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Inspector Shan #9
Skeleton God
This ninth installment of Pattison’s award-winning Inspector Shan series weaves a suspenseful mystery into a backdrop of an ancient culture being slowly dismantled, a portrait of modern Tibet.
Shan Tao Yun, now the reluctant constable of a remote Tibetan town, has learned to expect the impossible at the roof of the world, but nothing has prepared him for his discovery when he investigates a report that a nun has been savagely assaulted by ghosts. In an ancient tomb by the old nun lies a gilded saint buried centuries earlier, flanked by the remains of a Chinese soldier killed fifty years before and an American man murdered only hours earlier. Shan is thrust into a maelstrom of intrigue and contradiction.
The Tibetans are terrified, the notorious Public Security Bureau wants nothing to do with the murders, and the army seems determined to just bury the dead again and Shan with them. No one wants to pursue the truth–except Shan, who finds himself in a violent collision between a heartbreaking, clandestine effort to reunite Tibetan refugees separated for decades and a covert corruption investigation that reaches to the top levels of the government in Beijing. The terrible secret Shan uncovers changes his town and his life forever.
Shan Tao Yun, now the reluctant constable of a remote Tibetan town, has learned to expect the impossible at the roof of the world, but nothing has prepared him for his discovery when he investigates a report that a nun has been savagely assaulted by ghosts. In an ancient tomb by the old nun lies a gilded saint buried centuries earlier, flanked by the remains of a Chinese soldier killed fifty years before and an American man murdered only hours earlier. Shan is thrust into a maelstrom of intrigue and contradiction.
The Tibetans are terrified, the notorious Public Security Bureau wants nothing to do with the murders, and the army seems determined to just bury the dead again and Shan with them. No one wants to pursue the truth–except Shan, who finds himself in a violent collision between a heartbreaking, clandestine effort to reunite Tibetan refugees separated for decades and a covert corruption investigation that reaches to the top levels of the government in Beijing. The terrible secret Shan uncovers changes his town and his life forever.
309 pages, Hardcover
First published March 14, 2017
About the author
Eliot Pattison
33 books345 followersEdgar Award winning Eliot Pattison has been described as a "writer of faraway mysteries," a label which is particularly apt for someone whose travel and interests span a million miles of global trekking, visiting every continent but Antarctica.
An international lawyer by training, Pattison first combined his deep concerns for the people of Tibet with his interest in fiction writing in The Skull Mantra, which launched the popular Inspector Shan series.
The series has been translated into over twenty languages around the world. Both The Skull Mantra and Water Touching Stone were selected by Amazon.com for its annual list of ten best new mysteries. Water Touching Stone was selected by Booksense as the number one mystery of all time for readers' groups. The newest installment, Soul of Fire, was included in Publisher's Weekly's list of "Best Book of 2014".
Pattison's fascination with the 18th century American wilderness and its woodland Indians led to the launch of his second critically acclaimed Bone Rattler series.
His dystopian novel, Ashes of The Earth, marks the first installment in his third book series, set in post-apocalyptic America.
A former resident of Boston and Washington, Pattison resides on an 18th century farm in Pennsylvania with his wife, three children, and an ever-expanding menagerie of animals.
An international lawyer by training, Pattison first combined his deep concerns for the people of Tibet with his interest in fiction writing in The Skull Mantra, which launched the popular Inspector Shan series.
The series has been translated into over twenty languages around the world. Both The Skull Mantra and Water Touching Stone were selected by Amazon.com for its annual list of ten best new mysteries. Water Touching Stone was selected by Booksense as the number one mystery of all time for readers' groups. The newest installment, Soul of Fire, was included in Publisher's Weekly's list of "Best Book of 2014".
Pattison's fascination with the 18th century American wilderness and its woodland Indians led to the launch of his second critically acclaimed Bone Rattler series.
His dystopian novel, Ashes of The Earth, marks the first installment in his third book series, set in post-apocalyptic America.
A former resident of Boston and Washington, Pattison resides on an 18th century farm in Pennsylvania with his wife, three children, and an ever-expanding menagerie of animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
April 9, 2017
4 stars
I love this series and with Book #9 I am still enthralled.
This series is about Inspector Shan who is a disgraced police investigator from Bejing. He had a very good life in China until he decided to investigated a corrupt high level politician in the Chinese government which earned him an exile to Tibet and the prison camps.
Shan, with each novel, continues to learn and embrace the Tibetan people. In this latest installment, Shan is now Constable Shan in a small Tibetan village of Yangkar. Yangkar was once an important site in Tibet for its monestery and medicine college but, under Chinese rule, those sites have all disappeared. Now Shan's duties are more about helping locals get a yak out of a muddy road until Shan is told about sounds coming from the gravesite of an ancient lama. Specifically 'hallelujah'.
Again, I love this series. I enjoy how Shan is learning about Tibet under Chinese rule which in turn is teaching me about the atrocities happening in that region. These books are not fast reads but I recommend this to anyone who would like to know more about the current conditions in Tibet under Chinese rule and the history of what took place to these peaceful people.
I love this series and with Book #9 I am still enthralled.
This series is about Inspector Shan who is a disgraced police investigator from Bejing. He had a very good life in China until he decided to investigated a corrupt high level politician in the Chinese government which earned him an exile to Tibet and the prison camps.
Shan, with each novel, continues to learn and embrace the Tibetan people. In this latest installment, Shan is now Constable Shan in a small Tibetan village of Yangkar. Yangkar was once an important site in Tibet for its monestery and medicine college but, under Chinese rule, those sites have all disappeared. Now Shan's duties are more about helping locals get a yak out of a muddy road until Shan is told about sounds coming from the gravesite of an ancient lama. Specifically 'hallelujah'.
Again, I love this series. I enjoy how Shan is learning about Tibet under Chinese rule which in turn is teaching me about the atrocities happening in that region. These books are not fast reads but I recommend this to anyone who would like to know more about the current conditions in Tibet under Chinese rule and the history of what took place to these peaceful people.
April 16, 2017
This book was like a telescope into the current Chinese "direction" for its governmental control in Tibet. Tibet without Tibetan language for it's location names, Tibet in which you have your name erased and replaced with a Chinese one. Or if you don't and do not hold "papers" and live high in mountain enclaves, you are considered "feral" in designation and all future "off" when they catch you. In the meantime you are given a number and put in the holding trucks to wait for a dozen at a time. Just enough minutes or an hour to look at your MOUNTAINS for the last time. You will be sent to work and reeducation camps in China as far from Tibet as they can place you at the time and it's lifetime, however long or short that lifetime may be. Often, quite short. It's BEST for the great nation and wonderful society which holds the entire sky up for the good of all those of the "nation" who live below it. Don't you agree?
So from the get-go this novel holds at least 5 or 6 layers of culture. And anyone who is feral in the plot or story line is apt to disappear quite beyond any plot intersect. "CORRECTLY!" in your refrains or ?? Many times current title or role of superiority will little matter, you've had an accident. And you were clumsy.
