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The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee & S.J. Rozan

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The Murder of Mr. Ma

Dee and Lao Mystery: Book #1

by John Shen Yen Nee & S.J. Rozan

Narrator Daniel York Loh

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Length 8 hours 24 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“When intellectual Lao She is approached by an academic acquaintance for a favor, he has no inkling that he will end up in a London jail - let alone that he will end up in a cell with his famous countryman Judge Dee Ren Jie. Judge Dee has arrived from China to investigate the death of his former friend Mr. Ma, with whom he served in the Chinese Labor Corps in World War I, but before Dee, Lao and their friends can discover much, the body of a second man turns up. With a compelling and fast-paced plot that combines the best parts of Victorian period dramas and Chinese gong'an crime fiction, The Murder of Mr. Ma is well worth the time of any mystery fan. A perfect mix of Sherlock Holmes and classic martial arts movies, with vivid fight scenes, a charismatic detective and insights into a part of WWI history that is often overlooked by Western authors. ”
— Alex • Harvard Book Store

Summary

London, 1924. When shy academic Lao She meets larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie, his quiet life abruptly turns from books and lectures to daring chases and narrow escapes. Dee has come to London to investigate the murder of a man he’d known during World War I when serving with the Chinese Labour Corps. No sooner has Dee interviewed the grieving widow than another dead body turns up.

Then another. All stabbed to death with a butterfly sword. Will Dee and Lao be able to connect the threads of the murders—or are they next in line as victims?

Blending traditional gong’an crime fiction with the most iconic aspects of the Sherlock Holmes canon, Dee and Lao’s first adventure is as thrilling and visual as an action film, as imaginative and transportive as a timeless classic.

“Fans of Sherlock Holmes, devotees of intricate crime, and lovers of historical London will thrill over The Murder of Mr. Ma … With a plot as clever as Chinese veteran of WWI turned independent investigator Dee, and pacing as light-footed as the martial artists engaged in the frequent fisticuffs, this case has it all—even romance and authentic food, if you can stomach such things. I’m only miffed because I don’t know when the next in the series will land on my doorstep.”—Lyndsay Faye, author of Dust and Shadow

Fiction Mystery & Thriller Historical Fiction