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Inspector Shan #1
The Skull Mantra (Inspector Shan Tao Yun) Paperback September 30, 2008
The corpse is missing its head and is dressed in American clothes. Found by a Tibetan prison work gang on a windy cliff, the grisly remains clearly belong to someone too important for Chinese authorities to bury and forget. So the case is handed to veteran police inspector Shan Tao Yun.
Methodical, clever Shan is the best man for the job, but he too is a prisoner, deported to Tibet for offending Beijing. Granted a temporary release, Shan is soon pulled into the Tibetan people's desperate fight for its sacred mountain and the Chinese regime's blood-soaked policies. Then, a Buddhist priest is arrested, a man Shan knows is innocent.
Now time is running out for Shan to find the real killer...in an astonishing, emotionally charged story that will change the way you think about Tibet-- and freedom-- forever.
Methodical, clever Shan is the best man for the job, but he too is a prisoner, deported to Tibet for offending Beijing. Granted a temporary release, Shan is soon pulled into the Tibetan people's desperate fight for its sacred mountain and the Chinese regime's blood-soaked policies. Then, a Buddhist priest is arrested, a man Shan knows is innocent.
Now time is running out for Shan to find the real killer...in an astonishing, emotionally charged story that will change the way you think about Tibet-- and freedom-- forever.
Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
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About the author
Eliot Pattison
35 books352 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 463 reviews
September 5, 2016
A Great First Effort - 3.5 Stars
The Skull Mantra was the Winner of the 2000 Edgar Award for best New Author. I cannot take issue with the choice as it an expertly written first effort. Had some of the content been presented in a manner that recognized the reader may be unaware of the concepts dealt with, my rating would have been higher.
Plot Outline
Shan Tao Yun was an investigator in Beijing but when he ran afoul of his superiors, he found himself sentenced to a work camp in Tibet. His fellow prisoners were largely Tibetan Buddhist monks sentenced to hard labor in an effort to remove them from the populace and "cure" Tibet of the "unwanted, backward religious thinking". Religion crashes head on with the governing powers when a dead body is found at the worksite and all signs lead to a murder by a demonic deity. The monks wish to perform religious rites at the site of the crime but it is not allowed. The tensions boil over and the monks threaten to stop working which will result in unnecessary bloodshed. Shan is given temporary leave and tasked to find a natural resolution to the crime and cut the feet from the Buddhist protests. Shan finds his own desire for the truth and his Taoist beliefs conflict with the unwanted assignment and he tries to resolve the matter justly while saving himself.
My Thoughts
If anything, this book is incredibly detailed. If you enjoy explorations of religion, you are in for a treat in this novel. The author appears to be quite knowledgeable when in comes to the History of Tibet and the Buddhist religion. That said, it is both a pro and a con.
Detail, Detail, Detail
The author has an incredible eye for detail. The aspects of the religion, the explanations of the conditions and the surroundings were excellent. The reader feels as if they are transported to an exotic and, for most readers, and strange environment. The author creates an excellent sense of culture within the novel and this provides an excellent basis for understanding the often strange (to me) behaviors of some of the characters. Many of the decision and actions would have seemed out of place had this taken place in Anytown, USA but seem reasonable in the struggling culture of Tibet.
Additionally, the characters were well developed and without a doubt, Shan is one of the most intriguing leads I have read in a long time. The setup of a prisoner investigating a crime and torn by two competing cultures makes for an original and entertaining read.
Slow Down a Minute!
At times, the detail became overwhelming. My knowledge of Buddhism is minimal. There was much effort put into the minutia of the religion and I often found myself completely lost. While the author seemed to be quite knowledgeable of the religion, I assume the majority of North American readers are not. Given that I believe I was the intended audience, the author should have done a better job of making this more accessible to me. Given that the religion played a central role, this issue lead to a significant drop in my rating.
Can this one stand alone Yes. It is the first book of the series.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed this well written novel. While I was often lost in the details of the religious aspects, the rest of the story and the mystery was well plotted and well written. I plan on continuing with this new found author.
Sex - 1
There was no sexual content.
Language
Mild Obscenities - 67 F-Words - 5 Religion Exclamations - 4 (I generally only look exclamations as it relates to Christian terms. There may be some related to Buddhism in the book as well)
The use of adult language is incredibly low and suitable for all ages.
Violence - 2.5
There is a murder at the outset but the body is only found. Parts of the body are missing but there is not graphic detail. A person is shot in the head and there is an underlying threat of violence throughout.
The Skull Mantra was the Winner of the 2000 Edgar Award for best New Author. I cannot take issue with the choice as it an expertly written first effort. Had some of the content been presented in a manner that recognized the reader may be unaware of the concepts dealt with, my rating would have been higher.
Plot Outline
Shan Tao Yun was an investigator in Beijing but when he ran afoul of his superiors, he found himself sentenced to a work camp in Tibet. His fellow prisoners were largely Tibetan Buddhist monks sentenced to hard labor in an effort to remove them from the populace and "cure" Tibet of the "unwanted, backward religious thinking". Religion crashes head on with the governing powers when a dead body is found at the worksite and all signs lead to a murder by a demonic deity. The monks wish to perform religious rites at the site of the crime but it is not allowed. The tensions boil over and the monks threaten to stop working which will result in unnecessary bloodshed. Shan is given temporary leave and tasked to find a natural resolution to the crime and cut the feet from the Buddhist protests. Shan finds his own desire for the truth and his Taoist beliefs conflict with the unwanted assignment and he tries to resolve the matter justly while saving himself.
My Thoughts
If anything, this book is incredibly detailed. If you enjoy explorations of religion, you are in for a treat in this novel. The author appears to be quite knowledgeable when in comes to the History of Tibet and the Buddhist religion. That said, it is both a pro and a con.
Detail, Detail, Detail
The author has an incredible eye for detail. The aspects of the religion, the explanations of the conditions and the surroundings were excellent. The reader feels as if they are transported to an exotic and, for most readers, and strange environment. The author creates an excellent sense of culture within the novel and this provides an excellent basis for understanding the often strange (to me) behaviors of some of the characters. Many of the decision and actions would have seemed out of place had this taken place in Anytown, USA but seem reasonable in the struggling culture of Tibet.
Additionally, the characters were well developed and without a doubt, Shan is one of the most intriguing leads I have read in a long time. The setup of a prisoner investigating a crime and torn by two competing cultures makes for an original and entertaining read.
Slow Down a Minute!
At times, the detail became overwhelming. My knowledge of Buddhism is minimal. There was much effort put into the minutia of the religion and I often found myself completely lost. While the author seemed to be quite knowledgeable of the religion, I assume the majority of North American readers are not. Given that I believe I was the intended audience, the author should have done a better job of making this more accessible to me. Given that the religion played a central role, this issue lead to a significant drop in my rating.
