Second in this talented team’s genre mashup, The Railway Conspiracy builds on the characters so expertly introduced in last year’s The Murder of Mr Ma. Set in London in the mid-1920s, the series’ main character is Judge Dee Ren Jie, inspired by not only on a real-life Tang Dynasty jurist but also on the traditions of Sherlock Holmes.You’ll also meet Lao She, a university professor who plays Watson to Dee’s Holmes; Sergeant Hoong, owner of a shop selling Chinese goods and a handy presence when things get physical; and Jimmy Fingers, whose business tends more to monkey but whose acquaintanceship with the London underworld is most useful.
In this story, three great powers – Russia, Japan and a Chinese warlord – are vying for control of the railways being developed in China, while the precarious state of the Chinese Nationalist government and the persistent growth of the Chinese Communist party provide the backdrop for political turmoil.
Rumours of a conspiracy to take over the railways swirl about, including at the elegant dinner table of Madam Wu Ze Tian. In the book’s opening scene, Dee’s party foils the nighttime transfer of an invaluable antique dragon-taming wand of Madam Wu’s, and the dinner party is in celebration of its return. Dee, uncharacteristically, seems to be forming an attachment to the beautiful and clever Madam Wu.
The next morning, one of the dinner party guests is found dead. Bodies begin to pile up, and Dee and Lao are challenged to figure out how the deaths are connected and who is responsible. On the face of it, the victims appear unrelated, the style in which they are murdered varies, and yet they all may have some connection to the politics playing out several thousand miles east.
Rozan and Nee’s evocation of 1920s London is charming. Lots of cabs. And when Dee’s in the scene, lots of walking. The authors make good use of his ability to impersonate the Victorian folkloric character, Spring-heeled Jack, who reportedly wore a billowing black cape and could make huge leaps. This diabolical character rises naturally not only from co-author Nee’s background as an executive and publisher of superhero comics, but in the book’s context, from Judge Dee’s formidable martial arts training. Dee also can mimic the speech of people from several of London’s social strata, lending further believability to him as Jack.
You’ll find a lot of martial arts prowess on display – perhaps a bit too much near the story’s climax – but it’s all interesting and easy to follow. There’s some levity whenever Jimmy Fingers is on the scene, and Lao’s self-deprecating humour sometimes masks his substantial contribution to their investigations. The London constabulary is another source of both help and, as often, shortsighted decisions.
If Nee is well grounded in visualising superheroes, Rozan is an award-winning writer of detective and crime fiction, including a series featuring a pair of New York-based detectives: Lydia Chin and Bill Smith. They draw on the traditions of Chinese detective fiction in their Dee/Lao stories, and together have created books that are purely fun adventures with a capital A. All the interesting little cultural insights along the way are added spice.
The character of Judge Dee is based on a real-life Tang Dynasty judge who was the hero in oral storytelling over centuries and later in a popular series of books set in seventh century China by Robert Van Gulik, published in English in the 1950s and thereafter. (I have them all!) With his quick wits, good sense and physical courage, Dee moves easily into 1920s England. Take a break from angsty psychological thrillers and enjoy the thrill of the chase.
Also try Judge Lu’s Case Files by PA De Voe or the Chin/Smith mystery The Art of Violence by SJ Rozan.
Titan Books/Soho Crime
Print/Kindle
£5.03
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
