The Haunted Monastery (Judge Dee Series)

Judge Dee and his entourage, seeking refuge from a mountain storm, become trapped in a Taoist monastery, where the Abbott Jade mysteriously dies after delivering an ecstatic sermon. The monks call it a supernatural experience, but the judge calls it murder. Recalling the allegedly accidental deaths of three young women in the same monastery, Judge Dee seeks clues in the eyes of a cat to solve cases of impersonation and murder. A painting by one of the victims reveals the truth about the killings, propelling the judge on a quest for justice and revenge.

"Entertaining, instructive, and impressive."—Times Literary Supplement

Trapped in a Taoist monastery, where three young women died allegedly accidental deaths, Judge Dee seeks clues in the eyes of a cat to solve cases of impersonation and murder. A painting by one of the victims reveals lies surrounding the murders and helps Judge Dee seek revenge on the murderer.
"The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik's skilled hands, comes vividly alive again."
—Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review
"Entertaining, instructive, and impressive."—Times Literary Supplement
"If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes form the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in the select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes."—Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times
Robert Van Gulik (1910-67) was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. He drew his plots from the whole body of Chinese literature, especially from the popular detective novels that first appeared in the seventeenth century.

Library Journal

This Judge Dee mystery finds the Chinese investigator trying to solve a murder of a Taoist monastery's abbot.

Robert van Gulik (1910–67) was a Dutch diplomat and an authority on Chinese history and culture. His many works include sixteen Judge Dee mysteries, a study of the gibbon in China, and two books on the Chinese lute.