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The Touch of Murder: The Tales of the Magistrate Pt. 1 (A Wuxia Detective Story) Kindle Edition

by JF Lee (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 67 ratings

Sometimes justice punishes the innocent

If it were up to Magistrate Tao Jun, he would solve every mystery with a sword and a fake name (and maybe a fancy silk robe).

So when a missing person becomes a murder investigation, he's (happily) on the case. But all is not as it seems. As the magistrate digs deeper, he finds: an assassin trying to kill him, a trail of blood, a web of lies, and a conman wanted in two cities. And somehow, in the centre of all this deception, is a girl with a mysterious past...

Well, dodging archers' arrows is more fun than paperwork anyway.

Set amid the Tales of the Swordsman and the Tales of the Jianghu series, this is a detective story with wuxia action (a futou-noir story, if you will). This story follows beloved (and totally corrupt) Magistrate Tao Jun and his dry and irreverent take on the jianghu and the bureaucracy of being a magistrate.

If you like classic wuxia and detective stories, dust off your favorite sword (wipe off those bloodstains—no one needs to see that), and head over to the magistrate's office for THE TOUCH OF MURDER.

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  1. Book 1 of 2
    The Tales of the Magistrate
  2. Print length
    140 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    February 1, 2022
  6. Reading age
    13 - 17 years
  7. File size
    1.7 MB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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From the Publisher

Wondering where to start? There are four easy entry points.

Chinese Swordsman Wuxia Image for Tales of Swordsman

YA Coming of Age + Wuxia Martial Arts Fantasy

Inspired by classic Kung Fu films and spaghetti western movies, The Tales of the Swordsman is a coming-of-age story paired with a revenge fantasy. It features adventures of wuxia action, witty banter, martial arts camaraderie, bandits, princesses, and treacherous villains. This series is great for YA and Adult readers alike, or anyone looking to experience wuxia for the first time.

Chinese Magistrate Image

Wuxia + Film Noir Mystery

Magistrate is a spin-off detective story with wuxia action (a futou-noir story), that follows beloved (and totally corrupt) Magistrate Tao Jun and his dry and irreverent take on the jianghu and the bureaucracy of being a magistrate. If you like classic wuxia and detective stories, dust off your favorite sword (wipe off those bloodstains—no one needs to see that), and head over to the magistrate's office.

Chinese Martial artist girl

Wuxia Short Stories

The Tales from the Jianghu are a collection of short stories based in the shared world of the magistrate and the swordsman. This series focuses on the denizens of the Green Brocade Inn, a popular hangout of martial artists, bandits, and warriors. When those three groups collide, chaos, destruction, and hilarity ensue. A slightly irreverent take on the tropes of martial arts fiction, this series is an easy read and intro for newcomers to wuxia.

Why I swore to never hire a goon image

Heist + Wuxia

Goons are easier on the budget than heroes. Misfits, criminals, cats, capers, and plenty of laugh out loud humor are all proof of why you should never send a hero to do a goon's job. Ocean's 11 meets ancient China in this heist comedy that is sure to make you grin.

Image: last swordsman of Blue Mountain Li Ming and Runaway Shu Yan. Tales of the Swordsman banner

Li Ming & Shu Yan - The Swordsman & Runaway

Shu Yan is a 14-year-old escapee from the pleasure houses. With a bounty on her head, she must choose: the dangers of being a young girl alone in the world, or the dangers of accompanying a legendary swordsman bent on revenge?

Appears in:

Tales of the Swordsman

Chinese Magistrate for wuxia Cover

Tao Jun - The Chaotic Magistrate

The sworn brother of Li Ming, Tao Jun hates red tape. But don't let his easygoing charm and lackadaisical manners fool you. Behind his smile is a man who will stop at nothing for justice—even if it means burning down a village.

