The Three Coffin Problem
Forthcoming June 2026
Medieval Europe. A world of darkness. Of Gothic castles, isolated monasteries, of monks and knights and things that go bump in the night. A world where vampires can roam at will… At least, as long as they obey the rules! For a vampire may not murder another vampire. Not unless they have a really good reason to, anyway.
Enter Judge Dee. Ancient. Immortal. Ascetic. His cold intellect draws him wherever a mystery is present, and he will rest at nothing to solve the puzzle. Jonathan, the judge’s human assistant, on the other hand, mostly just wants cheese. With bread, if possible. And some pickles would be nice. After all, it’s not easy spending your life in the company of murderous vampires who only see you as a tasty snack…
Their adventures take them from the warm Italian valleys to the heights of the French Alps as they come face to fang with fiendishly complicated puzzles—not the least of which is love! But as they are drawn inexplicably onwards to London, Jonathan wonders what awaits them when they finally arrive—and what choices he may have to make once they get there.
Reviews
“Sink your teeth into this! THE THREE COFFIN PROBLEM is a whimsical delight about everyone’s favorite vampire detective.”Silvia Moreno-Garcia, New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic
“Does fresh, funny, mystifying, clever and subliminally scary things with the mediaeval mystery genre—simply by adding vampires to the mix. Hugely recommended.”Kim Newman, author of Anno Dracula
“Lavie Tidhar is killing it. I’d say this book is what you’d get if Arthur Conan Doyle got drunk on absinthe and made out with Edward Gorey — but it’s Tidhar all the way down, at his funniest and wittiest. The book’s packed with vampires of all stripes—the backstabbers, the front stabbers, the shocked stab-ees—who are always up for a snack, and the body count is hilariously high. Tidhar had better keep the Judge Dee & Jonathan stories coming or I will hurt somebody.”Daryl Gregory, author of Revelator
“Judge Dee is my favorite vampire, and it’s a joy to watch him work in these stories where he reminds us even a monster must have standards—or else. Along with his reluctant but faithful human servant Jonathan, Judge Dee unravels the unique crimes of the undead and delivers justice, or at least the next closest thing. Vampires are rarely ever this smart, and never this funny. Lavie Tidhar has injected new life into the genre, and I thank him for it.”Christopher Farnsworth, author of The President’s Vampire