Robert van Gulik

China, 7th century. On their way to a provincial center Judge Dee and his three wives spend the night at a Taoist monastery. Soon the judge discovers that the secluded place holds a secret - the former abbot died of unnatural causes. After a number of mysterious events and more cases of murder Dee tracks down the true villain.

In Tang dynasty China, criminal cases are solved by the upright and shrewd Judge Dee, who, as county magistrate in the Chinese imperial legal system, was both the investigating magistrate and judge.