Necklace and Calabash — Robert Hans Van Gulik

Featuring a sleuth "in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes," as he hunts stolen jewels in Tang Dynasty China (Los Angeles Times).

Due to its proximity to the Water Palace, the summer residence of the Emperor's favorite daughter, Riverton lies within a Special Area administered by the military. For Judge Dee, returning to his district of Poo-yang promises a few days' fishing and relaxation for the magistrate in the peaceful town. But it is not to be. A chance meeting with a Taoist recluse, a gruesome body fished out of the river, strange guests at the Kingfisher Inn, a princess in distress -- before long the judge is facing one of the most intricate and baffling mysteries of his career.

Praise for the Judge Dee mysteries

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

"Entertaining, instructive and oddly impressive." -- Times Literary Supplement