Can this one stand alone Yes. It is the first book of the series.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed this well written novel. While I was often lost in the details of the religious aspects, the rest of the story and the mystery was well plotted and well written. I plan on continuing with this new found author.
Sex - 1
There was no sexual content.
Language
Mild Obscenities - 67 F-Words - 5 Religion Exclamations - 4 (I generally only look exclamations as it relates to Christian terms. There may be some related to Buddhism in the book as well)
The use of adult language is incredibly low and suitable for all ages.
Violence - 2.5
There is a murder at the outset but the body is only found. Parts of the body are missing but there is not graphic detail. A person is shot in the head and there is an underlying threat of violence throughout.
March 26, 2021
I'm having mixed feelings about this one...
On one hand, it's a wonderfully layered murder mystery, rife with humanitarian and political intrigue in a very unique setting: China-occupied Tibet in the late 20th century. Shan is Chinese, but he has been condemned to re-education in a Tibetan prison near Lhasa. He was once an investigator, so when a body is found headless near the work camp, he is requested to figure out who was killed and why. His inquiries will lead him to untangle a complicated web of alliances and superstitions and meet many people who believe they are doing the right thing - but what does that even mean in this beautiful but terribly bleak place?
On the other hand, the writing is on the dry side, and very heavy on dialogue, to the point where I would get confused as to whom was speaking and what was going on and I'd have to backtrack a bit to re-centre myself. Besides Shan, the characters are also not very developed, so their reactions sometimes feel a little random, and I dearly wished more time had been spend fleshing them out, especially Yeshe, whose development could have been a particularly interesting on the shifting loyalties one must dance around when one's own survival and future is at stake.
Pattison also assumes the readers are familiar not just with the socio-political context the story is set in, but also with the various Buddhist terms and traditions he refers to... without providing the definitions at the end, or footnotes within the text. I've studied Buddhism for years, but not Tibetan Buddhism, so I had to look up a few things I had heard of ages ago but never studied properly. I can't imagine how confusing that might be for someone completely uninformed about the religion, but also the history of Tibet.
Was it a good book? Yes, absolutely, and a wonderful intrigue that was full of surprises and food for thought. But I am not sure I feel up to looking for more of Inspector Shan's stories...
On one hand, it's a wonderfully layered murder mystery, rife with humanitarian and political intrigue in a very unique setting: China-occupied Tibet in the late 20th century. Shan is Chinese, but he has been condemned to re-education in a Tibetan prison near Lhasa. He was once an investigator, so when a body is found headless near the work camp, he is requested to figure out who was killed and why. His inquiries will lead him to untangle a complicated web of alliances and superstitions and meet many people who believe they are doing the right thing - but what does that even mean in this beautiful but terribly bleak place?
On the other hand, the writing is on the dry side, and very heavy on dialogue, to the point where I would get confused as to whom was speaking and what was going on and I'd have to backtrack a bit to re-centre myself. Besides Shan, the characters are also not very developed, so their reactions sometimes feel a little random, and I dearly wished more time had been spend fleshing them out, especially Yeshe, whose development could have been a particularly interesting on the shifting loyalties one must dance around when one's own survival and future is at stake.
Pattison also assumes the readers are familiar not just with the socio-political context the story is set in, but also with the various Buddhist terms and traditions he refers to... without providing the definitions at the end, or footnotes within the text. I've studied Buddhism for years, but not Tibetan Buddhism, so I had to look up a few things I had heard of ages ago but never studied properly. I can't imagine how confusing that might be for someone completely uninformed about the religion, but also the history of Tibet.
Was it a good book? Yes, absolutely, and a wonderful intrigue that was full of surprises and food for thought. But I am not sure I feel up to looking for more of Inspector Shan's stories...
October 9, 2009
A first class mystery! A Chinese political prisoner, now on a road gang in Tibet finds himself forced to investigate a beheading when the corpse turns up on the construction site. I learned a lot about Tibet history and its people, and almost as much about Buddhism. Pattison does this while not breaking the plot. He has a great sense of characterization and, at the end, you don't doubt that things happened in the way they did. One question remains: How soon do I pick up another of his books?
Aside: This stuff is always a matter of taste. I have read some of the other reviews and would respond in this way:
There is no significant torture described though there is enough implied. I am often put off by the opening scenes in the TV series, Bones, but this was not of that level of description or visualization.
The argument that this book resembles some of Tony Hillerman's, except for location, seems valid. Particularly in the clash of two cultures. Hillerman's books were not all at the same level of storytelling. If you like Hillerman, you might enjoy this as well.
Another review noted that Shan is a similar character to Martin Cruz Smith's Akady Renko. This is particularly true in the same sense as a classic Philip Marlowe. We have the crusading knight out to discover the truth - no matter what the cost. Like Renko he has to battle an often hostile bureaucracy. If you liked Polar Star, you might enjoy this as well.
Aside: This stuff is always a matter of taste. I have read some of the other reviews and would respond in this way:
There is no significant torture described though there is enough implied. I am often put off by the opening scenes in the TV series, Bones, but this was not of that level of description or visualization.
The argument that this book resembles some of Tony Hillerman's, except for location, seems valid. Particularly in the clash of two cultures. Hillerman's books were not all at the same level of storytelling. If you like Hillerman, you might enjoy this as well.
Another review noted that Shan is a similar character to Martin Cruz Smith's Akady Renko. This is particularly true in the same sense as a classic Philip Marlowe. We have the crusading knight out to discover the truth - no matter what the cost. Like Renko he has to battle an often hostile bureaucracy. If you liked Polar Star, you might enjoy this as well.
April 9, 2013
What a mystery masterpiece! I would recommend keeping notes on the different Tibetan sects such as ragyapa's, purbas, and so on; plus, the complex Tibetan Buddhism theological elements that define culture and make people act the way they do. I got so caught up in the mystery that I quit taking notes and then forgot which sect was responsible for what and had to backtrack to refresh my brain. Of course, you readers who don't forget details (I hate you) won't need any notes. That said, this is one heck-of-a-complex story and Pattison pulls it together in an exciting climax that is satisfying and enlightening.
Shan Tao Yun was an investigator for the Ministry of Economy in Beijing before angering the Party when he tried to expose corruption within the Party. Now he suffers in a Tibet prison with fellow monks. He adopted their religion that helps him not only survive the horrors of prison-life, but has given him friends in unlikely places. When the work crew find the corpse of a headless man, Shan's unique skills learned in Beijing are discovered by Colonel Tan who pulls him from prison temporarily to investigate the murder. Tan is a hot-tempered, ruthless man who does not care about the truth at first, but who finds his behavior changing as he deals with Shan, the Tibetan monks, and the investigation.
