The Chinese Gold Murders. This novel, written in Beyrouth and
Damascus in 1956,was published practically as drafted in the
first ms.;to the ms.is added the time-table I worked from,and
a summary of the actual Chinese case I used.I wrote this novel
in about six weeks,without major changes,feeling for the first
time confident that I had at last found a formula that satisfied
me,and probably would be acceptable also to Western and Asiatic
readers.A sign of progress is that I needed for the plot 22
characters, whereas the Bell Murders had 27,the Maze 24,and the
Lake Murders 26. And whereas I feel that Bell,Maze and Lake
ought to be re-written,I think the Gold Murders can stand as it
is.Judge Dee's assistants here have become real people and also
the other characters,such as the Abbot and Miss Tsao,are real
personalities. I think,however,that Dr.Tsao is over-done,and not
sufficiently convincing.