But in the core of these layers is the much denser and often thicker one of local and county official authority. Never forget it can be upset or turned inside out also at any moment by the appearance of one of the National Heroes and Party Founder Warriors- despite their age or retirement category title.
Into this we have Inspector Shan. A Chinese of long internment in prisons, as is his son presently. And is he getting a baptism for being Tibetan in his soul, spirit, mind or language nuance? And dare he oblige decency and justice over hierarchy dictate? And what if the Plain of Ghosts path leads to 50 year old corpses aside one that is a day or possibly 3 hours old? Can these also be overlooked and explained as mountain accidents? Or health failure due to altitude sickness?
Lovely, lovely under characters in this book. As I've seldom meet outside of the Nepal reads of 30 to 50 years ago that I've read. The bull yak is SUPERB. And the two Buddhist nuns, one aged and one young- SO personal and individual! And who has double faces or one which hides endless greed and maybe also endless belief in karma that will demand retribution, as well.
It's difficult to read. Being a flat lander, just the directional and descriptive to locale paragraph after paragraph- twice read- sometimes triple read. And yet, for me, so hard to envision. Ice caves and hidden depths of 100's of feet straight down disguised. Or being able to see 15 miles, when others can't see beyond the bush on the curve.
I had not read a single Shan book before this one. This is #9 in the series. And the priors have to be long, as is his family and work history complex and also intense. A father and grandfather professors who suffered and wore the dunce caps for most of their lives. That's just a small part.
Inspector Shan has a personality and an intelligence that is hard to describe. Beyond exceptional street smarts, be they cart wide or as wide as those in the Imperial City.
Do not give yourself the time to read this as you would a normal who-dun-it copper fare. This is eons more complicated and much more upon cultural, societal, moral relativity to dogma etc. etc. But beyond that it is fiercely centered in Tibetan Buddhist and high mountain spiritual and conceptual beliefs and definitions. Which are heavy reading for those who have quite varied worldviews or ideas about human or the physical world, IMHO.
This took me three times longer to wrap my head around that the normal language, style of this genre. And I'll go back to read the others over a long period of time. All the suffering of his son, and the change in his character! That will be hard to view from the other side/ backwards- but the entire is surely worth it.
The plot is so layered, complicated, with a dozen main players, and the murders rather numerous, as well- that I do not even hint at it here in this review.
It's a 5.
So from the get-go this novel holds at least 5 or 6 layers of culture. And anyone who is feral in the plot or story line is apt to disappear quite beyond any plot intersect. "CORRECTLY!" in your refrains or ?? Many times current title or role of superiority will little matter, you've had an accident. And you were clumsy.
But in the core of these layers is the much denser and often thicker one of local and county official authority. Never forget it can be upset or turned inside out also at any moment by the appearance of one of the National Heroes and Party Founder Warriors- despite their age or retirement category title.
Into this we have Inspector Shan. A Chinese of long internment in prisons, as is his son presently. And is he getting a baptism for being Tibetan in his soul, spirit, mind or language nuance? And dare he oblige decency and justice over hierarchy dictate? And what if the Plain of Ghosts path leads to 50 year old corpses aside one that is a day or possibly 3 hours old? Can these also be overlooked and explained as mountain accidents? Or health failure due to altitude sickness?
Lovely, lovely under characters in this book. As I've seldom meet outside of the Nepal reads of 30 to 50 years ago that I've read. The bull yak is SUPERB. And the two Buddhist nuns, one aged and one young- SO personal and individual! And who has double faces or one which hides endless greed and maybe also endless belief in karma that will demand retribution, as well.
It's difficult to read. Being a flat lander, just the directional and descriptive to locale paragraph after paragraph- twice read- sometimes triple read. And yet, for me, so hard to envision. Ice caves and hidden depths of 100's of feet straight down disguised. Or being able to see 15 miles, when others can't see beyond the bush on the curve.
I had not read a single Shan book before this one. This is #9 in the series. And the priors have to be long, as is his family and work history complex and also intense. A father and grandfather professors who suffered and wore the dunce caps for most of their lives. That's just a small part.
Inspector Shan has a personality and an intelligence that is hard to describe. Beyond exceptional street smarts, be they cart wide or as wide as those in the Imperial City.
Do not give yourself the time to read this as you would a normal who-dun-it copper fare. This is eons more complicated and much more upon cultural, societal, moral relativity to dogma etc. etc. But beyond that it is fiercely centered in Tibetan Buddhist and high mountain spiritual and conceptual beliefs and definitions. Which are heavy reading for those who have quite varied worldviews or ideas about human or the physical world, IMHO.
This took me three times longer to wrap my head around that the normal language, style of this genre. And I'll go back to read the others over a long period of time. All the suffering of his son, and the change in his character! That will be hard to view from the other side/ backwards- but the entire is surely worth it.
The plot is so layered, complicated, with a dozen main players, and the murders rather numerous, as well- that I do not even hint at it here in this review.
It's a 5.
March 15, 2017
'In Tibet souls were tried, and souls were tormented, but always souls endured.'
Having not read any of Inspector Shan Tao Yun's exploits before I found myself fascinated with the hints about his past and fall from grace. There is much for me to catchup on, yet the lack of background did not detract from my understanding of trouble in Shan's past and how that placed him in the now.
Here he is a constable in an isolated Tibetan town of Yangkar in Lhadrung County. Shan is confronted with two bodies found in an ancient Tibetan tomb on the Plain of Ghosts.
The story stretches from the ancient past, to the not so ancient past to the now. The People’s Liberation Army and the Hammer of Freedom Brigade's actions in this area have had long tentacles, and those tentacles still have a stranglehold on the area.
That story is set against the background of the army's roundup of 'feral' (undocumented) Tibetans, the destruction and seizure of Buddhist temples and their goods, the separation of families and their 'reeducation', and the demon ghosts and gods roaming the area.
The exploration by Shan of ancient Tibetan artifacts, and his fascination with the Tibetan way of life, the gods, the scared places are all included in this fascinating murder mystery set in an equally as fascinating part of the world. The history of Tibet and the results for that country by China's invasion in the 1950's is brought into sharp focus.
A NetGalley ARC
Having not read any of Inspector Shan Tao Yun's exploits before I found myself fascinated with the hints about his past and fall from grace. There is much for me to catchup on, yet the lack of background did not detract from my understanding of trouble in Shan's past and how that placed him in the now.
Here he is a constable in an isolated Tibetan town of Yangkar in Lhadrung County. Shan is confronted with two bodies found in an ancient Tibetan tomb on the Plain of Ghosts.
The story stretches from the ancient past, to the not so ancient past to the now. The People’s Liberation Army and the Hammer of Freedom Brigade's actions in this area have had long tentacles, and those tentacles still have a stranglehold on the area.
That story is set against the background of the army's roundup of 'feral' (undocumented) Tibetans, the destruction and seizure of Buddhist temples and their goods, the separation of families and their 'reeducation', and the demon ghosts and gods roaming the area.
The exploration by Shan of ancient Tibetan artifacts, and his fascination with the Tibetan way of life, the gods, the scared places are all included in this fascinating murder mystery set in an equally as fascinating part of the world. The history of Tibet and the results for that country by China's invasion in the 1950's is brought into sharp focus.