Shan's mantra is to seek the truth no matter what the consequences; a rare trait in a society that has experienced the revolution of Communism and the baggage that goes with it such as suppression of truth, dissidents, and Tibetan culture. The silk scarf rising on an updraft at the start of the novel symbolizes the complex China/Tibet struggle that victimizes the population on both sides of the argument. Pattison not only shows the Tibetan conflict but the Chinese officials who struggle to carry out the orders amidst corruption and greed. A strength of the story is the complex development of the protagonist and supporting characters who change as they deal with these issues and it adds great depth through the exploration of cultures who conquer other cultures and go on to eradicate their history and people.
Clues are laid out in such a way that it feels as if two mysteries are being solved. It is unpredictable in so many ways and on so many levels. The complexity of plot, the terrific development of character make it rise above your normal everyday mystery novel. The loose ends are tied up and I loved the twist at the end. The only question I had was Yeshe. His story doesn't seem to be over and I wonder if he pops up in the sequels. Or maybe I didn't want his story to be over because his internal changes made me sad in his hopeless view of events that had transpired in the investigation.
I am sitting in Bali trying to write this as fast as I can because the Internet is somewhat unstable and my netbook battery is even more unstable. Perhaps I can come back and revisit this review because I'm not really doing this book justice. It was terrific and I'd read it again in a heartbeat. I think I really should read it again to understand the intricate plot. I highly recommend it.
Shan Tao Yun was an investigator for the Ministry of Economy in Beijing before angering the Party when he tried to expose corruption within the Party. Now he suffers in a Tibet prison with fellow monks. He adopted their religion that helps him not only survive the horrors of prison-life, but has given him friends in unlikely places. When the work crew find the corpse of a headless man, Shan's unique skills learned in Beijing are discovered by Colonel Tan who pulls him from prison temporarily to investigate the murder. Tan is a hot-tempered, ruthless man who does not care about the truth at first, but who finds his behavior changing as he deals with Shan, the Tibetan monks, and the investigation.
Shan's mantra is to seek the truth no matter what the consequences; a rare trait in a society that has experienced the revolution of Communism and the baggage that goes with it such as suppression of truth, dissidents, and Tibetan culture. The silk scarf rising on an updraft at the start of the novel symbolizes the complex China/Tibet struggle that victimizes the population on both sides of the argument. Pattison not only shows the Tibetan conflict but the Chinese officials who struggle to carry out the orders amidst corruption and greed. A strength of the story is the complex development of the protagonist and supporting characters who change as they deal with these issues and it adds great depth through the exploration of cultures who conquer other cultures and go on to eradicate their history and people.
Clues are laid out in such a way that it feels as if two mysteries are being solved. It is unpredictable in so many ways and on so many levels. The complexity of plot, the terrific development of character make it rise above your normal everyday mystery novel. The loose ends are tied up and I loved the twist at the end. The only question I had was Yeshe. His story doesn't seem to be over and I wonder if he pops up in the sequels. Or maybe I didn't want his story to be over because his internal changes made me sad in his hopeless view of events that had transpired in the investigation.
I am sitting in Bali trying to write this as fast as I can because the Internet is somewhat unstable and my netbook battery is even more unstable. Perhaps I can come back and revisit this review because I'm not really doing this book justice. It was terrific and I'd read it again in a heartbeat. I think I really should read it again to understand the intricate plot. I highly recommend it.
December 3, 2019
An interesting mystery set in Tibet. I learned a great deal about the country and the culture through this book even though it's fiction. The author has done his research and while the mystery element is fiction, the setting is not. I would have liked a bit more details about the mystery - Shan investigates, but some of the connections he makes are not on the page. Overall an enjoyable read and I'll be looking out for book 2!
September 27, 2009
I'm being generous in giving this 3 stars. In a way, it reminded me of a Tony Hillerman book: a body found in mysterious circumstances, which can only be explained by delving into the native culture/religion, which is at odds with the modern, conquering culture, so someone must bridge that gap to understand, thus find, the killer(s). Add a remote, beautiful, exotic location, an intricate plot, and you may have a great book.
The main problem with this book was the overly intricate and dense plot, making it hard to follow and figure out just what was going on. I don't want to take notes when reading a mystery. I should know why the investigator is going somewhere and why he needs to talk to someone.
Additionally, the author beats you over the head with the injustices of the Chinese system of government and justice, especially as applied to the subjugated Tibetans.
I almost gave up on the book a few times, and finally, with about a third or less left, just opened up randomly toward the end, so I could find whatever resolution there would be. Haven't gone back to the parts I missed; doubt I will.
The main problem with this book was the overly intricate and dense plot, making it hard to follow and figure out just what was going on. I don't want to take notes when reading a mystery. I should know why the investigator is going somewhere and why he needs to talk to someone.
Additionally, the author beats you over the head with the injustices of the Chinese system of government and justice, especially as applied to the subjugated Tibetans.
I almost gave up on the book a few times, and finally, with about a third or less left, just opened up randomly toward the end, so I could find whatever resolution there would be. Haven't gone back to the parts I missed; doubt I will.
April 29, 2009
Interesting to read the mixed reviews about this book, which I freaking LOVED and blew through in three nights.
The Tibetan setting is fascinating and beautifully rendered, and I learned an enormous amount about the Buddist religion. I also liked that while the Chinese regime is depicted as horrifically brutal as most oppressive regimes are, Pattison has still created sympathetic, human Chinese characters and resisted the easy temptation to reduce the Tibetan vs. Chinese stuggle into a cartoonish us-against-them situation.
Even though I loved this book, I'm debating reading the others in the series. I think the conclusion of the story was perfect, and I may prefer to leave it as it is.
The Tibetan setting is fascinating and beautifully rendered, and I learned an enormous amount about the Buddist religion. I also liked that while the Chinese regime is depicted as horrifically brutal as most oppressive regimes are, Pattison has still created sympathetic, human Chinese characters and resisted the easy temptation to reduce the Tibetan vs. Chinese stuggle into a cartoonish us-against-them situation.
Even though I loved this book, I'm debating reading the others in the series. I think the conclusion of the story was perfect, and I may prefer to leave it as it is.
February 5, 2023
It is a good mystery novel that for me isn’t at all about the mystery.
The main character, Shan Tau Yun, is a Chinese former criminal inspector and currently a prisoner of a penalty labor camp in Tibet, who due to his previous occupation, is ordered when an unidentified body is discovered in their work area, to conduct a silent investigation. What a Chinese former inspector is doing in a Tibetan labour camp is not exactly clear, but it seems that it had something to do with someone powerful who didn’t like the results of his earlier investigation. Hardly surprising in a country where right and wrong is decided based on a relative judgement in relation to the purpose it is supposed to serve. In Tibet however, where his fellow prisoners are mostly Buddhist monks, Shan finds an unexpected solace. Tibetan ways fit him perhaps much better than the meaningless relative reality of communist China.
