The Phantom of the Temple (1966)

If you listen in pieces — commute, chores, late night — The Phantom of the Temple (1966) by Robert van Gulik keeps its place in this browser.

An eerie tale, combining investigation, horror and surprise, Robert van Gulik’s latest Chinese detective story is set in a remote western border province of the mighty Tang empire. There, in the district of Lan-fang, separated from the vast Tartar steppes of Central Asia by only a boundary river, Judge Dee faces and solves one of the most frightening cases of his long career.

That is the whole offer: the full recording, a chapter index, and a player that does not ask you to sign up.