A review by annewithabook
The Chinese Gold Murders by Robert van Gulik

2.0

I loved the first book of this series, which is simply van Gulik translating a classic Chinese novel. Imagine my disappointment, then, when I read this and didn't like it. The characters feel too different from the first book, even if this is supposed to be a prequel, set at the beginning of Judge Dee's career as a magistrate. Whereas in the first book the characters felt realistic to the time and place, some of the characters' judgements in this book felt more modern and out of place for the setting. Like the first book, the plot interweaves three cases. But where the first book took time developing each case before moving on to the next one, this one throws you into all three cases within the first fifty pages, making it nearly impossible to keep track of what clue or witness goes with each case. Saying that, the only reason I gave this book two stars instead of one is that it is clear that van Gulik knows a lot of the era and many of the details are rich in historical accuracy. It is just also clear that he is a better translator than he is an author. Perhaps I am being too harsh on this book, for its sequels may be better. I'm just still deciding if I'll read them or not.