Appears in:

Tales of the Swordsman, Tales of the Magistrate

Chinese martial artist girl for wuxia

Miao - The Champion

A peerless martial artist with no recollection of her past, Miao searches for answers to her mysterious origin. A kindhearted young woman now, she may not like the truth she discovers about where she came from.

Appears in:

Tales from the Jianghu, Tales of the Swordsman, Tales of the Magistrate

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09P1WC7P8
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 1, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 140 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ The Tales of the Magistrate
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 17 years
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 67 ratings

About the author

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JF Lee

JF Lee

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JF Lee loves telling stories about heroes with swords in wuxia settings. When he’s not working on his next novel, he can be found snorkelling for green sea turtles to photograph.

Check out what he's up to and for more stories at https://jflee.co/

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
67 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Dave Ketelsen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Short but oh so sweet
    Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Tao Jun, the other Last Swordsman of Blue Mountain, is a fantastic counterpoint to the taciturn Li Ming (Tales of the Swordsman series). Here in this short novel we find Tao Jun in his adult role as a Magistrate investigating a murder along with a series of earlier crimes. JF Lee's wonderful writing style and humor are showcased here even more than in the longer books of the Swordsman series. As another reviewer pointed out earlier, this would make a fantastic series on Netflix or Prime.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and exciting read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    As with everything else I've read by JF Lee, this novella is an easy 5 stars! It's a lovely mixture of noir, action, and just the right amount of humour. A lot of the characters will be familiar if you've read Lee's other stories, but that doesn't mean you'll be lost if this is your first story by him. All of his stories are simply just fun to read (while also being exciting and action-packed!) and I don't think I can recommend them enough!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars It was a lot of fun to read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Netflix or Amazon should make a series out of these stories 😝
    I enjoyed all the stories very much. Waiting impatiently for the next one!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • JP
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
    Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    An exhilarating reading
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  • Rae_ShutUpandBookUp!
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tao Jun stars in his own series! Chaotic Magistrate with unorthodox ways!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2022
    "I am bored." - Tao Jun

    Being stuck inside an office is no place for Tao Jun! Luckily someone tosses him a bone in the form of a missing person. Things do turn sour when the case becomes a murder investigation. But Tao Jun will gladly do anything to stay out of the office and away from his archnemesis. . .paperwork!

    Only things begin to go sideways when Tao Jun finds a whole nest of lies, an assassin group, and a mysterious girl with an interesting past. Not to mention a wanted conman! What was his name again? Tao Jun brandishes his sword Joy and silk robes as he tracks down his leads. Hopefully the trail will end with the correct person being arrested.

    "Ji Ping, you're as bad as my wife." - Tao Jun

    "The woman must be an incarnation of the goddess of mercy to put up with you." - Ji Ping

    First of all. . .I screamed, fine I squealed, when I read that this was going to be about Tao Jun. I met him in the "Tales of the Swordsman" and knew he was one of my favorites. If you haven't read the books featuring Li Ming, that's perfectly fine. I do highly recommend reading them!

    This book takes place after the ending of the first book in the series of the "Tales of the Swordsman". There are some mild spoilers for the first book featuring Li Ming, but no clear in depth details. Could just tell the timeline of this book featuring Tao Jun, in conjunction to Li Ming's arc.

    Welcome to the wonderful world of Wuxia! If you haven't a clue what Wuxia is or means the author has an amazing page dedicated to what the genre is. In short:

    "Wuxia is a genre of Chinese fiction that features itinerant warriors of extreme (almost supernatural) martial arts skill in ancient China." - Quoted from JF Lee's website

    Tao Jun's not your typical magistrate by any means! Which drives his adjutant up the wall and across the ceiling, which seems to be needing a new paint job. But regardless of how he got into the position of magistrate, Tao Jun does do his job. Even if his means are a little unorthodox and he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty.