So he sets off to conduct his investigation. Tibetan traditions and realities of communist China twist and mix on every page. No two approaches to life could probably be more different - the mystique and depth of faith of the Tibetan people and the meaningless and soulless propaganda of the Chinese state. The investigation runs its corse until its due conclusion but I have to admit to paying far more attention to the knowledge about Tibet, it’s traditions and beliefs as well as the taste and feel of the terror and the spiritual emptiness that the Chinese are attempting to impose on the perhaps most spiritual folks on earth.
A mystery novel is perhaps an unlikely place to learn a lot from, and yet I did and I am very grateful for it. I really enjoyed it all and want to end with a quote, that could have come from Dalai Lama himself, and that makes me hope that maybe Tibet and it’s culture will survive the Chinese after all:
“The troubles of the secular world? Trinle offered. “No. They come and go. There has always been suffering. There have always been invaders. The Mongolians. The Chinese, several times. Even the British. Invasions pass. They do not affect our good fortune”
“Good fortune?” Shan asked (…)
Trinle seemed genuinely surprised at Shan’s question. “To have been able to pass the current incarnation in this holy land”
The main character, Shan Tau Yun, is a Chinese former criminal inspector and currently a prisoner of a penalty labor camp in Tibet, who due to his previous occupation, is ordered when an unidentified body is discovered in their work area, to conduct a silent investigation. What a Chinese former inspector is doing in a Tibetan labour camp is not exactly clear, but it seems that it had something to do with someone powerful who didn’t like the results of his earlier investigation. Hardly surprising in a country where right and wrong is decided based on a relative judgement in relation to the purpose it is supposed to serve. In Tibet however, where his fellow prisoners are mostly Buddhist monks, Shan finds an unexpected solace. Tibetan ways fit him perhaps much better than the meaningless relative reality of communist China.
So he sets off to conduct his investigation. Tibetan traditions and realities of communist China twist and mix on every page. No two approaches to life could probably be more different - the mystique and depth of faith of the Tibetan people and the meaningless and soulless propaganda of the Chinese state. The investigation runs its corse until its due conclusion but I have to admit to paying far more attention to the knowledge about Tibet, it’s traditions and beliefs as well as the taste and feel of the terror and the spiritual emptiness that the Chinese are attempting to impose on the perhaps most spiritual folks on earth.
A mystery novel is perhaps an unlikely place to learn a lot from, and yet I did and I am very grateful for it. I really enjoyed it all and want to end with a quote, that could have come from Dalai Lama himself, and that makes me hope that maybe Tibet and it’s culture will survive the Chinese after all:
“The troubles of the secular world? Trinle offered. “No. They come and go. There has always been suffering. There have always been invaders. The Mongolians. The Chinese, several times. Even the British. Invasions pass. They do not affect our good fortune”
“Good fortune?” Shan asked (…)
Trinle seemed genuinely surprised at Shan’s question. “To have been able to pass the current incarnation in this holy land”
October 2, 2024
A very enjoyable mystery with a fascinating setting. It takes place in China in the 90s and features a former detective who’s been imprisoned by the authorities investigating a mysterious death. Full of twists, intrigue and rich with colour it manages to be bitter a compelling thriller and an interesting study of a time and place I know little about.
April 7, 2024
Think I bought this when it first came out, but it's been sitting on my TBR shelf for over 20 years. However, now that I'm "revisiting" Tibet for a stretch, thought I'd finally give it a shot.
Annndd...a mixed bag, although far more good than bad. It's maybe 50 pages too long, the plot is way too complicated, and even for a Tibet junkie like me there is far too much mystical mumbo-jumbo. But Patterson is a good writer, has definitely done his research, and creates a number of memorable, solid, and evolving characters. And while "the one good cop in a corrupt/exotic Asian/Communist system" may seem like a cliche in a genre full of characters like Inspector O (A Corpse in the Koryo et al), Dr. Siri Paiboun (The Coroner's Lunch et al), and Sonchai Jitpleecheep (Bangkok 8 et al), Patterson's Shan Tao Yun predates them all, preceded only by Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko (Gorky Park et al).
That said, I think I'll quit here while I'm ahead. To date, Pattison has written nine more Inspector Shan novels, with the next three weighing in at 560, 640 and 512 pages respectively (after which they drop back to a more manageable +/- 400 pages; apparently even Pattison realized he was pushing the envelope here). Plus, all ten books take place in Tibet - who knew those peaceful Buddhists were such a murderous bunch?? Even Cruz Smith had the sense to occasionally send Renko to Cuba or the Bering Sea.
Overall, I gotta say that I think my favorite in the genre remains Simon Lewis' one-off, Bad Traffic: An Inspector Jian Novel, which reverses the formula by taking a basically (or at least initially) unlikable Chinese cop and dropping him in rural England. With only 200+ GR ratings, this is a seriously underrated book that deserves a much larger audience. It's listed as "Inspector Jian #1," but I've been waiting over a decade for #2 - so hopefully Lewis, better known for his many "Rough Guide to China" travel books, will finally revisit this promising character sometime in the near future.
Annndd...a mixed bag, although far more good than bad. It's maybe 50 pages too long, the plot is way too complicated, and even for a Tibet junkie like me there is far too much mystical mumbo-jumbo. But Patterson is a good writer, has definitely done his research, and creates a number of memorable, solid, and evolving characters. And while "the one good cop in a corrupt/exotic Asian/Communist system" may seem like a cliche in a genre full of characters like Inspector O (A Corpse in the Koryo et al), Dr. Siri Paiboun (The Coroner's Lunch et al), and Sonchai Jitpleecheep (Bangkok 8 et al), Patterson's Shan Tao Yun predates them all, preceded only by Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko (Gorky Park et al).
That said, I think I'll quit here while I'm ahead. To date, Pattison has written nine more Inspector Shan novels, with the next three weighing in at 560, 640 and 512 pages respectively (after which they drop back to a more manageable +/- 400 pages; apparently even Pattison realized he was pushing the envelope here). Plus, all ten books take place in Tibet - who knew those peaceful Buddhists were such a murderous bunch?? Even Cruz Smith had the sense to occasionally send Renko to Cuba or the Bering Sea.
Overall, I gotta say that I think my favorite in the genre remains Simon Lewis' one-off, Bad Traffic: An Inspector Jian Novel, which reverses the formula by taking a basically (or at least initially) unlikable Chinese cop and dropping him in rural England. With only 200+ GR ratings, this is a seriously underrated book that deserves a much larger audience. It's listed as "Inspector Jian #1," but I've been waiting over a decade for #2 - so hopefully Lewis, better known for his many "Rough Guide to China" travel books, will finally revisit this promising character sometime in the near future.
