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Eight Skilled Gentlemen (Master Li, Bk 3)
Eight Skilled Gentlemen - Master Li, Bk 3 Author:Barry Hughart In the heart of the Forbidden City, Master Li (the Sherlock Holmes of a mythical China) and Number Ten Ox, accompanied by a scarred puppeteer and his shamanka daughter, struggle with a bizarre mystery-investigating the murder of respected mandarins... as evidence points to the Eight Skilled Gentlemen, long-dead shamans who engage demon-dieties t... more »o perform their evil deeds.
Li Kao and Number Ten Ox are attending the execution of a notorious criminal (about whose capture the less said the better, according to the chronicler) when into the public square bounds an ancient vampire, who soon meets a fiery demise. Shortly afterward they discover a conspiracy involving fake tea, mysterious cages, and a host of minor demon-deities led by an ape-like man with blue cheeks, a crimson nose, a silver forehead, and a yellow chin. And then things really get strange.
No amount of description can possibly capture the resolutely calm hilarity of this mad careen through Chinese mythology disguised as a detective story.
Third in the series, following "Bridge of Birds" and "The Story of the Stone."