A NetGalley ARC
May 10, 2019
This complicated Inspector Shan/Tibet mystery was good, although there are events in it I still don't quite understand. Eliot Pattison is doing us all a service by spinning engaging yarns that have the ultimate purpose of getting the story out about China's invasion of Tibet, its brutalization of the people, and its attempts to destroy the country's language, religion, and customs. (It's the same kind of thing China is doing with Muslim Uighurs today.) The books are also good at showing the hidden strength of the Tibetan culture.
In this one, Shan, a former corruption investigator in Beijing and later a political prisoner in a harsh Tibetan work camp, has been pressed into service by Colonel Tan, who has power over Shan's son, Ko, now a prisoner himself. Tan has found Shan's understanding of Tibetan ways helpful for his own purposes and has made him a constable in the county Tan oversees. He's keeping Shan handy in a remote village where nothing much happens. That is, until a vicious Chinese general, hero of the invasion of Tibet, shows up looking for what he believes is the last bit of treasure hidden by monks in the 1960s.
At the same time, an American with Tibetan roots turns up dead in the grave of an ancient lama along with a Chinese soldier murdered in the 1960s. What is going on? The handful of "feral" Tibetans (those who live in the wilds and refuse the mandated Chinese ID cards) are tight-lipped about what happened in the 1960s when the local monastery and medical school were destroyed and the monks sent to work camps or killed. No one wants to remember those times, and the Tibetan gods keep making appearances to scare everyone away from the places that might hold some clues.
Although there are never any completely happy endings for Tibet, I like that Pattison wraps up the individual books in a satisfying way and also shows different characters evolving. In addition, he shares a lot of philosophical wisdom from Tibet that might be good for us all to think about.
In this one, Shan, a former corruption investigator in Beijing and later a political prisoner in a harsh Tibetan work camp, has been pressed into service by Colonel Tan, who has power over Shan's son, Ko, now a prisoner himself. Tan has found Shan's understanding of Tibetan ways helpful for his own purposes and has made him a constable in the county Tan oversees. He's keeping Shan handy in a remote village where nothing much happens. That is, until a vicious Chinese general, hero of the invasion of Tibet, shows up looking for what he believes is the last bit of treasure hidden by monks in the 1960s.
At the same time, an American with Tibetan roots turns up dead in the grave of an ancient lama along with a Chinese soldier murdered in the 1960s. What is going on? The handful of "feral" Tibetans (those who live in the wilds and refuse the mandated Chinese ID cards) are tight-lipped about what happened in the 1960s when the local monastery and medical school were destroyed and the monks sent to work camps or killed. No one wants to remember those times, and the Tibetan gods keep making appearances to scare everyone away from the places that might hold some clues.
Although there are never any completely happy endings for Tibet, I like that Pattison wraps up the individual books in a satisfying way and also shows different characters evolving. In addition, he shares a lot of philosophical wisdom from Tibet that might be good for us all to think about.
September 30, 2018
Wer bewertet historische Ereignisse und sorgt für die Überlieferung für kommende Generationen? Wie wird ein Ereignis dargestellt? Nichts geschieht im luftleeren Raum. Geschichte wird von den Siegern geschrieben, und Eliot Pattinsons Roman ist ein Beispiel dafür, wie das in der Praxis aussehen kann. Was es bedeutet wer die Macht über die Überlieferung hat, kann man nach wie vor jeden Tag in Tibet erleben. Noch sind viele Augenzeugen am Leben, aber sie haben kaum eine Chance, ihre Seite der Geschichte zu erzählen.
Pattisons Romane um Shan, den ehemaligen Strafgefangenen und Ermittler, bilden eine meiner Lieblings-reihen überhaupt. Spannung und zeithistorische Begebenheiten verknüpfen sich zu vielschichtigen Geschichten, die mir immer wieder vor Augen führen, welche Freiheiten ich besitze. Gleichzeitig erscheint es einfach, von außen ohne Eigenbeteiligung ein Urteil zu fällen. Doch wie sich überhaupt ein Bild machen? Pattison gibt zumindest Anhaltspunkte und erinnert daran, das nach wie vor Staaten existieren in denen das, was wir in Europa allgemein als Menschenrechte und Freiheit, Demokratie verstehen, nicht überall auf der Welt eine Rolle spielt.
Was ich persönlich daran so mag, ist genau diese Mischung aus Kriminalfall und Gesellschaftskritik. Pattisons Figuren, selbst Shan sind auch immer ambivalent. Es gibt auch hier kein Schwarz und Weiß, die man sich gerne wünschen würde, gleichzeitig wird dadurch die Lage erst so richtig deutlich.
"Die Frau mit den Blauen Augen" gefiel mir vor allem wegen dem Fokus auf die Geschichtsschreibung, für mich hat der Rückbezug auf die Anfänge der Chinesischen Herrschaft in Tibet gut funktioniert, weil auch der Mordfall in der Gegenwart spannend und glaubwürdig damit verknüpft wurde. Der Roman ist einfach meiner Meinung nach sehr gut erzählt.
Daher für mich eine klare Leseempfehlung - eigentlich für die gesamte Shan Reihe!
Vielen Dank an den Verlag für das Lesexemplar!
Pattisons Romane um Shan, den ehemaligen Strafgefangenen und Ermittler, bilden eine meiner Lieblings-reihen überhaupt. Spannung und zeithistorische Begebenheiten verknüpfen sich zu vielschichtigen Geschichten, die mir immer wieder vor Augen führen, welche Freiheiten ich besitze. Gleichzeitig erscheint es einfach, von außen ohne Eigenbeteiligung ein Urteil zu fällen. Doch wie sich überhaupt ein Bild machen? Pattison gibt zumindest Anhaltspunkte und erinnert daran, das nach wie vor Staaten existieren in denen das, was wir in Europa allgemein als Menschenrechte und Freiheit, Demokratie verstehen, nicht überall auf der Welt eine Rolle spielt.
Was ich persönlich daran so mag, ist genau diese Mischung aus Kriminalfall und Gesellschaftskritik. Pattisons Figuren, selbst Shan sind auch immer ambivalent. Es gibt auch hier kein Schwarz und Weiß, die man sich gerne wünschen würde, gleichzeitig wird dadurch die Lage erst so richtig deutlich.
"Die Frau mit den Blauen Augen" gefiel mir vor allem wegen dem Fokus auf die Geschichtsschreibung, für mich hat der Rückbezug auf die Anfänge der Chinesischen Herrschaft in Tibet gut funktioniert, weil auch der Mordfall in der Gegenwart spannend und glaubwürdig damit verknüpft wurde. Der Roman ist einfach meiner Meinung nach sehr gut erzählt.
Daher für mich eine klare Leseempfehlung - eigentlich für die gesamte Shan Reihe!
Vielen Dank an den Verlag für das Lesexemplar!
April 25, 2017
Inspector Shan is one of my favorite detectives. This series by Eliot Pattison focuses on Life in Tibet and presents fascinating mysteries incorporating the current cultural and political situation in Tibet and the mysticism of Buddhism. It's a series that should be read in consecutive order and I think you will find it personally enlightening and rewarding and just a good story.