    I enjoyed being able to see Tao Jun in action! I also really loved that this book was in first person POV and only Tao Jun's. Seeing how his mind works and just how he kept breaking the fourth wall. I honestly got Deadpool vibes from Tao Jun and his antics. I can completely understand why he cannot stay in the office for too long with ton of paperwork. Pretty sure he would "accidently" set something on fire just to get out.

    Tao Jun's a great detective and I loved how we get a fusion of detective and martial arts. Not to mention the sheer comedy of this book! I was laughing out loud on several occasions and just becoming more attached to Tao Jun as I read on. Definitely confirming why I instantly knew I was going to love him.

    I really enjoyed all of Tao Jun's team and staff from the Tribunal. We also get to see an old face from "Tales of the Swordsman" in this book. Not to mention a handful of other cast from different books JF Lee has written. I loved the mystery and solving of the case. All the little twists and things I didn't see coming until they unfolded on the page! Not to mention the witty banter and playfulness of conversations!

    The author spoils us! At the beginning of the book there is a list of main characters and brief descriptions of them. And at the back of the book is a glossary for Chinese words and their meaning. He also lists the words by chapters! So you won't get any spoilers as you flip to the back (if you have a physical copy of the book) to see what a word means.

    This book does contain some violence and gore along with language, both in Chinese and English. This is about a man who solves murder mysteries so expect death. The book closes with a bridge ending, meaning there are hints of a possible future arc line for Tao Jun!

    I loved this read and I cannot wait to dive into the next part of Tao Jun's story! Do enjoy the read and give the author some stars!
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  • MK French
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun wuxia and noir tale
    Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2022
    Review first posted at Girl Who Reads. A free copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

    Tao Jun is a corrupt magistrate and hates the paperwork involved in his job so he happily investigates when a missing persons case turns out to be murder. Digging into the case soon exposes a web of lies, as well as a con-man wanted in two cities, and a girl who used to be an assassin.

    This is a film noir and wuxia hybrid and bound to engage any fans of the genre. While this takes place during the Tales of the Swordsman and the Tales of the Jianghu series, it's not necessary to have read those books in order to understand this one. The wuxia aspect means this takes place in China and martial arts is commonplace and will involve manipulating qi to create fantastic effects, the secrets of which are jealously guarded by each sect. The film noir aspect is that the language is very approachable and acerbically funny. Lines like "You’d sooner pry a pork bone from a hungry dog than get those two to say nice things about each other" is what I mean by the blended tones. It doesn't sound like it should work, but it really does.

    Tao Jun is lazy on some magistrate duties, but he knows the underworld and isn't necessarily above collecting favors or pushing for more than he actually knows to reach a conclusion. As he and his men dig into the missing persons case turned murder, more clues come out until the big confrontation at the end. It's a lot of fun to read, and really fun. There will be other adventures in the future about the magistrate, and no doubt they'll all be a blast.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Sandy C. McKee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2022
    This is the first book by JF Lee that I picked up after seeing his videos on TT. What caught my eye in the video was the book cover (although the dance to Mic Drop was cool, too). The cover is gorgeous and hints at action and intrigue.

    I knew going in that it would be humorous, but I wasn't prepared for such a unique writing style. Love the commentary in the footnotes! It's all funny, yes....but don't overlook the deeper messages that the author sends regarding the state of society and how we as a people need to improve.

