Rating: 6/10
- Accuracy: Vivid on the cosmopolitan port of Canton and its Arab traders, though the political plot is invented.
- Plot: Now a senior official, Judge Dee travels incognito to Canton to find a missing imperial censor.
- Clues: Adequate, but spread across a crowded cast.
- Reveal: Competent but predictable.
Judge Dee, now a high-ranking official in the capital, travels in disguise to Canton to find out what happened to a censor sent to investigate foreign trade. Canton is a busy port full of Arab merchants and sailors, and tensions between communities are high.
The setting is the book’s strength. Van Gulik portrays Canton’s markets, mosques and waterfront with enthusiasm, and the Arab community gives the novel a different flavour from the rest of the series.
The mystery, however, is less gripping. The political conspiracy is complicated, the cast is large, and the resolution relies on several revelations delivered quickly. Dee’s assistants Chiao Tai and Tao Gan have some good moments, but the story lacks the intimacy of the district-magistrate books.
Some of the portrayal of Arab characters draws on exotic stereotypes, and the sexual content is again prominent.
The 6 reflects an entertaining but minor entry. It is worth reading for its setting and for Dee’s later career, but it is not the place to start.
Leave a Reply