April 23, 2020
I love this series for the heartfelt way the author reveals the destruction of physical Tibet and the damage the Chinese invasion did to the Chinese themselves. It is a story all too frequently told in human history, yet the spirit survives. Victory to the gods!
October 16, 2020
It’s heartbreaking to read how China is destroying the religion and history of Tibet; how brutally the people have been treated. The descriptions of the land are breathtaking and the Tibetan culture is fascinating. An excellent mystery.
December 3, 2017
I love these books, because while it's clearly a white appropriation of a Chinese character, that character is himself a colonist, resisting complicity. So....
Plus, I'm a sucker for monks who understand suffering in a Buddhist way.
Plus, I'm a sucker for monks who understand suffering in a Buddhist way.
August 14, 2022
An excellent read. Shan Tao Yun continues to
March 10, 2017
An incredible story, both in the crafting and the messages, but damn if it wasn't just gutpunch after gutpunch.
June 22, 2017
This is already #9 of the Inspector Shan books? I have enjoyed all I have read (perhaps all of them) and this one was good in a new way - making me feel less depressed about the state our country is in right now. This series is set in contemporary Tibet, with a lead character who was a corruption investigator in China, then sent to a labor camp in Tibet for investigating too well. Shan has come to understand Tibetan Buddhism, and has local spiritual mentors - well, I can't explain the whole setting. His son Ko is walking the same path now, which is encouraging. Events in this mystery link back to the Cultural Revolution and of course involve the Chinese past destruction of Tibetan religious and cultural sites. Yet the Tibetans keep their culture and their beliefs living within or (for some) outside Chinese domination. There is a good plot, fine characters (Colonel Tan is evolving too) - overall it's a terrific book. It might be slightly confusing for someone who has read none of the preceding books, but even so I bet you'd enjoy it and order up more.
March 21, 2017
I continue to revere the characters in this book, but I seem to get lost in the logistics of the landscape. The four stars are mainly for the country of Tibet and gratitude to the writer for capturing the essence that cannot be extinguished.
October 13, 2017
*I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways*
I had never read any of the other books in this series when I received this one through a giveaway so I felt a bit lost when I started reading and we very quickly get to Tibetans who believe in demons and ghosts and a main character who doesn't strongly disbelieve the Tibetans along with a whole host of italicized foreign words. I felt too confused and quit the book but then found myself still thinking about it later and so read the first book in the series to get a sort of introduction to the world. What an introduction. If I was a bit lost when starting with this book I was quite lost for most of the first one which really just jumps into the world, Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism and plenty of foreign words to go around. Thankfully though, that first book did help a bit with understanding some of the terms in this book, even if I can't fully visualize things as they are presented in the book. But, since I jumped straight into this book from the first one that means I missed everything that happened in Books 2-8. Shan's son! Trinle and his wife! Shan is a constable! Also, I'm somewhat disappointed that Colonel Tan is not as much of a friend as I had hoped at the end of the first book but he does still seem to be somewhat of an ally of Shan's so I find that relationship pretty interesting and I want to see where it goes as well Shan's relationship with his son, which sounds like it was pretty rocky at first but has now become pretty heartwearming/heartwrenching, depending on how you look at it.
I felt that the first book was quite noirish, with Shan being like the Philip Marlowe of Tibet; this one feels a bit less noirish, a bit less tense -- maybe because by now this is an established series and so we can be pretty assured that Shan will survive, if only to get to the next book whereas with the first one, it was the first in the series and who knew if there would ever be any sequels? Towards the end though this book does show one of the flaws that often seems to show up in mysteries and with villains: monologging. It is always strange to me why the bad guys in some stories will, for seemingly no reason, start telling all their plans and secrets to the hero -- I don't care that they think they've won and the hero will soon be dead, that's still just really stupid. And it's a bit strange when it happens in this book because the person the villain seems to be directing the monologue towards was pretty clearly not on his side earlier in the book. Granted, as the reader, we may be a bit more informed of who's on which side but there really doesn't seem to be much to support the villain's assumption that this character has changed sides so it's not clear why he feels so free in explaining all his misdeeds.
"This is Tibet. We bypass the melodrama and go straight to the reckoning."
"Nomadic shepherds by the thousands were being dragged from their centuries-old way of life on the wildly free plains of Tibet to work in huge, suffocating factories where orders would be shouted to them in a language they couldn't speak. Once, Africans had been bound with chains and dragged into forced labor far from the land they loved. At least that had been honest. Those slave drivers never pretended to have the interests of their slaves in mind. Tibetans too were dragged away and forced into labor, but they were told it was because the motherland loved them."[I disagree with the notion that slavery of Africans wasn't defended as being good for them but I think this quote is quite descriptive in how the treatment of Tibetans may be defended by the Chinese government and those who try to close their eyes to the plights of the Tibetans.]
I had never read any of the other books in this series when I received this one through a giveaway so I felt a bit lost when I started reading and we very quickly get to Tibetans who believe in demons and ghosts and a main character who doesn't strongly disbelieve the Tibetans along with a whole host of italicized foreign words. I felt too confused and quit the book but then found myself still thinking about it later and so read the first book in the series to get a sort of introduction to the world. What an introduction. If I was a bit lost when starting with this book I was quite lost for most of the first one which really just jumps into the world, Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism and plenty of foreign words to go around. Thankfully though, that first book did help a bit with understanding some of the terms in this book, even if I can't fully visualize things as they are presented in the book. But, since I jumped straight into this book from the first one that means I missed everything that happened in Books 2-8. Shan's son! Trinle and his wife! Shan is a constable! Also, I'm somewhat disappointed that Colonel Tan is not as much of a friend as I had hoped at the end of the first book but he does still seem to be somewhat of an ally of Shan's so I find that relationship pretty interesting and I want to see where it goes as well Shan's relationship with his son, which sounds like it was pretty rocky at first but has now become pretty heartwearming/heartwrenching, depending on how you look at it.
I felt that the first book was quite noirish, with Shan being like the Philip Marlowe of Tibet; this one feels a bit less noirish, a bit less tense -- maybe because by now this is an established series and so we can be pretty assured that Shan will survive, if only to get to the next book whereas with the first one, it was the first in the series and who knew if there would ever be any sequels? Towards the end though this book does show one of the flaws that often seems to show up in mysteries and with villains: monologging. It is always strange to me why the bad guys in some stories will, for seemingly no reason, start telling all their plans and secrets to the hero -- I don't care that they think they've won and the hero will soon be dead, that's still just really stupid. And it's a bit strange when it happens in this book because the person the villain seems to be directing the monologue towards was pretty clearly not on his side earlier in the book. Granted, as the reader, we may be a bit more informed of who's on which side but there really doesn't seem to be much to support the villain's assumption that this character has changed sides so it's not clear why he feels so free in explaining all his misdeeds.
"This is Tibet. We bypass the melodrama and go straight to the reckoning."