April 20, 2012
I have read every single book- in this series. I am giving it five stars as the author has done a bold deed in revealing ancient secret Tibetan esoteric information imbedded in the storyline.
" An international lawyer by training, early in his career Pattison began writing on legal and business topics, producing several books and dozens of articles published on three continents. In the late 1990's he decided to combine his deep concerns for the people of Tibet with his interest in venturing into fiction by writing The Skull Mantra. Winning the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery--and listed as a finalist for best novel for the year in Dublin's prestigious IMPAC awards--The Skull Mantra launched the Inspector Shan series, which now includes Water Touching Stone, Bone Mountain, Beautiful Ghosts, and The Prayer of the Dragon. 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 Inspector Shan series has been translated into over twenty languages around the world.
Pattison entered China for the first time within weeks of normalization of relations with the United States in 1980 and during his many return visits to China and neighboring countries developed the intense interest in the rich history and culture of the region that is reflected in these books. They have been characterized as creating a new "campaign thriller" genre for the way they weave significant social and political themes into their plots. Indeed, as soon as the novels were released they became popular black market items in China for the way they highlight issues long hidden by Beijing." from Amazon info
" An international lawyer by training, early in his career Pattison began writing on legal and business topics, producing several books and dozens of articles published on three continents. In the late 1990's he decided to combine his deep concerns for the people of Tibet with his interest in venturing into fiction by writing The Skull Mantra. Winning the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery--and listed as a finalist for best novel for the year in Dublin's prestigious IMPAC awards--The Skull Mantra launched the Inspector Shan series, which now includes Water Touching Stone, Bone Mountain, Beautiful Ghosts, and The Prayer of the Dragon. 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 Inspector Shan series has been translated into over twenty languages around the world.
Pattison entered China for the first time within weeks of normalization of relations with the United States in 1980 and during his many return visits to China and neighboring countries developed the intense interest in the rich history and culture of the region that is reflected in these books. They have been characterized as creating a new "campaign thriller" genre for the way they weave significant social and political themes into their plots. Indeed, as soon as the novels were released they became popular black market items in China for the way they highlight issues long hidden by Beijing." from Amazon info
September 20, 2016
Shan is a political prisoner in a work camp, when a dead body is discovered. The local political boss decides to have Shan investigate, given his background. He is assigned a Tibetan prisoner to help, and a Chinese guard to watch them. The plot is thick and quite meandering, but Shan is determined and keeps investigating, eventually uncovering the culprit and the motive. Ambitious effort, with a healthy dose of anti-communist/pro-Buddhist philosophy. I was bored at times, and doubt I will read the next book in the series.
April 15, 2013
BEWARE OF SPOILERS. I DON'T HIDE OR PROMOTE MY REVIEWS.
How can one book be so bleak and so uplifting?
I've not studied Tibet, so I don't independently know whether Pattison got the land and culture right (except for broad political outlines in recent Tibetan history, which I am familiar with.)
But it sure seems as though the author spent years absorbing the environment.
The hero, Shan -- an independent-thinking political prisoner who's ethnic Chinese -- is plucked from his Tibetan work camp to use the skills acquired in his pre-disgraced life as an anti-corruption investigator in China proper.
Shan is brilliant but humble. Kind. Stubborn. Almost impervious to the criticism of others, but self-condemning.
He's got mere days to figure out a suspicious death that threatens to make the prison's director and assorted other bigwigs look bad. He also has to deal with the natural distrust of the Tibetans towards the Chinese.
Shan's not willing to produce a white wash just to please the bigwigs. But if he doesn't solve the crime, the director has said Shan's fellow inmates will be killed.
Shan is intuitive as well as a keen observer. Not only of obscure or seemingly trivial facts that, together, point toward the truth about the crime. But, also, of the tragedies and failures in the lives of those he comes across.
That covers the prison official who forced Shan onto the case, his fellow prisoners, corrupt officials, lowly peasants, Tibetan priests of iron character, American engineers on a local mining project, and one fallen priest.
Most of the book, I felt at least two steps behind Shan. To a certain extent -- and I'm embarrassed to say this -- I had a hard time keeping straight which exotic Chinese or Tibetan name belonged to which character. That confusion sometimes hampered my understanding of the story.
But at other times I was thinking that Pattison, more than some authors, really does skip some segments of the lines he's drawing, which forces the reader to either connect the dots herself or to proceed reading in a faith that eventually more will make sense. I did a bit of both.
Toward the end, however, I did correctly anticipate a few things. That Jao's secretary would be dead, and that perhaps Kinkaid(spell?) was involved in something shady.
I loved the way the indigenous Tibetan prisoners used traditional mudras (Buddhist hand positions) almost like gang signs, to communicate with each other when the guards aren't paying attention. But I'm probably imposing some Western conceit on the behavior, as Pattison portrays these Tibetans as living their spirituality in everyday routines, down to the hand gestures.
I'm glad this series has other books about Shan already waiting for me!
How can one book be so bleak and so uplifting?
I've not studied Tibet, so I don't independently know whether Pattison got the land and culture right (except for broad political outlines in recent Tibetan history, which I am familiar with.)
But it sure seems as though the author spent years absorbing the environment.
The hero, Shan -- an independent-thinking political prisoner who's ethnic Chinese -- is plucked from his Tibetan work camp to use the skills acquired in his pre-disgraced life as an anti-corruption investigator in China proper.
Shan is brilliant but humble. Kind. Stubborn. Almost impervious to the criticism of others, but self-condemning.
He's got mere days to figure out a suspicious death that threatens to make the prison's director and assorted other bigwigs look bad. He also has to deal with the natural distrust of the Tibetans towards the Chinese.
Shan's not willing to produce a white wash just to please the bigwigs. But if he doesn't solve the crime, the director has said Shan's fellow inmates will be killed.
Shan is intuitive as well as a keen observer. Not only of obscure or seemingly trivial facts that, together, point toward the truth about the crime. But, also, of the tragedies and failures in the lives of those he comes across.
That covers the prison official who forced Shan onto the case, his fellow prisoners, corrupt officials, lowly peasants, Tibetan priests of iron character, American engineers on a local mining project, and one fallen priest.
Most of the book, I felt at least two steps behind Shan. To a certain extent -- and I'm embarrassed to say this -- I had a hard time keeping straight which exotic Chinese or Tibetan name belonged to which character. That confusion sometimes hampered my understanding of the story.
But at other times I was thinking that Pattison, more than some authors, really does skip some segments of the lines he's drawing, which forces the reader to either connect the dots herself or to proceed reading in a faith that eventually more will make sense. I did a bit of both.
