by the end. Judge Dee himself is turmoiled; he is ambivalent about the Empress Wu and the rebellion, and unsure if he's been told the truth about the Empress's reasons - or if the entire investigation is a smokescreen, a way to force him into a public failure which could result in his own denunciation. I guess what I'm saying is, this is very much a book that exists in the shadow of modern China, and for that matter many other totalitarian regimes, where even those people acting on behalf of the existing power structure don't necessarily support it, and may in fact be its next victims - a fact of which they are well aware. Judge Dee is older in this book, suffering from numerous health problems, and walking a very fine line between betraying his morals and betraying his duty.

As a mystery, it's more complicated and ambiguous than most. The real mystery - and focus of the book - is the mystery of what choices Judge Dee is being faced with. It's not solving the mystery of the missing poet - it's figuring out why he's been asked to solve the mystery of the missing poet, and what choices he makes based on his theories. The solution, and ending, to the book is most satisfying when that is kept in mind. The prose style felt a little flat, but this is true of a lot of translated work and also very much in keeping with the van Gulik books.

I found the book on the whole readable and enjoyable, but more evocative and philosophical than most mysteries. The poetry of the Tang period plays a role and the author has translated a number of Tang poems which make appearances in the narrative. As a work of historical fiction this is excellent and engrossing, but readers expecting a more typical mystery may be disappointed.

Set during the Tang dynasty in China, the story follows the investigation of Judge Dee into the fate of the poet Luo Binwang. Ordered by the Empress Wu to either find Luo and bring him to her, or else confirm his death, Dee sets out with his loyal assistant, Yang, to see what he can discover. As he travels around the country, he is closely pursued by deaths that leave him feeling uncomfortable with his role.
The story started off slowly and it took me a while to engage with it. Once the scene had been set and Dee started his investigation the story followed better. The story is based on a real historic mystery and the style of the narrative reflected the ancient times and the characters grew on me as I continued to read.
This is a very short story and so a quick read and an interesting, gentle mystery.