September 5, 2018
Dieser Krimi ist sehr eigen. Vielmehr ging es dem Autor wohl darum, die Leser über die Missstände in Tibet unter der chinesischen Regierung zu unterrichten.
Shan, ehem. Häftling in 404, wo sein Sohn nun als Zwangsarbeiter sein Dasein fristet, ermittelt den Tod eines Amerikaners, der in einem alten Grab zusammen mit der Mumie eines chinesischen Soldaten und eines noch früher verstorbenen, vergoldeten Lamas in einem abgelegenen Ort in Tibet entdeckt wurde.
Viel Raum nehmen die Beschreibungen der oft erschreckenden Bilder, der unzumutbaren Zustände, die in Tibet herrschen, damals wie heute. Diese Atmosphäre, dieses seltsame Miteinander, bei dem jeder von jedem erwartet, dass er ihn bei den Behörden anschwärzt und dass man daraufhin im Straflager landet, ist schon gut präsent. Auch die Ereignisse im Jahr 1966 sind nichts für Zartbesaiteten, als die chinesische Armee in diesen kleinen, abgelegenen Ort einmarschierte und den alten Tempel samt den darin lebenden Mönchen vernichtete.
Wie die Tiber evtl. sind, bekommt man auch bildhaft vermittelt, wie tiefreligiös manche älteren sind, in welch komplett anderen Welt, voller Geister und böser Dämonen sie leben, insofern ist dieser Krimi etwas mystisch angehaucht, aber das passt, dass viele Tibeter chinesisch Mandarin gar nicht können, denn es ist für sie eine Fremdsprache wie alle anderen uvm.
Die Korruption und Willkür der oberen Militärs heute kommen auch gut zur Sprache. Wenn es ums Geld geht, denn hier geht es um nicht weniger als um den goldenen Schatz von Dalai-Lama, sind sie zur Stelle und versuchen, ihr Glück zu machen, egal wie schmutzig das Prozedere auch aussehen mag.
Mit diesem Krimi kam ich nur langsam voran. Durch die Berge an grausigen Bildern und Gesellschaftskritik insg. durchzuringen, kostete Kraft. Manche Sätze musste ich zweimal durchgehen. Als sonderlich flüssig zu lesenden Text kann ich „Die Frau mit grünen Augen“ also nicht bezeichnen.
Die eigentlichen Ermittlungen verschwanden oft hinter den alten Geschichten von damals, hinter den Beschreibungen der weniger fröhlichen Gegebenheiten von heute.
Mir war letztendlich interessant, wer hinter dem Ganzen steckt und warum? Warum musste der Amerikaner sterben? Warum wurde er gefoltert? Was durfte nicht ans Licht kommen? All das erfährt man zum Schluss und sorgt für eine gewisse Überraschung.
Paar Lebensweisheiten hier und dort im Text verstreut, taten dem Ganzen gut.
Fazit: Ein gesellschaftskritischer, nicht einfach zu lesender Krimi, bei dem Tibet und seine alten Geschichten schon fast eine größere Rolle spielen als alles andere, und bei dem letztendlich etwas zu viel reingemischt wurde. Es ist aber auch ein komplettes Eintauchen in eine ganz andere, z.T. verlorene Welt. Wer über Tibet mehr erfahren möchte, kann hier gern zugreifen.
Shan, ehem. Häftling in 404, wo sein Sohn nun als Zwangsarbeiter sein Dasein fristet, ermittelt den Tod eines Amerikaners, der in einem alten Grab zusammen mit der Mumie eines chinesischen Soldaten und eines noch früher verstorbenen, vergoldeten Lamas in einem abgelegenen Ort in Tibet entdeckt wurde.
Viel Raum nehmen die Beschreibungen der oft erschreckenden Bilder, der unzumutbaren Zustände, die in Tibet herrschen, damals wie heute. Diese Atmosphäre, dieses seltsame Miteinander, bei dem jeder von jedem erwartet, dass er ihn bei den Behörden anschwärzt und dass man daraufhin im Straflager landet, ist schon gut präsent. Auch die Ereignisse im Jahr 1966 sind nichts für Zartbesaiteten, als die chinesische Armee in diesen kleinen, abgelegenen Ort einmarschierte und den alten Tempel samt den darin lebenden Mönchen vernichtete.
Wie die Tiber evtl. sind, bekommt man auch bildhaft vermittelt, wie tiefreligiös manche älteren sind, in welch komplett anderen Welt, voller Geister und böser Dämonen sie leben, insofern ist dieser Krimi etwas mystisch angehaucht, aber das passt, dass viele Tibeter chinesisch Mandarin gar nicht können, denn es ist für sie eine Fremdsprache wie alle anderen uvm.
Die Korruption und Willkür der oberen Militärs heute kommen auch gut zur Sprache. Wenn es ums Geld geht, denn hier geht es um nicht weniger als um den goldenen Schatz von Dalai-Lama, sind sie zur Stelle und versuchen, ihr Glück zu machen, egal wie schmutzig das Prozedere auch aussehen mag.
Mit diesem Krimi kam ich nur langsam voran. Durch die Berge an grausigen Bildern und Gesellschaftskritik insg. durchzuringen, kostete Kraft. Manche Sätze musste ich zweimal durchgehen. Als sonderlich flüssig zu lesenden Text kann ich „Die Frau mit grünen Augen“ also nicht bezeichnen.
Die eigentlichen Ermittlungen verschwanden oft hinter den alten Geschichten von damals, hinter den Beschreibungen der weniger fröhlichen Gegebenheiten von heute.
Mir war letztendlich interessant, wer hinter dem Ganzen steckt und warum? Warum musste der Amerikaner sterben? Warum wurde er gefoltert? Was durfte nicht ans Licht kommen? All das erfährt man zum Schluss und sorgt für eine gewisse Überraschung.
Paar Lebensweisheiten hier und dort im Text verstreut, taten dem Ganzen gut.
Fazit: Ein gesellschaftskritischer, nicht einfach zu lesender Krimi, bei dem Tibet und seine alten Geschichten schon fast eine größere Rolle spielen als alles andere, und bei dem letztendlich etwas zu viel reingemischt wurde. Es ist aber auch ein komplettes Eintauchen in eine ganz andere, z.T. verlorene Welt. Wer über Tibet mehr erfahren möchte, kann hier gern zugreifen.
July 15, 2018
Skeleton God by Eliot Pattison is the most recent in his Inspector Shan Tao Yun series. Shan is now Constable of the remote Tibetan village of Yangkar. For the most part, Shan’s duties are mundane and boring. Boring, that is, until the day his tiny village is invaded by soldiers- led by a Public Security official named Jinhua- transporting Tibetans being taken for 'reeducation’ who need a place to stay overnight. Then comes the report of a dead American whose body was found in the disturbed tomb of a holy lama, along with the body of a Chinese soldier who predeceased the American by decades. To all the residents of Yangkar, this area where the tomb was found, is considered forbidden and protected by terrible demons. Shan becomes determined to solve the mystery of the dead American, though to do so he must solve the mystery of the guardian demons, all without treading on the toes of proper government.
