{"product_id":"9780226849072","title":"The Emperor's Pearl: A Judge Dee Mystery","description":"It all begins on the night of the Poo-yang dragonboat races in 699 A.D.: a drummer in the leading boat collapses, and the body of a beautiful young woman turns up in a deserted country mansion.  There, Judge Dee—tribunal magistrate, inquisitor, and public avenger—steps in to investigate the murders and return order to the Tang Dynasty.   In \u003ci\u003eThe Emperor’s Pearl\u003c\/i\u003e, the judge discovers that these two deaths are connected by an ancient tragedy involving a near-legendary treasure stolen from the Imperial Harem one hundred years earlier. The terrifying figure of the White Lady, a river goddess enshrined on a bloodstained altar, looms in the background of the investigation. Clues are few and elusive, but under the expert hand of Robert van Gulik, this mythic jigsaw puzzle assembles itself into a taut mystery.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee and his faithful Sgt. Hoong, I envy you that initial pleasure which comes from the discovery of a great detective story. For the magistrate of Poo-yang belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by the renowned Sherlock Holmes.”—Robert Kirsch, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “The title of this book and the book itself have much in common. Each is a jewel, a rare and precious find.”—\u003ci\u003eAtlanta\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e  ","brand":"University of Chicago Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47176806826224,"sku":"9780226849072","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780226849072_p0.jpg?v=1763675355","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780226849072","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}