    The mystery and plotting were excellent. The characters (even the bad guys) were interesting and well-developed. I'm definitely going to read more by this author.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • john
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fun fun fun
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    A great stand alone story in this series of books. The main character is well fleshed out. Judging from the author's other novels the other characters will come into their own in time.
    The storyline was well written, and moved at a good pace.
    I've read the author's other stories that this one is part of, and it's a joy to see other characters from those stories take . roles here, albiet from the main character's point of view.
    This is a great wuxia novel, great characters, great fight scenes, great atmosphere, great sense of humor all the way through.
    I highly recomend this story ( and all the others) , I'd read again and again.
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  • Vic
    5.0 out of 5 stars He's a good author :)
    Reviewed in Canada on June 24, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I love it !!
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  • Robert Lambregts
    4.0 out of 5 stars This is an author to look out for!
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on April 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    There is a thing about discovering new independent (indie) authors. It can be a hit or a miss, but in the case of JF Lee, I think I might have stumbled on an author that's really doing it for me.
    The Touch of Murder is a novella covering a mystery, in Chinese culture, infused with Wuxia, humor and sarcasm. JF Lee manages to make dialogues believable, which is an art by itself sometimes, but it's like you crawl in his head and hear him think out loud. I've discovered him on TikTok and he writes as he speaks, but in this case, it is a good thing. Another thing is that you can clearly notice that there has been good editing present. Not every indie author gets the chance to have that and that's why they often fail to succeed. In this case, the story is great, he killed the darlings that had to be killed and was left with short, fast and enjoyable reading, with fun interactions and some actionpacked scenes. This is part 1 of a series. He has written multiple series, short stories and is working on a novel, which I can't wait to read. Four fat stars, i'll be adding more of these on my 'read' list soon.
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  • Maureen Neuman
    4.0 out of 5 stars Move over Sherlock, there’s a new detective in town .. and he doesn’t want your job.
    Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Take a Wuxia tale, add in some detective noir and a decidedly full-of himself magistrate who doesn’t mind flashing his governmental seal. Flashy dressing Tao Jun loves to dish a bit of snark and a whole lot of attitude .. just don’t ask him to get his hands dirty physically or with paperwork. He’ll take any shortcuts he can to avoid that.

    All of that works for me. I’ve been a fan of martial arts; books and films, the good and the bad, for almost as long as I’ve been adulting. I absolutely soak up tales of feudal China with lots of walking the countryside and bits of martial arts handiwork with names like “Flowing Waters from Green Mountain.” I made up that form, but you’ll find a few secrets of the famed Blue Mountain Sect shared within these pages.

    Characters and plot, as in all these stories, are a bit on the thin side, but JF Lee does his best to give us a good look at the magistrate, whom we’ve met in other tales of a more famous swordsman from Blue Mountain. Tao Jun respectfully disagrees with that assessment.

    What really makes this book work for me are the footnotes. The author inserts himself as storyteller to make sure you have all the info necessary (see photos) and the sheer fun he’s having at the expense of his hero ensures that you do too.

    JF Lee is going to be on my list for palate cleansing reads. There’s no high stakes in these stories, they don’t take long to read, and they are a laugh.
    Customer image
    Maureen Neuman
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Move over Sherlock, there’s a new detective in town .. and he doesn’t want your job.

    Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2022
    Take a Wuxia tale, add in some detective noir and a decidedly full-of himself magistrate who doesn’t mind flashing his governmental seal. Flashy dressing Tao Jun loves to dish a bit of snark and a whole lot of attitude .. just don’t ask him to get his hands dirty physically or with paperwork. He’ll take any shortcuts he can to avoid that.

    All of that works for me. I’ve been a fan of martial arts; books and films, the good and the bad, for almost as long as I’ve been adulting. I absolutely soak up tales of feudal China with lots of walking the countryside and bits of martial arts handiwork with names like “Flowing Waters from Green Mountain.” I made up that form, but you’ll find a few secrets of the famed Blue Mountain Sect shared within these pages.

    Characters and plot, as in all these stories, are a bit on the thin side, but JF Lee does his best to give us a good look at the magistrate, whom we’ve met in other tales of a more famous swordsman from Blue Mountain. Tao Jun respectfully disagrees with that assessment.

    What really makes this book work for me are the footnotes. The author inserts himself as storyteller to make sure you have all the info necessary (see photos) and the sheer fun he’s having at the expense of his hero ensures that you do too.

    JF Lee is going to be on my list for palate cleansing reads. There’s no high stakes in these stories, they don’t take long to read, and they are a laugh.
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