This was my first Inspector Shan story, and while it wasn't what I initially expected, it was quite an enjoyable read. I went in thinking that it was set centuries earlier than it really was. I'm not normally a fan of Communist-era centred fiction. Getting a glimpse into Tibetan culture was great, especially since that's what I was looking for with my prior expectations. Seeing it through this unique lens was at times so sad, especially reading about the desecrations of spiritual sites, and artifacts, and the utter destruction of some of these sites, and structures.
Shan was an interesting character. He has to tread such a careful line between what is expected of him as a 'proper’ Chinese official, and his true self who is sympathetic to the Tibetans, and respectful of their culture. I admit, I was a little confused with his relationship to Colonel Tan, which seems at times extremely antagonistic, and at others companionable. I think that would clear up if I read the rest of the series in order! Aside from this relationship, though, other aspects of Shan’s life thus far are explained well enough that skipping the earlier books wasn't detrimental at all.
I really liked Jinhua. He starts out as a sort of unlikable character, but that quickly changes. Given his position and rank, Jinhua becomes an invaluable ally for Shan. He seems so young and insecure at times, yet he's very devoted to his values and is determined to avenge his deceased partner. What really made the story for me were the cast of native Tibetans- from Nyima, Dorchen, and young Lodi, to the feral family that Shan repeatedly helps. Of course, it is through them that we get the rich Tibetan culture that I so enjoyed.
***This book was reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review
This was my first Inspector Shan story, and while it wasn't what I initially expected, it was quite an enjoyable read. I went in thinking that it was set centuries earlier than it really was. I'm not normally a fan of Communist-era centred fiction. Getting a glimpse into Tibetan culture was great, especially since that's what I was looking for with my prior expectations. Seeing it through this unique lens was at times so sad, especially reading about the desecrations of spiritual sites, and artifacts, and the utter destruction of some of these sites, and structures.
Shan was an interesting character. He has to tread such a careful line between what is expected of him as a 'proper’ Chinese official, and his true self who is sympathetic to the Tibetans, and respectful of their culture. I admit, I was a little confused with his relationship to Colonel Tan, which seems at times extremely antagonistic, and at others companionable. I think that would clear up if I read the rest of the series in order! Aside from this relationship, though, other aspects of Shan’s life thus far are explained well enough that skipping the earlier books wasn't detrimental at all.
I really liked Jinhua. He starts out as a sort of unlikable character, but that quickly changes. Given his position and rank, Jinhua becomes an invaluable ally for Shan. He seems so young and insecure at times, yet he's very devoted to his values and is determined to avenge his deceased partner. What really made the story for me were the cast of native Tibetans- from Nyima, Dorchen, and young Lodi, to the feral family that Shan repeatedly helps. Of course, it is through them that we get the rich Tibetan culture that I so enjoyed.
***This book was reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review
June 2, 2017
In Skeleton God, Inspector Shan has been assigned to a remote Tibetan village that should be far removed from scandal and crime, but if that were true, it would not be an Inspector Shan mystery. His assignment is a bargain made with District Commander Tan that will keep Shan close at hand if needed, but out of trouble. In exchange, Shan’s son who is now in the same prison Shan endured will be allowed an annual five day parole to visit Shan.
Then one day a nun is beaten by a ghost. Then they find two bodies, an American who was killed in the last few days and a Chinese soldier killed some fifty years earlier. Both killed the exact same way. A Public Safety Officer is there to witness the find, but does not want to report it. The Army is also keeping far too close an eye on the village.
Meanwhile, Shan’s son is coming to visit while he’s busy investigating the murders. Two more murders are discovered, but again, there’s a desire to hush them up. Shan is certain it all has something to do with the long ago rationalization of the village.
Skeleton God is a fair mystery. All the clues are there. We know early on who some of the villains are, but it’s clear the conspiracy is wider than the most obviously villainous outsiders–that they have help in the village. Who is helping them is the real mystery and it is complex enough that few will solve it earlier than Shan. Though when things fall into place, readers will be solving the case right along with Shan which is how it should be.
Skeleton God is satisfying at another level as well. Characters are well-developed and long-time series characters grow in complexity over time. Give him a few more books and District Commander Tan may even reach the “you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone” stage. The book is rich in Tibetan folklore and history and as always, they inform the investigation and the story.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
About Eliot Pattison’s Inspector Shan series: Shan was once a police inspector in Beijing before he unwisely investigated corruption among those powerful enough to make him disappear into the Chinese gulag. HIs time in prison introduced him to Buddhism and he learned much from the imprisoned monks of Tibet. His knowledge of these two worlds make him an invaluable investigator.
In Order:
The Skull Mantra
Water Touching Stone
Bone Mountain
Beautiful Ghosts
Prayer of the Dragon
The Lord of Death
Mandarin Gate
Soul of the Fire
Skeleton God
Then one day a nun is beaten by a ghost. Then they find two bodies, an American who was killed in the last few days and a Chinese soldier killed some fifty years earlier. Both killed the exact same way. A Public Safety Officer is there to witness the find, but does not want to report it. The Army is also keeping far too close an eye on the village.
Meanwhile, Shan’s son is coming to visit while he’s busy investigating the murders. Two more murders are discovered, but again, there’s a desire to hush them up. Shan is certain it all has something to do with the long ago rationalization of the village.
Skeleton God is a fair mystery. All the clues are there. We know early on who some of the villains are, but it’s clear the conspiracy is wider than the most obviously villainous outsiders–that they have help in the village. Who is helping them is the real mystery and it is complex enough that few will solve it earlier than Shan. Though when things fall into place, readers will be solving the case right along with Shan which is how it should be.
Skeleton God is satisfying at another level as well. Characters are well-developed and long-time series characters grow in complexity over time. Give him a few more books and District Commander Tan may even reach the “you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone” stage. The book is rich in Tibetan folklore and history and as always, they inform the investigation and the story.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
About Eliot Pattison’s Inspector Shan series: Shan was once a police inspector in Beijing before he unwisely investigated corruption among those powerful enough to make him disappear into the Chinese gulag. HIs time in prison introduced him to Buddhism and he learned much from the imprisoned monks of Tibet. His knowledge of these two worlds make him an invaluable investigator.
In Order:
The Skull Mantra
Water Touching Stone
Bone Mountain
Beautiful Ghosts
Prayer of the Dragon
The Lord of Death
Mandarin Gate
Soul of the Fire
Skeleton God
August 16, 2018
Eliot Pattisons chinesischer Ermittler Shan ist seit mittlerweile fast 20 Jahren aktiv und wird im 9. Band der Reihe als einfacher Polizist in Yangkor/Tibet tätig. Im ersten Band war Shan, der in Peking gegen die falschen Leute ermittelt hatte, als Strafgefangener in einer Ermittlung zu Hilfe gerufen worden. Inzwischen lebt Shan bereits so lange in Tibet, dass er Tibetisch spricht und schreibt und eine Menge über die Kultur gelernt hat. Seine Sonderrolle als Han-Chinese, der die tibetische Religion und die lokalen Sitten achtet, dient Shans Gegenspieler Oberst Tan allein zur besseren Kontrolle seines ehemaligen Gefangenen, stellt Shan nüchtern fest. Tan hat Shan noch immer in der Hand; denn Shans Sohn ist zu Lagerhaft verurteilt worden. Sollte Shan nicht spuren, wird Sohn Ko das sehr direkt zu spüren bekommen.
