Judge Dee

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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 Tang court. However, the Judge Dee novels are set in Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) China.

Van Gulik was careful in writing the main novels to deal with cases where Dee was newly appointed to a city, thereby isolating him from the existing lifestyle and enabling him to maintain an objective role in the books.

Initially Dee is assisted only by his faithful clerk, Hoong. However, in the earliest set of tales he "acquires" two assistants, in the form of "men of the greenwood" (Chinese outlaws) and a little later a third, a confidence-man, also joins him.

Judge Dee ends his career being promoted to the position of senior Metropolitan Judge in the capital, and his assistants obtain official ranks in the Army.

A French writer, Frédéric Lenormand, has recently written a series of new Judge Dee mysteries, not yet translated into English: The Tchou-an Castle (2003), Mrs Dee Investigates (2004), and Death of a Chinese Cook (2005).

More information on the Judge Dee books can be found in the entry on Robert van Gulik.

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