Eight Skilled Gentlemen: A Novel (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox)

The third book in the Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox seriesWhen a resepcted mandarin is murdered in the heart of the Forbidden City, Master Li and his sidekick, Number Ten Ox, are called in to investigate. Thus begins a Sherlockian adventure that takes Master Li and Number Ten Ox--accompanied by a scarred puppeteer and his shamanka daughter--on a wild chase across China. With murder, mayhem, and magic aplenty, and Chinese folklore and literary references thrown into the mix, Eight Skilled Gentlemen is a hilarious romp through Ancient China. Once again World Fantasy Award-winner Barry Hughart blends folklore and fantasy to create a work of enchantment set in an ancient China that never wasbut should have been. Master Li and Number Ten Oxheroes of Bridge of Birds and The Story of the Stone return to solve the mystery of how and why respected mandarins are being mysteriously murdered. Unbelievably, the only suspects appear to be mythical demons Master Li, the Sherlock Holmes of a mythical China, struggles with a bizarre mystery involving the murdering of mandarins, as evidence points to the Eight Skilled Gentlemen, long-dead shamans who engage demon-deities to perform their evil deeds