Der kleine Ort hat etwas mehr als 400 Einwohner, so dass normalerweise kaum mehr passiert, als dass ein störrisches Yak aus dem Schlamm gerettet werden muss. Doch weil die chinesischen Behörden auf dem Dach der Welt nach Belieben schalten und walten, ist es mit Shans idyllischem Alltag bald vorbei. Ein Gefangenentransport macht im Ort halt und kurz darauf werden zufällig unter einer Grabplatte drei Leichen entdeckt, ein Lama, der schon hunderte von Jahren tot sein könnte, ein Soldat der Volksarmee, vor rund 50 Jahren getötet, und ein junger Ausländer, der gerade erst ums Leben gekommen ist. Der Soldat und der Ausländer sind mit identischer Methode getötet worden. Shan hört sich nun in seiner bewährten Art um, wie der Ausländer überhaupt von den Behörden unbemerkt hierher gelangt ist, was die Armee hier vor 50 Jahren unternahm und welcher Zusammenhang zwischen den Todesfällen bestehen könnte. Auch wenn Shan schon lange in Tibet lebt, hat er von den Bewohnern noch immer nicht alle Geschichten aus der Zeit der Zwangs-Annektierung Tibets erzählt bekommen. Er hört von einer Medizinschule im Ort, die vor seiner Zeit von einer mächtigen tibetischen Familie betrieben wurde, und von geheimen Dokumenten, die vor den chinesischen Besatzern verborgen gehalten werden und mit denen die Zerstörung tibetischer Heiligtümer zu beweisen wäre. Eine wichtige Rolle für des Rätsels Lösung spielt Shans Fähigkeit, sich in den Bergen wie ein Einheimischer zu bewegen und sich dabei Wege und Gipfel bildlich vorzustellen. Landkarten gibt es nämlich nicht, weil sie von oppositionellen Tibetern zur Flucht genutzt werden könnten.
Erst als Shan sich klar macht, dass in den Bergen auch moderne Dämonen aktiv sind, denen man besser aus dem Weg geht, kann er diesen seltsamen Fall lösen. Höchst interessant in Eliot Pattersons Krimis ist jedes Mal, wie sich die Beziehung zwischen Tan und Shan weiterentwickelt und ob Shan seinen Werten wohl treu bleiben kann. Und da bei Pattison der Weg das Ziel ist, vermittelt er dabei zahlreiche Details über Tibet.
Leser sollten Shan wenigstens in einem beliebigen Band vorher begegnet sein, um seine ungewöhnliche Rolle nachvollziehen zu können als Kontaktperson zwischen einer unterdrückten Minderheit und deren Unterdrückern.
Der kleine Ort hat etwas mehr als 400 Einwohner, so dass normalerweise kaum mehr passiert, als dass ein störrisches Yak aus dem Schlamm gerettet werden muss. Doch weil die chinesischen Behörden auf dem Dach der Welt nach Belieben schalten und walten, ist es mit Shans idyllischem Alltag bald vorbei. Ein Gefangenentransport macht im Ort halt und kurz darauf werden zufällig unter einer Grabplatte drei Leichen entdeckt, ein Lama, der schon hunderte von Jahren tot sein könnte, ein Soldat der Volksarmee, vor rund 50 Jahren getötet, und ein junger Ausländer, der gerade erst ums Leben gekommen ist. Der Soldat und der Ausländer sind mit identischer Methode getötet worden. Shan hört sich nun in seiner bewährten Art um, wie der Ausländer überhaupt von den Behörden unbemerkt hierher gelangt ist, was die Armee hier vor 50 Jahren unternahm und welcher Zusammenhang zwischen den Todesfällen bestehen könnte. Auch wenn Shan schon lange in Tibet lebt, hat er von den Bewohnern noch immer nicht alle Geschichten aus der Zeit der Zwangs-Annektierung Tibets erzählt bekommen. Er hört von einer Medizinschule im Ort, die vor seiner Zeit von einer mächtigen tibetischen Familie betrieben wurde, und von geheimen Dokumenten, die vor den chinesischen Besatzern verborgen gehalten werden und mit denen die Zerstörung tibetischer Heiligtümer zu beweisen wäre. Eine wichtige Rolle für des Rätsels Lösung spielt Shans Fähigkeit, sich in den Bergen wie ein Einheimischer zu bewegen und sich dabei Wege und Gipfel bildlich vorzustellen. Landkarten gibt es nämlich nicht, weil sie von oppositionellen Tibetern zur Flucht genutzt werden könnten.
Erst als Shan sich klar macht, dass in den Bergen auch moderne Dämonen aktiv sind, denen man besser aus dem Weg geht, kann er diesen seltsamen Fall lösen. Höchst interessant in Eliot Pattersons Krimis ist jedes Mal, wie sich die Beziehung zwischen Tan und Shan weiterentwickelt und ob Shan seinen Werten wohl treu bleiben kann. Und da bei Pattison der Weg das Ziel ist, vermittelt er dabei zahlreiche Details über Tibet.
Leser sollten Shan wenigstens in einem beliebigen Band vorher begegnet sein, um seine ungewöhnliche Rolle nachvollziehen zu können als Kontaktperson zwischen einer unterdrückten Minderheit und deren Unterdrückern.
August 2, 2023
Inspector Shan is now a constable in the remote town of Yangkar in Ladrung county, and while no longer in prison for investigating the wrong unscrupulous politicians, is still under the unpredictable thumb of Colonel Tan.
Shan has become fond of his little town and his quiet life, but when a hermit nun has been found badly beaten, and an officer of the Public Security Bureau exerts pressure on Shan, problems begin to multiply. A powerful general arrives in a helicopter under false pretenses. A shocking discovery is made in an ancient burial tomb. A pair of Americans unlawfully enter Tibet and become the focus of a major problem for Shan. Shan's son Ko is expected to visit on a short unprecedented leave from prison, and arrives in the midst of the sudden explosive situations in Yankar, putting him at risk as well as his father.
The plot flies by at a breathless pace, taking in the magnificent and mysterious environment of the remote area, the spirituality of the Tibetans, and the threats and dominance of the Chinese government.
This riveting mystery accurately portrays the plight of the Tibetans, their culture, their persecution by the Chinese, and their determination to endure. This book nine in the series is dedicated to the International Campaign for Tibet and Tibet House. Having donated, I received a small set of prayer flags, a fitting memento of Tibet. The sight of prayer flags blowing in the wind, sending the prayers written on them out into the world, is an inspiring sight even in the most remote areas.
The Author's Notes add valuable insights.
