Meet Judge Dee, the detective lauded as the "Sherlock Holmes of ancient China" Fans of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series will thrill to this reissue of the first volume in Robert van Gulik's classic Chinese Murders series. The Chinese Bell Murders introduces the great Judge Dee, a magistrate of the city of Poo-yang in ancient China. In the spirit of ancient Chinese detective novels, Judge Dee is challenged by three cases. First, he must solve the mysterious murder of Pure Jade, a young girl living on Half Moon Street. All the evidence points to the guilt of her lover, but Judge Dee has his doubts. Dee also solves the mystery of a deserted temple and that of a group of monks' terrific success with a cure for barren women.

高羅佩，荷蘭職業外交官，通曉15種語言，主要任職於遠東各國。他曾評價自己一身三任：外交官是他的職業，漢學是他的終身事業，寫小說是他的業餘愛好。作為一個西方人，高羅佩對中國古代琴棋書畫十分癡迷。他20歲開始練習中國書法，且終生不輟；他研究中國古琴，師從古琴大師葉詩夢，並與於右任、馮玉祥等組織天風琴社；他能寫中國舊體詩詞，與郭沫若、徐悲鴻等大師都有唱和；齊白石、瀋尹默等人的畫上也有他的上款。《大唐狄公案》的插圖均為他自己所畫。1943年，高羅佩任荷蘭駐重慶使館一秘，與同在使館工作的中國洋務大臣張之洞之外孫女水世芳結為伉麗。

他一生研究當學著作頗豐，學琴，著有《中國琴道》，考證中國文獻中的猿，親自飼養猿，著有《長臂猿考》，齣版《書畫鑒賞匯編》，教西方人辨識中國文物；編《東皋禪師集刊》，翻譯陸時化的《書畫說鈴》。