The Chinese Lake Murders is a gong'an historical mystery novel written by Robert van Gulik and set in Imperial China (roughly speaking the Tang dynasty).

It is a fiction based on the real character of Judge Dee (Ti Jen-chieh or Di Renjie), a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court, who lived roughly 630–700.

In the year 666, Judge Dee, the newly appointed magistrate of the fictional town of Han-yuan, must solve three murders.

The whole investigation turns into a maze of political intrigue, sordid greed, and dark passions.

"The murder of Almond Blossom on the Flower Boat, while Judge Dee is being entertained, is preceded by a confusing chapter of pseudo-supernatural terror.