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Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: For the uninitiated, Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee mysteries are absolutely brilliant. Van Gulik's Judge Dee (based on a historical character) finds himself involved in murders, barbarian plots, and a plan to overthrow the state in The Chinese Maze Murders. The settings are historically as accurate as can be, since van Gulik was one of the leading experts on China and an expert on Asian affairs, due to his service in the Dutch Foreign Service. All of the Judge Dee mysteries show a great deal of sophistication and detail which is often lacking in the genre. For those readers who shy away from mysteries because they seem contrived, get this (and The Chinese Bell Murders) and be transported to another time and place. I don't care for mysteries myself, but the history and exotic locales penned by van Gulik made me a fan!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: For the uninitiated, Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee mysteries are absolutely brilliant. Van Gulik's Judge Dee (based on a historical character) finds himself involved in murders, barbarian plots, and a plan to overthrow the state in The Chinese Maze Murders. The settings are historically as accurate as can be, since van Gulik was one of the leading experts on China and an expert on Asian affairs, due to his service in the Dutch Foreign Service. All of the Judge Dee mysteries show a great deal of sophistication and detail which is often lacking in the genre. For those readers who shy away from mysteries because they seem contrived, get this (and The Chinese Bell Murders) and be transported to another time and place. I don't care for mysteries myself, but the history and exotic locales penned by van Gulik made me a fan!
Rating:
Summary: great story from a dark age
Review: Of the fairly extensive Judge Dee-series, 'The Chinese Maze Murders' comes out as one of the best. Written in 1956 by Robert Van Gulik, Dutch diplomat and scientist on ancient China. His Judge Dee is a 20th-century copy of a Chinese magistrate who lived from 630-700. Old Judge Dee had a reputation for solving complicated crimes, and thus lived on in Chinese folk tales for many ages afterwards. Van Gulik's Judge Dee-plots partly come from these tales.
'The Chinese Maze Murders' takes us back to the provincial town of Lan-Fang. Situated far away, at the huge Chinese Empire's north western border. Judge Dee, newly arriving there, has been appointed its magistrate. He gets into trouble rightaway, and has to deal with three complicated crimes on top of that. All set in Chinese society around the year 680.
As usual, Van Gulik extensively explains the ways Judge Dee solves his crimes. He takes them on bit by bit, so by ending this book their logic complexities will be fully clear to you. After a delightful read. You'll be impressed by the ingenious way Van Gulik has set up his plot.
Rating:
Summary: Everything about this book is just perfect
Review: This is much more than a most exciting detective story with different complicated crimes being brilliantly solved. It is also a fascinating glance at the ancient China - a guided tour into the Oriental way of thinking. Written with amazing credibility and expertise, the Judge Dee stories (especially this novel and "The Chinese Bell Murders") are perfectly suited for people with little pre-knowledge who want to learn to understand the Chinese. I can't find a single flaw about this book. It's plain brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling stories of deduction
Review: Van Gulik's Judge Dee series are fairly unique for the unfamiliar settings and historical Chinese literature his plots are based on. Like the previous books, the good judge is again called to investigate several mysterious cases (all at once), the most interesting being the murder of a retired general in a room locked from the inside. While the cleverly-woven plots and investigations are the high point of all the books in the series, the wonderful little details of people and life in ancient China are a learning experience as well. The accuracy of these details comes as no surprise as the author was once the Dutch ambassador to China. Highly recommended for fans of classic stories of deduction.
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