It must be me and a nationalities thing — wow, maybe I’m some sort of literary xenophobe.  I’ve gotten off to a bad start with the first and second Ellery Queen books, and failed to connect with ‘Sweden’s John Dickson Carr‘, and have now been left cold by the opening salvo in Dutchman Robert van Gulik’s long-running and much-loved Ming Dynasty-set mystery series.  Is my oft-vaunted love of Paul Halter and huge enjoyment various honkaku texts just a bluff?  Who do I even trust any more?

Continue reading →