Shan has become fond of his little town and his quiet life, but when a hermit nun has been found badly beaten, and an officer of the Public Security Bureau exerts pressure on Shan, problems begin to multiply. A powerful general arrives in a helicopter under false pretenses. A shocking discovery is made in an ancient burial tomb. A pair of Americans unlawfully enter Tibet and become the focus of a major problem for Shan. Shan's son Ko is expected to visit on a short unprecedented leave from prison, and arrives in the midst of the sudden explosive situations in Yankar, putting him at risk as well as his father.
The plot flies by at a breathless pace, taking in the magnificent and mysterious environment of the remote area, the spirituality of the Tibetans, and the threats and dominance of the Chinese government.
This riveting mystery accurately portrays the plight of the Tibetans, their culture, their persecution by the Chinese, and their determination to endure. This book nine in the series is dedicated to the International Campaign for Tibet and Tibet House. Having donated, I received a small set of prayer flags, a fitting memento of Tibet. The sight of prayer flags blowing in the wind, sending the prayers written on them out into the world, is an inspiring sight even in the most remote areas.
The Author's Notes add valuable insights.
June 15, 2018
Another well written tale from Eliot Pattison. Once again poor Shan, who longs for a quiet life, visits to his son and from Lokesh, finds himself a tool of Colonel Tan who has put him in place as a constable in a poor Tibetan village.
Who put a mobile phone in a saint's grave? It's an ancient tomb guarded by a special and well loved old nun but now it's opened, and the saint's body is accompanied by the remains of a Chinese soldier killed fifty years ago and an American man murdered only hours earlier, but his phone gave his hidden grave away. Shan is once again having to try and protect Tibetans, sort out the mess and find a home for the soldier and the American.
It's a good read, with the characters we know still growing and developing, Tibet as ever an intriguing setting, and a plot with enough twists to keep you guessing. Fans will enjoy this addition to the series, newcomers, get cracking with The Skull Mantra and enjoy the whole series.
Who put a mobile phone in a saint's grave? It's an ancient tomb guarded by a special and well loved old nun but now it's opened, and the saint's body is accompanied by the remains of a Chinese soldier killed fifty years ago and an American man murdered only hours earlier, but his phone gave his hidden grave away. Shan is once again having to try and protect Tibetans, sort out the mess and find a home for the soldier and the American.
It's a good read, with the characters we know still growing and developing, Tibet as ever an intriguing setting, and a plot with enough twists to keep you guessing. Fans will enjoy this addition to the series, newcomers, get cracking with The Skull Mantra and enjoy the whole series.
June 8, 2017
Inspector Shan, a survivor of a Chinese prison camp, has been the Constable in a Tibet county for a few years. Trying to walk a tightrope between the oppressive Chinese government, and the defiant Tibetans, Shan investigates 2 murders - both bodies found in a old lama's grave - one murder - 50 years old, a soldier from the time of the Cultural Revolution, and the other - an American only a few days dead. How were they found? The killer didn't move the tombstone back properly, and the American's phone was left in the grave - it rang! The kicker - both the soldier and the American were killed in the same way. Shan navigates the political terrain with nimbleness and fear on the road to solving both murders. Another series I have to start reading from the beginning!
October 21, 2017
It's so hard to finish an Inspector Shan story because I won't have the pleasure of being part of his world until Pattison writes the next installment (hopefully he will). I feel like I'm meditating when I read these books. They flow so gently, but profoundly. They inspire hope and admiration. They incite anger and sadness. Pattison writes in a way that makes me feel both the joy and pain that the people of Tibet experience through their oppression by the Chinese and their ability to transcend that oppression through their culture and spirituality. Eliot, please keep writing these books. My soul needs the illumination.
July 17, 2019
Former Inspector, now Constable, Shan is in trouble again. A famous general and darling of the Party is harrowing the area around his little town searching for lost gold. Corpses are found, an American of Tibetan descent is in the area, and Shan’s imprisoned son is due for a leave.
As always in this fascinating series Tibetan history, culture, and of course religion play vital roles. So does the enigmatic Colonel Tan, once a bitter enemy and now perhaps an ally if not yet a friend.
This book is one of the best in the series. While probably best read in the chronology of the series, it can easily stand on its own as a thriller and historical study.
As always in this fascinating series Tibetan history, culture, and of course religion play vital roles. So does the enigmatic Colonel Tan, once a bitter enemy and now perhaps an ally if not yet a friend.
This book is one of the best in the series. While probably best read in the chronology of the series, it can easily stand on its own as a thriller and historical study.
November 9, 2020
Very interesting premise. We are in Tibet where a local constable encounters a Department of Public Safety lieutenant. Next an old tomb is discovered with an old dead PLA (Chinese Army) soldier and a recently deceased Westerner.
I wanted to like the book but the writing was very awkward to read. I just didn't feel compelled to turn the page and find out what happened next. I dnf'd it. This is #9 in the series, maybe reading the series from the first book might help explain the characters and setting.
I wanted to like the book but the writing was very awkward to read. I just didn't feel compelled to turn the page and find out what happened next. I dnf'd it. This is #9 in the series, maybe reading the series from the first book might help explain the characters and setting.
June 17, 2017
I would like to thank Goodreads, Minotaur Books and Mr. Pattison for awarding me this book. I was entranced from the moment I started reading this novel and I was not expecting to enjoy the book as much as I did. I loved the characters, the story, the details of the culture and there was a totally unexpected shout out to the Burgh and my Alma Mater. . I immediately went to audible and downloaded the 2 previous books that were available and will be looking for the other ones. Kudos
August 1, 2017
After nine volumes, I hoped Shan's character, typically a deeply thoughtful characterization, would have grown in depth. Perhaps the threat to his son's welfare makes him more tentative in his approach to the issues of Tibetan identity and oppression. Or perhaps, we've come to the ending notes of the Inspector, a likely possibility as his benefactor Tan might begin to fade from the story line. Still, this plot was a winding, slow progress to a predictable ending.
March 15, 2018
Tibet is a fascinating place. It has been isolated from the modern world and the people have their own religion. Unfortunately, Tibet came under Communist Chinese rule. The Communists set out to completely destroy the country's religion. The main character is a Chinese official sent to an isolated outpost far up the mountains. Here he encounters unexplained deaths and corruption from officials.
September 1, 2020
Always a fascinating series. I read the 10th (&supposedly last) book in the series first, because I was able to obtain it as an ebook during the library closures due to covid-19. The 9th book was only available in hard copy, so I has to wait until the library re-opened before I could request it. I think I may have to quickly re-read the 10th, just to remind myself just how it turned out & ended the series, although I think the author left a potential "out" if another book were inspired.
November 2, 2020
This was a loaner from my son, Michael. We both so enjoyed the Inspector Singh series. I think Inspector Shan Tao Yun is going to be a contender. I really enjoyed this book, but Tibet is an abject example of an entire culture that was wiped out as a result of global geopolitics. But Tibet is not destroyed, it still shines through!
October 27, 2021
Hadn't run across this author for awhile and was excited to find one that I hadn't read,,,, I truly love this series. It is up there with Louise Penney. The descriptions of the Tibetan landscape, their culture and the genocide perpetrated against one of the most peaceful groups of people on the planet are always front and center in these books. They are truly exceptional
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