"Murders in the Shadow of the Zodiac" includes two stories of Judge Ti; each of them describes a mysterious crime that the bearded detective of ancient China solves at different stages of his long career and under completely different circumstances.

The combination of the Monkey and the Tiger is not entirely coincidental; in Chinese astrology, these two zodiac signs stand opposite each other within the zodiac circle. The author uses this contrast as the framework for two opposing psychological riddles, each of which is correct and precise in the logic of its invention.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]