The Northern Sung Dynasty, 11th century China.  In the capital, Kaifeng, a fire breaks out in White Horse Mansion after the wedding celebrations of the all-powerful Lord Auyang Chi. Lord Auyang is found murdered and his bride disappears. Judge Bao, the most renowned investigator in the kingdom, takes on the case. But this first murder is followed by another, then another and another: all the victims are members of the Auyang family or its household, and each death is connected to one of the five Chinese elements – metal, wood, water, fire, earth.  Is there, as rumoured, a curse on the family? As he pursues his enquiries, Judge Bao uncovers mysterious connections with his own family history. Is he, the investigator, somehow caught up in the web of crime? With implacable logic and determination Judge Bao gets closer and closer to solving a mystery that will shake the whole Sung Dynasty and, at the same time, pour light on a hidden secret in his own past.

Written in the style of the ancient Kungfu novels, with investigative methods based on Sung Ci’s Sung Dynasty book of forensic science, ‘The Curse of the Five Elements’ weaves together real facts, people and places in a labyrinthine mystery that moves towards a startling revelation.