The Railway Conspiracy

Rozan and Nee’s fiendishly clever second whodunit featuring Tang Dynasty magistrate Judge Dee (after The Murder of Mr. Ma) establishes the series’ staying power. In 1924, Judge Dee returns to London from China and meets with his friend, Professor Lao She, just in time to tackle a pair of cases with international ramifications. First, the duo successfully tracks down a stolen Chinese mace on behalf of businesswoman Wu Ze Tian. To thank them, Wu hosts a banquet with high society guests, including Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank director A.G. Stephen. Partway through the dinner, Stephen steers the conversation toward China’s future on the international stage and details of the country’s controversial Eastern Railway. Two days later, he turns up dead. Then another murder, with eerie echoes of the first, set Dee and Lao on the hunt for a killer who may have a stake in China’s railway project. The authors maintain a lively pace without sacrificing character development or plot plausibility. It’s a fair-play treat for mystery readers who prefer their deduction with a dash of adrenaline. Agent: Josh Getzler, HG Literary. (Apr.)