The Chinese maze murders

In the border town of Lan-fang, the newly appointed magistrate Judge Dee must untangle three seemingly unrelated murders — a poisoned plum, a hidden testament, and a girl with a severed head — all of which lead back to a mysterious scroll and a labyrinthine garden maze. As he solves the cases, he must also contend with the growing threat of a Mongol invasion and the corruption of the local officials. A masterful blend of historical detail and detective fiction set in Imperial China.