The Night of the Tiger

Judge Dee #11 part 2/2

by Robert van Gulik, Frank Muller (Narrator)

A Chinese detective story starring Judge Dee, who is trapped in a fortified country manor under siege by the Flying Tigers, a gang of bandits.

Genres: Mystery

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Robert Hans van Gulik was a Dutch diplomat best known for his Judge Dee stories. His first published book, The Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, was a translation of an eighteenth-century Chinese murder mystery by an unknown author; he went on to write new mysteries for Judge Dee, a character based on a historical figure from the seventh century. He also wrote academic books, mostly on Chinese history.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This booklet comes from the collection of my father, he was a great fan of this series. I know because i bought most of these books again for him after he lost them in a clean-up by my mother or lost while moving house. It is fun to read some of his stuff even if it is a thin novella.

This story is the thrilling account of the eventful winter night that Judge Dee, the master sleuth of ancient China, spent in an old mansion on a lonely hill, completely cut off from the outside world by a catastrophic flood.

The Imperial Almanac indicated that in the starry sky the element of the Tiger was crossed; then the Tiger stirs, closes his jaw and brings disaster upon the people. This night the gloomy prediction of the Almanac seemed to be fulfilled. For the element of the Tiger, bloodthirsty and ruthless, dominates the relations of those whose destinies interlock on this fatal night. There is the old landowner, chained to his death-bed in impotent fear, his gruff wife, and their enigmatic daughter; the sulking old uncle and the forced-jovial steward, and the nervous overseer. Strange figures roamed the chilly, dark rooms and corridors of the old mansion, looking for the corpse laid out there somewhere.

Judge Dee manages to get to the heart of the haunted mystery, and at dawn, thigh reveals the instantly brutal nature of "The Power of the Tiger".

This is really a mood full and smart story that shows the smarts of Judge Dee (Rechter Tie in Dutch), while the stories have some basis in history. Judge Dee was a historical figure a famous judge and statesman who lived from 630 to 700 AD , under the T'ang Dynasty. In the first half of his career when he was a district magistrate he did solve a large amount of mysterious crimes that is why he is still revered by the Chinese as master-detective a Chinese Sherlock Holmes.

Anyhow the Dutch Diplomat Robert van Gulik has written a series of tales about this historical character and this particular novella is a full invention by his writer. It is a smart little tale that shows the skills of the Judge and why his trip to the Emperor was interrupted by this little well thought out mystery, the Judge was on his way to become a important legal person in his Empire and that because he is wicked smart.

A really enjoyable little story that shows all the positives that the Gulik series delivers and a fast read as well. Well worth your time reading.

[Frederik Leyns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goed verhaal. Spelling is wel ouderwets maar een detective in 90 pagina's met veel info over de chinese cultuur is na al die jaren nog even interessant.

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first encounter with a Judge Dee story tricked me into thinking it was an historical thriller, not a mystery story. The mystery elements asserted about a third of the way in and the book changed to that direction as the narrative progressed. I'm not sure it is a remarkable mystery story, but the mix of the two genres makes for an enjoyable novela.