Monkey and the Tiger — Robert Hans Van Gulik

Two mysteries set in seventh-century China featuring Judge Dee, “a great detective in the noblest tradition . . . perceptive [and] ever fascinating.” -- The New York Times
 
The Monkey and The Tiger includes two detective stories, “The Morning of the Monkey” and “The Night of the Tiger,” based on a real-life judge in T'ang Dynasty China who became legendary for his crime-solving skills. In the first story, a gibbon drops an emerald in the open gallery of Judge Dee's official residence, leading the magistrate to discover a strangely mutilated body in the woods -- and investigate how it got there. In the second, Dee is traveling to the imperial capital to assume a new position when he is separated from his escort by a flood. Marooned in a large country house surrounded by fierce bandits, Dee confronts an apparition that helps him solve a mystery.
 
“If you have not yet discovered Judge Dee, I envy you that initial pleasure. [He] belongs in that select group of fictional detectives headed by Sherlock Holmes. I assure you it is a compliment not given frivolously.” -- Los Angeles Times