Judge Dee Mysteries Books in Order

This page lists the complete Judge Dee Mysteries reading order by Robert Van Gulik, with book numbers, publication years, and a publication-order view for readers who want to start at the beginning.

Updated 2026-06-22 / 17 books / 1949-1968

Judge Dee Mysteries Reading Order

01 Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An 1949 Buy

02 The Chinese Bell Murders 1958 Buy

03 The Chinese Gold Murders 1959 Buy

04 The Chinese Lake Murders 1960 Buy

05 The Chinese Nail Murders 1961 Buy

06 The Haunted Monastery 1961 Buy

07 The Red Pavilion 1961 Buy

08 The Chinese Maze Murders 1962 Buy

09 The Lacquer Screen 1962 Buy

10 The Emperor's Pearl 1963 Buy

11 The Monkey and The Tiger 1965 Buy

12 The Phantom of the Temple 1965 Buy

13 The Willow Pattern 1965 Buy

14 Murder in Canton 1966 Buy

15 Judge Dee at Work 1967 Buy

16 Necklace and Calabash 1967 Buy

17 Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic Murders 1968 Buy

Judge Dee Mysteries Books by Publication Order

1949 Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee / Dee Goong An #1

1958 The Chinese Bell Murders #2

1959 The Chinese Gold Murders #3

1960 The Chinese Lake Murders #4

1961 The Chinese Nail Murders #5

1961 The Haunted Monastery #6

1961 The Red Pavilion #7

1962 The Chinese Maze Murders #8

1962 The Lacquer Screen #9

1963 The Emperor's Pearl #10

1965 The Monkey and The Tiger #11

1965 The Phantom of the Temple #12

1965 The Willow Pattern #13

1966 Murder in Canton #14

1967 Judge Dee at Work #15

1967 Necklace and Calabash #16

1968 Poets and Murder / The Fox-Magic Murders #17

Questions readers ask

What is the correct Judge Dee Mysteries reading order?

The Judge Dee Mysteries reading order on this page follows the numbered series order where available, with publication years shown beside each book.

How many Judge Dee Mysteries books are there?

This catalog currently lists 17 Judge Dee Mysteries books published across 1949-1968.

Who writes the Judge Dee Mysteries books?

Judge Dee Mysteries is listed as a book series by Robert Van Gulik.

Should I read Judge Dee Mysteries in publication order?

For most readers, publication order is the safest way to read Judge Dee Mysteries. If a separate series order is available, this page shows that order first and publication years beside each title.

More by Robert Van Gulik

Robert Van Gulik books in order and complete bibliography ->

Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.