The Conspiracies of the Empire: A Judge Dee Investigation

Qiu’s vivid second historical mystery featuring judge Dee Renjie (after The Shadow of the Empire) plunges the seventh-century Tang Dynasty sleuth into a politically fraught search for a missing poet. Empress Wu has risen to power from her humble beginnings as “palace female talent” for the late Emperor Taizhong, then concubine to his son, Gaozhong. Wu clinched the throne after accusing Gaozhong’s wife, Wang, of murdering the couple’s infant; shortly afterward, Wang was killed, casting suspicion on the new empress. Wu has just squashed an uprising inspired by poet Luo Binwang, when news arrives that Luo has gone missing. Though many believe Luo died in the rebellion, Wu sends Dee—one of her ministers—to track him down. Dee’s inquiry gets complicated after one of his key witnesses, a maid to the late Empress Wang, is found murdered, causing him to question whether Wu is the virtuous ruler he’s always believed her to be. Qiu effortlessly constructs a dense, multilayered suspense plot, while leaving plenty of space for evocative period detail and fascinating historical asides. It’s another winner from Qiu. (Nov.)