Toward the end, however, I did correctly anticipate a few things. That Jao's secretary would be dead, and that perhaps Kinkaid(spell?) was involved in something shady.
I loved the way the indigenous Tibetan prisoners used traditional mudras (Buddhist hand positions) almost like gang signs, to communicate with each other when the guards aren't paying attention. But I'm probably imposing some Western conceit on the behavior, as Pattison portrays these Tibetans as living their spirituality in everyday routines, down to the hand gestures.
I'm glad this series has other books about Shan already waiting for me!
December 29, 2023
I have to say that The Skull Mantra, the first book in the Inspector Shan mystery series by Eliot Pattison was a nice surprise. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for a few years and I kept bypassing it, but I finally decided to give it a go.
It took me awhile to get into the flow, partly because I had a few other books on the go at the same time and also because it took me some time to get used to the names, the cultures, the political aspects, etc. But once I did, the story became a fascinating look at the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the story was a tense, exciting thriller.
Inspector Shan was a veteran investigator in Beijing who had been found guilty of crimes against the nation and was banished to Tibet where he finds himself amongst Buddhist monks held prisoner in a work camp. Shan has been there for a few years now and works on the same work gangs as the monks building a road into the mountains. As the story commences the crew finds a headless body near their work site. When the body is discovered to be that of a local Chinese prosecutor, Shan is brought in by Colonel Tan, the local security chief, to conduct an informal investigation. Shan is assisted by a Tibetan civilian, Yeshe and a Chinese Army Sgt, Feng.
What Colonel Tan hopes will be a simple investigation that will indict Buddhist activists becomes a far - reaching, complex investigation, that involves American mine owners, other Chinese functionaries and maybe even Tibetan demons, Tamdin by name.
Pattison provides a fascinating, rich description of the lives of those in Tibet, the Buddhist prisoners, the Chinese overlords and everyone else in between. There is a great deal of spiritualism involved in the story and it makes the people more complete and interesting. The politics involved as well, is well described and shows how complex a path Shan must follow to get to the truth. His assistants are both well presented and slowly they both come to appreciate Shan's work and his honesty.
As the story builds, the tension mounts and mounts and you become more invested in what is going on. The ultimate solution becomes a logical, well thought out conclusion, totally believable and the ending is poignant, sad in some ways, but also leaves you feeling positive and hopeful. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this series, but now I'm really looking forward to trying the 2nd book. (5.0 stars)
It took me awhile to get into the flow, partly because I had a few other books on the go at the same time and also because it took me some time to get used to the names, the cultures, the political aspects, etc. But once I did, the story became a fascinating look at the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the story was a tense, exciting thriller.
Inspector Shan was a veteran investigator in Beijing who had been found guilty of crimes against the nation and was banished to Tibet where he finds himself amongst Buddhist monks held prisoner in a work camp. Shan has been there for a few years now and works on the same work gangs as the monks building a road into the mountains. As the story commences the crew finds a headless body near their work site. When the body is discovered to be that of a local Chinese prosecutor, Shan is brought in by Colonel Tan, the local security chief, to conduct an informal investigation. Shan is assisted by a Tibetan civilian, Yeshe and a Chinese Army Sgt, Feng.
What Colonel Tan hopes will be a simple investigation that will indict Buddhist activists becomes a far - reaching, complex investigation, that involves American mine owners, other Chinese functionaries and maybe even Tibetan demons, Tamdin by name.
Pattison provides a fascinating, rich description of the lives of those in Tibet, the Buddhist prisoners, the Chinese overlords and everyone else in between. There is a great deal of spiritualism involved in the story and it makes the people more complete and interesting. The politics involved as well, is well described and shows how complex a path Shan must follow to get to the truth. His assistants are both well presented and slowly they both come to appreciate Shan's work and his honesty.
As the story builds, the tension mounts and mounts and you become more invested in what is going on. The ultimate solution becomes a logical, well thought out conclusion, totally believable and the ending is poignant, sad in some ways, but also leaves you feeling positive and hopeful. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this series, but now I'm really looking forward to trying the 2nd book. (5.0 stars)
August 25, 2025
Das Setting einen Gefangenen aus einem Arbeitslager als Ermittler einzusetzen ist durchaus interessant und etwas was man so noch nicht gelesen hat, als reiner Krimi ist das Buch allerdings nichts atemberaubendes. Es geht in diesem Buch aber auch viel mehr um die Kultur Tibets und wie von Seiten Chinas dagegen vorgegangen wird. Man hat das Gefühl richtig in die Region und die Kultur einzutauchen
January 8, 2022
This book took me a VERY long time to read, about two months for the first half when I can normally finish a book a week, but once I got used to some of the religious terminology and writing style I really enjoyed it and finished it quickly.
July 30, 2012
Outstanding mystery with great character development, a satisfying mystery, and a great window into the struggle of the Tibetan people against cultural annihilation by the Chinese. In this first of the series, a former criminal investigator from Beijing, Shan, is residing as a political prisoner in a work camp in Tibet along with near 200 Buddhist monks and local dissidents. A murder of the local Chinese prosecutor by beheading leads the county bureaucrat, Colonel Tan, to engage Shan to find a suitable guilty party. While the authorities want to blame a holy monk, many in the community believe a demon protector is responsible, based on mythologies that predate Buddhism . Shan must walk the dangerous line between protecting his Buddhist friends while not getting killed himself by the many powerful suspects his investigation points toward. Among the latter are ambitious and corrupt officials in the army, the national security forces, the justice department, the ministry of mining, and a division concerned with tourism and public relations. Along the way, the reader gets a good perspective on the peoples, environment, and history of this ancient land.
July 16, 2012
I didn't dislike this, and he certainly writes well in describing Tibet, but I had trouble with it. I wasn't able to pick up on any of the clues, many of which were in the form of koans. The bits of the puzzle were like drops of water; shapeless, without defined edges, and completely transparent. Together they formed something rather amorphous. Isn't part of the reason we read mysteries the joy of putting the puzzle pieces together?
The book made me feel stupid, which is never a good thing. I'm going to try the next book in the series to see if I can make any more sense of it.
The book made me feel stupid, which is never a good thing. I'm going to try the next book in the series to see if I can make any more sense of it.
September 3, 2015
This is not only a mystery but an expose of the treatment of Tibetans and Tibet by the Communist Chinese. This was an intriguing mystery and fairly complicated since names and government positions were so unfamiliar. I learned a great deal about Buddhism, Tibet and China but one question remains - why do we continue to buy products from this cruel, corrupt, and inhumane Chinese government?
