The Murder of Mr. Ma

Looking for something different in a mystery?  The Murder of Mr. Ma (#1,227) by co-authors John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan might fit the bill.  In classic form, the mystery kicks off with the murder of a moderately successful Chinese antiquities dealer living in London in 1924.  He was killed by a butterfly sword which was on display in his shop.

Since the victim was Chinese, the London Police aren't taking much of an interest in the case.  Enter two legendary Chinese cultural icons - Judge Dee Ren Jie and scholar Loa She - to investigate.  As the body count rises, the pair find commonalities in the victims - all members during World War I of the Chinese Labor Corps based in France on the front lines.

There's a slowly unraveling motive behind the killings, hostile police, a number of kung fu style fights featuring Judge Dee, and visits to some of the seamiest parts of London including its opium dens.  Nobody is whom they appear to be...

This was a lot of fun to read and imagine (Yes, it would make a great movie or tv adaptation!  Loved that the authors referenced the Frankie Drake tv mystery series for visual clues!).  Dee and Lao's English is usually more posh and polished than that of the characters they meet.  Though based on real people, their pairing here would have been impossible in real life, since they actually lived hundreds of years apart.  But here, they cozy up to Bertrand Russell and Ezra Pound without missing a beat.  I certainly hope this appealing pair of sleuths will be undertaking future cases!