La acción de esta quinta entrega de las aventuras del juez Di se sitúa en un templo budista cuya creciente fama se deba a que, no se sabe muy bien cómo, está logrando que mujeres en apariencia estériles consigan quedar embarazadas. Cuando a una joven que ha entrado en el templo se le pierde repentinamente toda pista, el juez Di decide emprender una investigación, que, como siempre, acabará desdoblándose en tres casos emocionantes y cuyas pruebas principales se ocultan bajo la gran campana del templo. El humor, el sexo y las costumbres religiosas ocupan, como en otras ocasiones, un lugar muy importante en la trama.

Judge Dee in mid career as a magistrate, is posted to Poo-yang where everything seems to be pretty prosperous and the only crime is a rape murder with an obvious suspect. Then there are those Buddhist monks who are ever so prosperous and a crazy old woman who claims a merchant has ruined her family in Canton and killed her grandson here. More like an interesting tour through a novel judicial system and strange town than a modern mystery, still the characters are interesting and the puzzles, at least the first time through,intriguing. This may be my fourth time through, but at least it's been well over a decade. ( )

Back in the 1980s, my mother read all Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee books and loved them. I knew that, sooner or later, I would have to read at least one of them myself. Much, much later, I have finally done so, and I can see why Mom enjoyed them so much.

Three of Judge Dee's cases are covered in The Chinese Bell Murders: "Rape Murder in Half Moon Street," "The Secret Door of the Buddhist Temple," and "The Case of the Skeleton Under the Bell."

Judge Dee is often called the Sherlock Holmes of ancient China, and it's easy to see why. These cases are all about their ingenious mysteries, all about solving the puzzles. Judge Dee thinks nothing of donning disguises to get at the truth, and he is scrupulous at upholding the law, although not all of his able assistants are. I also appreciated the glimpse into the life and culture of 7th-century China.

This is a series that I feel I can come back to once in a while when I'm in the mood for a "Just the facts, ma'am" mystery. Even though I am a bone-deep character-driven reader, there is something to be said for occasionally solving a concise puzzle or two. ( )

One of the best in the series. Judge Dee and his four assistants, Sergeant Hoong, Chiao Tao, Ma Joong, and Tao Gan, investigate three cases: a 20-year-old feud between two Cantonese families, a suspiciously wealthy Buddhist temple, and the murder of a young girl. Science fiction writers could learn a thing or two from how van Gulik subtly conveys to the reader how the world of ancient China works. ( )

I've read one of Judge Dee's mystery books before and it was okay for the historical context, but I just could not get through this one. I finally abandoned it after trying for some time. I think the biggest detractor was the style of the writing. ( )