April 15, 2022
I gave this book a 2nd chance as it is part of a book club reading list. I still didn't like, and I still didn't finish it = at least not by reading it page by page. I got about 120 pages into it and realized that (a) I couldn't keep the characters straight, and (b) I didn't care. So I read the last two chapters which were all I really needed to know.
August 11, 2025
Interesting murder mystery set in Tibet. The plot is populated by Communist Chinese, Tibetans and a couple of Americans, prisoners in a work camp, government officials, Buddhists, and traitors embedded everywhere. Very detailed but so much so that I got lost in tracking loyalties and names. A rich portrait of life in Tibet post-takeover by communist China.
February 18, 2015
I had hoped to enjoy this book rather more than I did. It started out engaging and interesting, but then less than halfway through it became convoluted, diffuse and confusing. Part of that may be that I'm spoiled by the books of writers like Qiu Xiaolong--people who actually grew up in China/Asia/the culture they're writing about, and can translate that (literally) into the English mystery novel medium. Another part may be that this is a first novel, and if Pattison already envisioned a series (and they all seem to, these days) he may have fallen into the temptation to pack as much background as possible into the first volume. Or indeed, he may be a seeker in Buddhism himself, I've no idea. For those of his readers who are not, it can be a bit extraneous. I'd really like to get an Asian/Sino-american's reaction to this book. Or even a Tibetan's. But I wonder if many have read it.
When a situation gets difficult, Pattison's solution seems to be--start a new paragraph and talk about something different. Rather like those monks who keep appearing and disappearing. Too many threads, too many characters, too much wandering and wondering--fine in its place, but the resolution of the mystery was anticlimactic and didn't seem to be connected to all that went before. The "bad guy" of course turns out to be one of the "good guys"--or maybe he never was either. Some of the foreign terms are defined, particularly the instruments pertaining to temple worship, but a lot of them are just left--and the context doesn't tell you what the word means. Not good, since few Western readers have access to an English/Tibetan dictionary. Is the discerning reader "supposed" to know already? A little too much soap-boxing, by everyone but the monks, and even then Yeshe... I was left dissatisfied, feeling that with a little more editing and attention to structure (not detail, there's far too much detail already) the writing could have been tightened up and made for a good page-turning read.
Will I read another Pattison novel? Maybe, but he'll have to catch my attention and hold it, and not just wander off.
When a situation gets difficult, Pattison's solution seems to be--start a new paragraph and talk about something different. Rather like those monks who keep appearing and disappearing. Too many threads, too many characters, too much wandering and wondering--fine in its place, but the resolution of the mystery was anticlimactic and didn't seem to be connected to all that went before. The "bad guy" of course turns out to be one of the "good guys"--or maybe he never was either. Some of the foreign terms are defined, particularly the instruments pertaining to temple worship, but a lot of them are just left--and the context doesn't tell you what the word means. Not good, since few Western readers have access to an English/Tibetan dictionary. Is the discerning reader "supposed" to know already? A little too much soap-boxing, by everyone but the monks, and even then Yeshe... I was left dissatisfied, feeling that with a little more editing and attention to structure (not detail, there's far too much detail already) the writing could have been tightened up and made for a good page-turning read.
Will I read another Pattison novel? Maybe, but he'll have to catch my attention and hold it, and not just wander off.
February 25, 2016
If you are looking for a straightforward mystery, you will not like this book. It has a great number of twists and turns leaving the reader sometimes confused about who the criminals are.
Shan, a political prisoner, in work group 404 is brought before the Provincial Governor, Colonel Tan, and assigned the task of finding out who beheaded Prosecutor Jao on the road Group 404 was building. Before being sent to the work camp, Shan had been a crack investigator in Beijing. He made some poor political decisions and as a result was banished to Tibet and sentenced to an indeterminate period as a worker in a Tibetan detention center.
He is constantly frustrated by local officials including Tan who want the case solved neatly and blamed on a Tibetan Monk, Sungpo. Shan refuses to do so and puts his whole work-group in danger of being massacred. As Shan uncovers many details and grows to appreciate the strength of the Tibetan monks, he also realizes he's been changed by his exposure to the monks and their practice of Buddhism.
The ending provides a number of surprises but Pattison manages to tie everything up, leaving me satisfied with the conclusion.
Having recently visited Tibet, I realized the scenes in this book were a far cry from the Tibet I was allowed to see. Granted that this is a work of fiction, nevertheless it is true that the Chinese government is invested in downgrading if not actually eliminating the Tibetan culture. More and more Han Chinese are moving into Tibet and overwhelming the Native Tibetans. The treatment of political prisoners in China is well documented and the camp described in this book isn't that much different from real life accounts.
While not an easy read, I highly recommend this book as both an excellent mystery and also an accurate reflection of present day Tibet.
Shan, a political prisoner, in work group 404 is brought before the Provincial Governor, Colonel Tan, and assigned the task of finding out who beheaded Prosecutor Jao on the road Group 404 was building. Before being sent to the work camp, Shan had been a crack investigator in Beijing. He made some poor political decisions and as a result was banished to Tibet and sentenced to an indeterminate period as a worker in a Tibetan detention center.
He is constantly frustrated by local officials including Tan who want the case solved neatly and blamed on a Tibetan Monk, Sungpo. Shan refuses to do so and puts his whole work-group in danger of being massacred. As Shan uncovers many details and grows to appreciate the strength of the Tibetan monks, he also realizes he's been changed by his exposure to the monks and their practice of Buddhism.
The ending provides a number of surprises but Pattison manages to tie everything up, leaving me satisfied with the conclusion.
Having recently visited Tibet, I realized the scenes in this book were a far cry from the Tibet I was allowed to see. Granted that this is a work of fiction, nevertheless it is true that the Chinese government is invested in downgrading if not actually eliminating the Tibetan culture. More and more Han Chinese are moving into Tibet and overwhelming the Native Tibetans. The treatment of political prisoners in China is well documented and the camp described in this book isn't that much different from real life accounts.
While not an easy read, I highly recommend this book as both an excellent mystery and also an accurate reflection of present day Tibet.
November 23, 2008
I knew it was good from the get go, not simple, not easy, but a very well built story, full of details, making it difficult for you but still grabbing your attention every step of the way. And it is indeed a very good crime story.
What I especially liked though, were the details of the characters' names. It's a very cunning way to keep you sharp while you read, and also to state the difference between the Chinese and the Tibetan - it's very hard to keep track and if you don't pay attention you will easily mix up Chan with Shan and Tan and Li with Hu Li with Wen with Feng. But not the Tibetan names - those are very different from one another: Choje, Rinpoche, Trinle, Yeshe, etc. It's a statement about the Chinese - lets call it comunist - system, where everyone kinda blends, and individuality is irrelevant. And then the Tibetan where there are even Ragyapas, a very special kind of breed that watch over the dead. The amount of layers that are shown about tibetans is almost overwhelming. And of course the eternally utopic americans (spoiler!!) with their good intentions messing it all up. Hum!
