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Judge Dee #6
The Locked Coffin
While visiting the mysterious castle of Maidstone for an investigation, Judge Dee and Jonathan discover the only thing more menacing than a vampire child is twin vampire children...
32 pages, ebook
First published October 25, 2023
About the author
Lavie Tidhar
403 books750 followersLavie Tidhar was raised on a kibbutz in Israel. He has travelled extensively since he was a teenager, living in South Africa, the UK, Laos, and the small island nation of Vanuatu.
Tidhar began publishing with a poetry collection in Hebrew in 1998, but soon moved to fiction, becoming a prolific author of short stories early in the 21st century.
Temporal Spiders, Spatial Webs won the 2003 Clarke-Bradbury competition, sponsored by the European Space Agency, while The Night Train (2010) was a Sturgeon Award finalist.
Linked story collection HebrewPunk (2007) contains stories of Jewish pulp fantasy.
He co-wrote dark fantasy novel The Tel Aviv Dossier (2009) with Nir Yaniv. The Bookman Histories series, combining literary and historical characters with steampunk elements, includes The Bookman (2010), Camera Obscura (2011), and The Great Game (2012).
Standalone novel Osama (2011) combines pulp adventure with a sophisticated look at the impact of terrorism. It won the 2012 World Fantasy Award, and was a finalist for the Campbell Memorial Award, British Science Fiction Award, and a Kitschie.
His latest novels are Martian Sands and The Violent Century.
Much of Tidhar’s best work is done at novella length, including An Occupation of Angels (2005), Cloud Permutations (2010), British Fantasy Award winner Gorel and the Pot-Bellied God (2011), and Jesus & the Eightfold Path (2011).
Tidhar advocates bringing international SF to a wider audience, and has edited The Apex Book of World SF (2009) and The Apex Book of World SF 2 (2012).
He is also editor-in-chief of the World SF Blog , and in 2011 was a finalist for a World Fantasy Award for his work there.
He also edited A Dick and Jane Primer for Adults (2008); wrote Michael Marshall Smith: The Annotated Bibliography (2004); wrote weird picture book Going to The Moon (2012, with artist Paul McCaffery); and scripted one-shot comic Adolf Hitler’s I Dream of Ants! (2012, with artist Neil Struthers).
Tidhar lives with his wife in London.
Tidhar began publishing with a poetry collection in Hebrew in 1998, but soon moved to fiction, becoming a prolific author of short stories early in the 21st century.
Temporal Spiders, Spatial Webs won the 2003 Clarke-Bradbury competition, sponsored by the European Space Agency, while The Night Train (2010) was a Sturgeon Award finalist.
Linked story collection HebrewPunk (2007) contains stories of Jewish pulp fantasy.
He co-wrote dark fantasy novel The Tel Aviv Dossier (2009) with Nir Yaniv. The Bookman Histories series, combining literary and historical characters with steampunk elements, includes The Bookman (2010), Camera Obscura (2011), and The Great Game (2012).
Standalone novel Osama (2011) combines pulp adventure with a sophisticated look at the impact of terrorism. It won the 2012 World Fantasy Award, and was a finalist for the Campbell Memorial Award, British Science Fiction Award, and a Kitschie.
His latest novels are Martian Sands and The Violent Century.
Much of Tidhar’s best work is done at novella length, including An Occupation of Angels (2005), Cloud Permutations (2010), British Fantasy Award winner Gorel and the Pot-Bellied God (2011), and Jesus & the Eightfold Path (2011).
Tidhar advocates bringing international SF to a wider audience, and has edited The Apex Book of World SF (2009) and The Apex Book of World SF 2 (2012).
He is also editor-in-chief of the World SF Blog , and in 2011 was a finalist for a World Fantasy Award for his work there.
He also edited A Dick and Jane Primer for Adults (2008); wrote Michael Marshall Smith: The Annotated Bibliography (2004); wrote weird picture book Going to The Moon (2012, with artist Paul McCaffery); and scripted one-shot comic Adolf Hitler’s I Dream of Ants! (2012, with artist Neil Struthers).
Tidhar lives with his wife in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
November 4, 2023
"People killed each other easily, sometimes with kitchen knives and sometimes with sharp swords. Or they used their fists, or a rock. Anything close to hand. But humans lived short lives and acted quickly. Vampires had centuries to plot and plan."
A closed coffin murder mystery with a humorous twist!
A closed coffin murder mystery with a humorous twist!
December 5, 2023
‘Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly!’ she said.
‘What?’ the judge said.
‘It is a whatchamacallit, an aphorism,’ Lady Carmen said. ‘You know, a pithy observation which contains a general truth.’
