The second of Lavie Tidhar’s supernatural, Golden Age-esque mystery stories for Tor.com, Judge Dee and the Three Deaths of Count Werdenfels is another tale of feuding vampires and the implacable justice of the titular Judge Dee. While travelling through the Alps with his put-upon human assistant Jonathan, Judge Dee is summoned to the Duchy of Bavaria to investigate the murder of a vampire. When they arrive at Castle Werdenfels, the Judge and Jonathan find no fewer than three potential culprits, each one claiming to have murdered the Count and proclaiming themselves the inheritors of the castle as a result.
If you’ve read the previous Judge Dee story then this will feel familiar, as it’s the same blend of gentle mystery, musings on the realities of vampire life, and occasional splashes of sudden violence. It’s not too hard to see roughly where the plot is going, but that doesn’t really matter because it’s so enjoyable to tag along for the ride, and there’s nothing wrong more of the same when it’s as satisfying and entertaining as this. It continues to be a delight to see the contrast between these characters as the Judge works quietly and calmly while Jonathan, permanently baffled and desperate for a hot meal, looks on in bemusement. As a standalone story it has everything you need, but in the context of the series so far it adds another layer of detail onto this world and these characters that really makes for a fun, rewarding read.
See also: my review of Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law
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There is a famous Chinese literary character named Judge Dee. He is pretty much their version of Sherlock Holmes. I wonder if it is a nod.