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•Judge Dee (or Judge Di) is the hero of Robert van Gulik’s “Judge Dee” series. These fictional novels deal with cases in ancient China, all solved by the upright Judge Dee (note: in ancient Chinese crime stories, judges are often in the role of the detective). The Judge Dee character is based on the historical figure Ti Jen-chieh (c. 630–c. 700), magistrate and statesman of the T’ang court.

 

•Judge Dee presided over his Imperial Chinese court with a unique brand of Confucian justice. A near-mythic figure in China, he distinguished himself as a tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger. Immortalized by Dutch writer Robert van Gulik in his timeless electrifying crime stories these lively and historically accurate tales have entertained a devoted following around the world.

 

•Praise for Judge Dee by Robert van Gulik:

 

“Judge Dee belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes. I assure you it is a compliment not given frivolously.”—Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times 

"The China of old, in Mr. van Gulik's skilled hands, comes vividly alive again."—Allen J. Hubin, New York Times Book Review

"If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee, I envy you that initial pleasure. . . . For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group headed by Sherlock Holmes."—Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times

 "So scrupulously in the classic Chinese manner yet so nicely equipped with everything to satisfy the modern reader."—New York Times

 

Judge Dee novels have been translated in more than 29 languages

Judge Dee novels have been sold in 38 countries.