‘But that’s ridiculous,’ Jonathan said. ‘If you fall you don’t fly. You’re not a bird. Unless it’s advice for birds. But that’s a terrible piece of advice for people. It is categorically unsound.’
‘Not if you’re a vampire,’ Odo said, not unreasonably. ‘Vampires can fly.’
‘Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it!’ Lady Carmen said. She seemed determined – Jonathan had to give her that.
Judge Dee is back, with Jonathan, and the usual mystery shenanigans ensue. These stories are nicely humourous while still being very much full of vampires. And in this case, a locked-room mystery with layers and a Sherlock Holmes reference.
Free from Tor here: https://www.tor.com/2023/10/25/the-lo...
‘What?’ the judge said.
‘It is a whatchamacallit, an aphorism,’ Lady Carmen said. ‘You know, a pithy observation which contains a general truth.’
‘But that’s ridiculous,’ Jonathan said. ‘If you fall you don’t fly. You’re not a bird. Unless it’s advice for birds. But that’s a terrible piece of advice for people. It is categorically unsound.’
‘Not if you’re a vampire,’ Odo said, not unreasonably. ‘Vampires can fly.’
‘Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, do it!’ Lady Carmen said. She seemed determined – Jonathan had to give her that.
Judge Dee is back, with Jonathan, and the usual mystery shenanigans ensue. These stories are nicely humourous while still being very much full of vampires. And in this case, a locked-room mystery with layers and a Sherlock Holmes reference.
Free from Tor here: https://www.tor.com/2023/10/25/the-lo...
December 26, 2023
I don’t think Odo would have not noticed the issue with his food, but I like the poetic justice at the end of the story.
3 solid stars.
3 solid stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2024
📚
Free short story from Tor
📚
Actual rating: 3.5112335569789 stars.
Not my favorite installment in this series but it features the ever-jovial Judge Dee and my ever-cold, hungry, and miserable boyfriend Jonathan, so yay and stuff. There are also giggling (if a little creepy) vamp kids, hunchbacks as snacks, and a walnut and cherry coffin with abuilt-in minibar hidden compartment for refreshments, which is the coolest thing ever if you ask me.
This is short. This is free. Read it and stuff!
· Story 1: Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law ★★★★
· Story 2: Judge Dee and the Three Deaths of Count Werdenfels ★★★
· Story 3: Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmartre ★★★★
· Story 4: Seven Vampires ★★★★
· Story 5: Judge Dee and the Mystery of the Missing Manuscript ★★★★★
· Story 7: Judge Dee and the Executioner of Epinal ★★★★
Actual rating: 3.5112335569789 stars.
Not my favorite installment in this series but it features the ever-jovial Judge Dee and my ever-cold, hungry, and miserable boyfriend Jonathan, so yay and stuff. There are also giggling (if a little creepy) vamp kids, hunchbacks as snacks, and a walnut and cherry coffin with a
This is short. This is free. Read it and stuff!
· Story 1: Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law ★★★★
· Story 2: Judge Dee and the Three Deaths of Count Werdenfels ★★★
· Story 3: Judge Dee and the Poisoner of Montmartre ★★★★
· Story 4: Seven Vampires ★★★★
· Story 5: Judge Dee and the Mystery of the Missing Manuscript ★★★★★
· Story 7: Judge Dee and the Executioner of Epinal ★★★★
December 17, 2024
Stars: 4 out of 5.
This was a fun little story about a murdered vampire and several other vampires who all wished him dead. None were innocent, all were rather odious but fun to read about. Johnathan and Judge Dee resolved another case, and 5 vampires were brought to justice.
This was a fun little story about a murdered vampire and several other vampires who all wished him dead. None were innocent, all were rather odious but fun to read about. Johnathan and Judge Dee resolved another case, and 5 vampires were brought to justice.
December 19, 2023
Quick, clever, and entertaining. Maybe too quick. This did not have the depth of previous mysteries - which I now want to reread.
October 27, 2023
I always look forward to a new Judge Dee mystery...bite-sized, atmospheric mysteries with a Sherlock-like Vampire and his trusty human aide "Jonathan."
May 22, 2026
Judge Dee and Jonathan are visiting the castle of Maidstone to investigate the threat to Earl Odo's life, as he fears that someone is trying to kill him. Jonathan is hungry, cold and especially creeped out by the twin vampire girls at the castle.
This was a locked door murder mystery. I liked the mystery but Jonathan's clever retorts and observations were my favourite. His responses had me laughing so hard. This was the funniest and the most observant he's ever been. Jonathan asking all the questions, I think he's really come into his own. That ending was also really clever.
