A review by blacklake
Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (Dee Goong An) by

4.0

I liked how Judge Dee was working on more than one case at a time, and found the way he solved these three cases fascinating and unexpected. The supernatural element found in the indications from the dead, and from the results of his meditations in the temple added to the story. It is very readable, and the introduction and appendices were valuable additions. I was especially pleased that the introduction didn't reveal the solutions to the cases, as I was worried it might. The only reason I can't give this five stars is related to the material--it's hard to love a book that features questioning under torture so prominently. I'm like to read the later books written by the translator in imitation of this original Chinese work--it's a very interesting style, and I'd love to see if he managed it.