I think I might read this one again because I am pretty sure I missed a few details here and there. Very instructive as well. I feel now I know a little about what's going on there and it's not pretty. I'm left with the feeling that the rest of us must act upon it. Now.
What I especially liked though, were the details of the characters' names. It's a very cunning way to keep you sharp while you read, and also to state the difference between the Chinese and the Tibetan - it's very hard to keep track and if you don't pay attention you will easily mix up Chan with Shan and Tan and Li with Hu Li with Wen with Feng. But not the Tibetan names - those are very different from one another: Choje, Rinpoche, Trinle, Yeshe, etc. It's a statement about the Chinese - lets call it comunist - system, where everyone kinda blends, and individuality is irrelevant. And then the Tibetan where there are even Ragyapas, a very special kind of breed that watch over the dead. The amount of layers that are shown about tibetans is almost overwhelming. And of course the eternally utopic americans (spoiler!!) with their good intentions messing it all up. Hum!
I think I might read this one again because I am pretty sure I missed a few details here and there. Very instructive as well. I feel now I know a little about what's going on there and it's not pretty. I'm left with the feeling that the rest of us must act upon it. Now.
June 6, 2020
This mystery novel is the first in the Inspector Shan Tao Yun series, set in Tibet. This novel was awarded the Edgar Allen Poe (Edgar) Award by the Mystery Writers of America (MWA), and with good reason. The short version of my review is: The MWA obviously loved it, and so will you!
Inspector Shan is a sympathetic character, a former Beijing Fraud Inspector consigned to a Tibetan work camp for being just a little too efficient. Although not nominally Buddhist (his father was a secret Taoist), Shan is a highly idealistic and moral person, and quickly comes to identify more closely with his fellow (Tibetan) prisoners as opposed to the life he left behind in Beijing.
When a homicide occurs, the surprisingly three-dimensional Warden decides to put his ex-police inmate to work solving the crime. Although this setup becomes slightly (only slightly) more contrived in future novels, it works perfectly here. There is a whole smörgåsbord of themes here: the cultural and political conflict between the Tibetan Autonomous Region and the CCP in Beijing, racial tension between Han Chinese and the Tibetans, the plight of disenfranchised Tibetan youth, Buddhist relics, and the nature and future of Tibetan Buddhism. All of this wrapped around a well written old fashioned mystery, like a juicy, delicious, Tibetan mystery burrito. Read it!
Inspector Shan is a sympathetic character, a former Beijing Fraud Inspector consigned to a Tibetan work camp for being just a little too efficient. Although not nominally Buddhist (his father was a secret Taoist), Shan is a highly idealistic and moral person, and quickly comes to identify more closely with his fellow (Tibetan) prisoners as opposed to the life he left behind in Beijing.
When a homicide occurs, the surprisingly three-dimensional Warden decides to put his ex-police inmate to work solving the crime. Although this setup becomes slightly (only slightly) more contrived in future novels, it works perfectly here. There is a whole smörgåsbord of themes here: the cultural and political conflict between the Tibetan Autonomous Region and the CCP in Beijing, racial tension between Han Chinese and the Tibetans, the plight of disenfranchised Tibetan youth, Buddhist relics, and the nature and future of Tibetan Buddhism. All of this wrapped around a well written old fashioned mystery, like a juicy, delicious, Tibetan mystery burrito. Read it!
September 13, 2023
Kitabı çok başlarda bıraktım hatta burada sildim ama hakkında bir şeyler söylemek için tekrar ekliyorum. Polisiye örgüsü için bir şey diyemem. Tibet’te yol çalışma alanında ceset bulunuyor. Konuya gizem katmadan çok direkt girdiğini söyleyebilirim. Ama benim sorunum başka. Yazar uluslararası şirketlere yatırım danışmanlığı yapan bir avukat. Haliyle kitapta rahatsız edici ölçüde Çin aynı anlama gelmek üzere sosyalizm karşıtlığı var. Çin yol yapıyor; bakın insanları çok kötü çalıştırıyor diyor, Çin mesainiz bitti diyor; insanları böyle boş bırakmak olmaz diye buna da kulp buluyor. Zaten inşaat alanı çalışma kampı olarak geçiyor. Karikatür düzeyde Çin karşıtlığı romanı okunmaz hale getiriyor. Sürekli insanların önemsenmediğinin altı çiziliyor. Polisiyede devletin, toplumun altının oyulması hoşuma gider. Çin tüm hayranlığıma karşın eleştirilemez değil ayrıca. Deng’in köy komünlerini ucuz iş gücü uğruna dağıtmasını eleştirelim, üretim kaynaklarını birleştirme adı altında sermayeyi güçlendirme arzusunu eleştirelim. Bunlara sözüm yok. Ama yazdığı kültür hakkında araştırma yapmaya bile tenezzül etmeyen bir Amerikan yazardan sosyalizmin problemlerini okumak inanılmaz tat kaçırıcı.
August 4, 2010
Eliot Pattison's The Skull Mantra is an elegant literary mystery set in contemporary Tibet. This is an unusual setting for a detective novel yet the author fills it with detailed and knowledgeable information of the land, the people, and the religion. The novel can be read for either the mystery or the description of a troubled part of the world and the reader will enjoy both. Recommended for those who lie their thrillers on the exotic side.
February 8, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up.
1st book in the Inspector Shan series.
The book was only 400 pages, but felt much longer due to the tremendous amount of historical and cultural detail. At times I thought the plot meandered, but the ending came together so beautifully it was all worth it. I went from thinking I wouldn't bother with the rest of the series, to eager to read the next book!
This book is the reason I don't give up on books, you just never know when...
Read 1/27-2/7/2018
1st book in the Inspector Shan series.
The book was only 400 pages, but felt much longer due to the tremendous amount of historical and cultural detail. At times I thought the plot meandered, but the ending came together so beautifully it was all worth it. I went from thinking I wouldn't bother with the rest of the series, to eager to read the next book!
This book is the reason I don't give up on books, you just never know when...
Read 1/27-2/7/2018
September 7, 2021
I had a tough time getting through the first part of the book. The prose doesn't flow well enough and this book is about 20% too damn long. Send in an editor with a socket set, I guess I'm saying in retrospect.
Still, the subjects of Buddhist demons, a Tibetan labour camp, and a murder mystery are compelling enough to sustain the story. The last portion of the book is the best, so hold out if you feel you're flagging.
Still, the subjects of Buddhist demons, a Tibetan labour camp, and a murder mystery are compelling enough to sustain the story. The last portion of the book is the best, so hold out if you feel you're flagging.
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