4.5 stars
This was a locked door murder mystery. I liked the mystery but Jonathan's clever retorts and observations were my favourite. His responses had me laughing so hard. This was the funniest and the most observant he's ever been. Jonathan asking all the questions, I think he's really come into his own. That ending was also really clever.
4.5 stars
October 30, 2023
Another story in the author's Vampire Judge Dee's (and helper, Jonathan) series of stories, this one has the Judge travelling to an English castle, where its vampire master is certain somebody is trying to kill him. Despite the precautions, death does happen in a locked coffin and, given the clues given in the story, the reader might have a chance to deduce what happened before the Judge, or Jonathan, do.
January 24, 2024
A locked room mystery.... Vampire Judge Dee style.
This story can be read for free at reactormag.com, formally Tor.com
https://reactormag.com/the-locked-cof...
This story can be read for free at reactormag.com, formally Tor.com
https://reactormag.com/the-locked-cof...
August 7, 2025
Huh, 🤔you know I don't think JD 🧛♂️inspires fear but rather ...mild inconvenience in vampires, I think he then inspires the panicked reaction to Fck around and find out:
"oh shyte which of you peasants reported me??? Huh? All I did was kill other vampires...on top of all the human hunting - but it's none of your business. Urrgh by the darkness. Yes, Welcome Judge Dee"
And you just know Jonathan is like "yeah buster, who's at the door? Who is at the door? It's Consequences byatch"
Wish someone would summon him to Staten Island for the ultimate crossover with WWDITS
"oh shyte which of you peasants reported me??? Huh? All I did was kill other vampires...on top of all the human hunting - but it's none of your business. Urrgh by the darkness. Yes, Welcome Judge Dee"
And you just know Jonathan is like "yeah buster, who's at the door? Who is at the door? It's Consequences byatch"
Wish someone would summon him to Staten Island for the ultimate crossover with WWDITS
August 25, 2024
Odo, the lord of Maidstone, is found dead in his coffin. Which would be a tragedy, if he wasn't a vampire. It's simply murder and Judge Dee sets out to discover the culprit.
A very smart and incredibly witty short story, playing on Poirot, Holmes and Perry Mason.
A very smart and incredibly witty short story, playing on Poirot, Holmes and Perry Mason.
February 28, 2024
Tidhar returns with another fun outing for Judge Dee, vampire hunter of vampires, detective, and renderer of judgement.
October 27, 2023
Judge Dee Back again…
Typical of vampires wanting to murder each other these days or nights. The Earl, Odo, was deathly afraid of getting murdered. All the suspects were obvious, Carmen the wife, Stefan the lover boy, and the deadly twins, Erzacats, and Marghrit. Even the servants, tired of being hunted every night, wanted them dead. Even the coffin-maker is not above suspicion by this reader. Still, one has to cover all bases. Who did in the Earl? That would be telling. This tale is still recommended.
Typical of vampires wanting to murder each other these days or nights. The Earl, Odo, was deathly afraid of getting murdered. All the suspects were obvious, Carmen the wife, Stefan the lover boy, and the deadly twins, Erzacats, and Marghrit. Even the servants, tired of being hunted every night, wanted them dead. Even the coffin-maker is not above suspicion by this reader. Still, one has to cover all bases. Who did in the Earl? That would be telling. This tale is still recommended.
October 26, 2023
This is not my favorite Judge Dee but I still loved it because I love Judge Dee mysteries and read them over and over.
May 29, 2024
This wasn't my favorite entry. It seemed very rushed and lacking a lot of the fun of other entries. Still, I always enjoy spending time with Jonathan and the judge.
November 2, 2023
This is a Judge Dee mystery… apparently it is the sixth in a series… my first. Judge Dee is a vampire and is travelling with his sidekick - the mortal Johnathan - solving macabre mysteries. This time the mystery involves the death of the vampiric Odo, Earl of Maidstone.
Odo is terrified of his own death and so has rigged his tomb so that there is no possible entry. He even commissions a coffin that can be locked from the inside. So when he is found by Judge Dee, just a skeleton in his locked coffin, we are treated to a play on the locked room mystery. (There is even a mention of the modus operandi of the first locked room mystery: The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe: “After all, an ape could be trained to climb a wall impossible for a person and kill the occupier before vanishing as though it was never there.”)
Very entertaining if somewhat amusing - 4 stars.
Odo is terrified of his own death and so has rigged his tomb so that there is no possible entry. He even commissions a coffin that can be locked from the inside. So when he is found by Judge Dee, just a skeleton in his locked coffin, we are treated to a play on the locked room mystery. (There is even a mention of the modus operandi of the first locked room mystery: The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe: “After all, an ape could be trained to climb a wall impossible for a person and kill the occupier before vanishing as though it was never there.”)
Very entertaining if somewhat amusing - 4 stars.
December 4, 2023
The Locked Coffin by author Lavie Tidhar is the 6th Judge Dee short story you can read for free on the Tor.com site https://www.tor.com/2023/10/25/the-lo...
While visiting the mysterious castle of Maidstone for an investigation, Judge Dee and Jonathan discover the only thing more menacing than a vampire child is twin vampire children...
My ongoing quest to get current with the Tor short stories.
They were somewhere between Wormshill and Nettlestead. East of Loose and south of Barming. Somewhere between Hucking and Yalding. It was that sort of place. Lol!
Always a pleasure reading a new Judge Dee story.
4 Stars
While visiting the mysterious castle of Maidstone for an investigation, Judge Dee and Jonathan discover the only thing more menacing than a vampire child is twin vampire children...
My ongoing quest to get current with the Tor short stories.
They were somewhere between Wormshill and Nettlestead. East of Loose and south of Barming. Somewhere between Hucking and Yalding. It was that sort of place. Lol!
Always a pleasure reading a new Judge Dee story.
4 Stars
Read
October 27, 2023Well, if we're to be denied the promised finale to the Locked Tomb this year, at least we get a locked coffin. Though Judge Dee's investigation rather feels like going through the motions this time, more a peg for camp shenanigans which - combined with the uncharacteristic mouthiness of familiar Jonathan - leaves a distinct echo of What We Do In The Shadows. Also, for all that the stories have always taken place in wilfully anachronistic pockets of a world, somehow this threw me more, with its mediaeval-ish Kent that favours crossbows over long, and where the castle near Maidstone is named for Maidstone instead of Leeds. The very idea!
January 8, 2026
Could be bumped up a half star, but it sucks too much to give it four. Get it, sucks too much?!? Haha! Anyway, all bad humor aside, this was more interesting than prior Judge Dee entries, not that Agatha should be worried. I mean she is dead, right? Hard to worry when... OK, point made. Ha! Get it? Anyway, again? I loved the twins are their "she's me, I'm her" schtick. Great names too! I had in mind a different end/cause/killer, but I'm quite anemic when it comes to solving things. Hahahaha! Still wish Jonathan turned into a meal, he's so unappealing.
November 10, 2023
Lavie Tidhar has written another great short story about his Vampire Judge. This vampire, Judge Dee, and his human companion travel the world at night to render judgements under the law of the vampires.
In this story, Judge Dee faces the classic locked room mystery. A vampire lord dies in his own castle in a locked coffin. There are many who want to kill him. The question is who succeeded, and most interestingly, how did they do it? Judge Dee will get to the bottom of this mystery.
In this story, Judge Dee faces the classic locked room mystery. A vampire lord dies in his own castle in a locked coffin. There are many who want to kill him. The question is who succeeded, and most interestingly, how did they do it? Judge Dee will get to the bottom of this mystery.
October 27, 2023
I'm curious to know how Lavie Tidhar took an historical Chinese detective series by Robert Van Gulik and morph it into a series of short stories about a vampire judge dee based in Europe. Enjoyable short stories.
October 30, 2023
Another short story around the Vampire Judge. This time he's at an English castle, filled with some quite unpleasant vampires. Odo, the Earl is terrified of being murdered, and the number of suspects is ridiculous. A fine, fun short story, with a decent twist at the end
November 19, 2023
My least favorite story so far from my beloved Judge Dee.
No good lines to be told. What happened to Dee?
The story was the simplest so far and with no escalation.
OK I guess we can not have all winners so let's see how the next ones will go.
Not recommended.
No good lines to be told. What happened to Dee?
The story was the simplest so far and with no escalation.
OK I guess we can not have all winners so let's see how the next ones will go.
Not recommended.
November 24, 2023
Another great entry in this series of short stories that follow around a vampire judge and his person associate.
I read this on the Tor website, here.
I read this on the Tor website, here.
May 25, 2026
3.5 / 5
Another solid installment. While there was less repetitive descriptions of food, there was also less humour this time and I am dying to know Johnathan's backstory already! Any little scrap of information would be welcome. We're 6 short stories in! Give us something there.
Another solid installment. While there was less repetitive descriptions of food, there was also less humour this time and I am dying to know Johnathan's backstory already! Any little scrap of information would be welcome. We're 6 short stories in! Give us something there.
October 27, 2023
A Tor.com original! Interesting plot twist at the end and I enjoyed my first story of this series.
October 28, 2023
⭐⭐⭐
Perfect Halloween mystery.
Perfect Halloween mystery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews