Mandarin Gate (Inspector Shan Tao Yun) by Eliot Pattison

Inspector Shan #7

by Eliot Pattison

In Mandarin Gate, Edgar Award winner Eliot Pattison brings Shan back in a thriller that navigates the explosive political and religious landscape of Tibet.In an earlier time, Shan Tao Yun was an Inspector stationed in Beijing. But he lost his position, his family and his freedom when he ran afoul of a powerful figure high in the Chinese government. Released unofficially from the work camp to which he'd been sentenced, Shan has been living in remote mountains of Tibet with a group of outlawed Buddhist monks. Without status, official identity, or the freedom to return to his former home in Beijing, Shan has just begun to settle into his menial job as an inspector of irrigation and sewer ditches in a remote Tibetan township when he encounters a wrenching crime scene. Strewn across the grounds of an old Buddhist temple undergoing restoration are the bodies of two unidentified men and a Tibetan nun. Shan quickly realizes that the murders pose a riddle the Chinese police might in fact be trying to cover up. When he discovers that a nearby village has been converted into a new internment camp for Tibetan dissidents arrested in Beijing's latest pacification campaign, Shan recognizes the dangerous landscape he has entered. To find justice for the victims and to protect an American woman who witnessed the murders, Shan must navigate through the treacherous worlds of the internment camp, the local criminal gang, and the government's rabid pacification teams, while coping with his growing doubts about his own identity and role in Tibet.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Buddhism, Crime, China, Mystery Thriller

Paperback

First published November 27, 2012

About the author

Edgar 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.

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a solid four, as other books I've read by Pattison have been.
The stories are fantastic. Pattison has a couple of series, one set in present day former Tibet, the other set in Revolutionary War times in the territory of the original colonies. I've read several of the Tibetan stories.

The books set in Chinese occupied Tibet feature a former police inspector, Shan Tao Yun from Beijing, who crossed a party official in the past and ended up in one of the worst of the gulags in China for several years. While there, he befriended some Tibetan monks who made up the majority of the prisoners in this particular place. Since Shan's parole, he has been working as inspector of sewer systems in a remote Himalayan province, which suits him because of his proximity with the Tibetans he came to identify with. Of course, he also carries on with solving crimes while trying to remain under the vindictive official's radar.

The modern day Tibetan society is not romanticized; it's multifaceted. There are white hats and black hats and everything in between, as would be expected in any group of human beings. Crimes are committed. Murders, thefts of cultural artifacts, destruction of monasteries, graft ... so much we are capable of!

This particular book was weaker than the others I had read. The narrative dragged beyond the author's usual almost contemplative tone. The brutality the Tibetans were subjected to, the rogue lama, the cover-ups, the danger of everyday life -- all of these were plausible. Shan getting himself arrested to go to a particular prison in order to rescue his Tibetan friend and an American woman -- and succeeding (etcetera) -- were just not, sorry, believable at all.

So three and a half.

[P.D.R. Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

How nice, another inspector Shan story. Well, it's a story about Tibet really and what is happening in Tibet and that made me so angry and so sad.

From the fictional point of view this is another good solid piece of writing from a writer who chooses his words carefully and puts them together with a poet's ear.

The story is dramatic and the plot twists and jinks so that it is very hard to outguess Shan as he tries to sort out why one lama dies and who killed the three bodies found in the old convent.

The behaviour of the Chinese government officials is as sickening as ever. The possible plot they have put together is all too realistic and highly likely. And I did find Shan's relationship with the
Lieutenant sad, bound to be doomed!

For those readers who know nothing of Tibet the novel gives a clear picture of what is happening now, in truth! For anyone who likes a whodunnit set in exotic surroundings this is a good book to read. For the fans of Shan here is another well written tale to add to their bookshelves.

If I had my way I'd make every person who thinks and cares read the first novel in the series - 'The Skull Mantra' and then this one. Then I'd ask them to get up and protest loudly about the Chinese government's foul lack of human rights policies and appalling treatment of Tibetans.

[CarolineFromConcord · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this mystery writer. He has two series. The older series is about Shan, a Chinese detective, cast off from China and in love with Tibet. The series is powerful and troubling. The author knows a lot about Tibet. I suspect his visits there in the 1980s were for a Western government. He remains deeply alarmed by the Chinese campaign to wipe out a culture, a language, and a religion, but he always has at least one Chinese character who is different from the government. In this mystery there are several "good Chinese." The intricate plot focuses on an effort by Beijing to plant spies in Buddhist monasteries. As in Pattison's other mysteries, the ending is satisfying, but we know the abuse goes on. (The love interest was totally new for the series. I was surprised.)

If you like the Shan books, you may also like Pattison's series about 18th C America and the Indians, whose culture, language, and religion other colonial empires are trying to wipe out. And once more, a representative of the oppressing country learns and loves the native ways and helps the people to the extent possible.

[Shomeret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Shan, once a crime investigator in Beijing, is now to quote him "an official damned inspector of dams" in Tibet. There were some wonderful characters and some interesting Buddhist practices, but from a plot perspective, I could have wished for more believability. Readers are asked to swallow some incredible stupidity on the part of the Chinese regime in Mandarin Gate. I am willing to believe that Chinese government functionaries can be corrupt, but not idiotic. Chinese government decisions described in this book contradict what I know about their established policies. For example, I don't think it's probable that Chinese authorities would have re-located an entire street gang to Tibet without breaking them up. In the United States, authorities try to break up youth gangs by not allowing gang members to associate with each other as a probation requirement. In the case of the Chinese government,this is especially unlikely considering that Beijing normally breaks up the families of criminals and dissidents. The group of dissident intellectuals who were sent with their families to the same settlement is another example that contradicts this policy. If policy had been followed, a number of the characters could not have played the roles they did. It boggled my mind that it didn't occur to the bureaucrats in Beijing that these particular decisions could cause them a great deal of trouble. I know that we are supposed to suspend disbelief for fiction, but there are limits. Pattison owes me new suspenders. My current set of disbelief suspenders are completely ruined.

For the version of this review that appears on my blog, see my January 2013 post "Behind Eliot Pattison's Mandarin Gate" at http://www.maskedpersona.blogspot.com

[LynnB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy this series. They may be a bit hard to follow sometimes, but I think that's pretty realistic as the Chinese takeover of Tibet is described. I haven't read one of this series in awhile, but I believe this book is particularly good in describing the impact that the takeover has on the individual Tibetans. It really does remind me of what happened with the Native Americans in the US. No more religion, no more culture, no more land, no more family structures, and constant "re-education". So - if that interests you as well as mysteries, this is a series for you.

[Tinika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often choose my mysteries based upon the setting, combining armchair sleuthing with some armchair travel. The Mandarin Gate by Eliot Pattison is strong in both arenas.

Rutger is German and Cora is American. They are in a part of Tibet closed to tourists and they are there without the Chinese government's knowledge in order to document the abuses of the gulags holding ethnic Tibetans and anyone else who runs afoul of the regime. Inspector Shan, once a detective in Beijing, is a survivor from one of those prisons and how he got out is from an earlier story. Now he is the inspector of ditches and sewers in an isolated part of Tibet but his earlier skills are still active even if not officially so. Early on, Rutger is found murdered along with a Buddhist nun and a local criminal so he is not really a part of this story; Cora has gone into hiding so she, also, has little to do with it. No one is working very hard to solve the murders so Shan takes it upon himself. It soon becomes clear that the obstructions he is facing are political in nature. The one break Shan gets is that the bureaucracy is so great and cumbersome that the different branches of repression do not communicate very well with each other and he is able to team up with a local officer to solve the case. She is female so a tad of romantic tension is introduced.

More than a mystery (and a pretty good one at that,) Mandarin Gate is about Tibet; it is an ode to the spirit of the people. A crime greater than the murders is the systematic way the Chinese government is working to erase the people’s culture, religion and language while the rest of us remain ignorant of the oppression. Rutger and Cora were photographing and video recording the abuses, hoping to enlighten the world. In the book, they are unable to do so. Eliot Pattison’s medium is different but his intentions are the same. It is an important message and Mandarin Gate is well worth reading.

[Wal.li · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die große Sünde

Shan und Lokesh helfen bei Wiederaufbau alter tibetischer Schreine. Dabei haben sie die Bekanntschaft mit einem Lama geschlossen, dessen kluge und vorsichtige Handlungen in ihren Augen von großer Erleuchtung zeugen. An einem besonders schönen Tag muss Shan entsetzt mit ansehen wie sich eben jener Lama vor seinen Augen erschießt, eine der größten Sünden, die ein tibetischer Mönch begehen kann. Was kann nur die Ursache für diese Tat sein. Sofort macht Shan sich ins nahe gelegene Kloster auf, um mehr über die letzten Wege des Erleuchteten herauszufinden. Dort allerdings erwarten ihn keine Informationen, sondern er muss mit Grauen feststellen, dass im Innenhof drei weitere Menschen den Tod gefunden haben.

Shan, der ehemalige Ermittler in Peking in Ungnade gefallen und dem Gulag entkommen, beginnt seine Nachforschungen. In großer Dankbarkeit gegenüber seinem Freund Lokesh, der ihn im Lager über die Verzweiflung und Hoffnungslosigkeit hinweg geholfen hat, beschäftigt sich Shan eingehend mit der erhaltenswerten tibetischen Kultur und unternimmt was in seiner Macht steht, um Unheil von der tibetischen Bevölkerung abzuwenden. Die chinesische Staatsmacht sähe es am Liebsten, wenn von der Kultur Tibets nur noch eine Touristenattraktion bliebe. Ein tibetischer Staat, das tibetische Volk - beides soll mit Freude im chinesischen Staat untergehen. Um diese Entwicklung voranzutreiben sind sich Polizei und Geheimdienst fast für nichts zu schade. Doch wer sollte ein Interesse daran haben gleichzeitig eine Nonne, einen ausländischen Fotografen und einen chinesisches Bandenmitglied umzubringen.

Wie schon gewohnt, entführt Eliot Pattison seine Leser in das Hochland Tibets. Er beschreibt Orte, die kaum je ein Tourist zu sehen bekommt und Begebenheiten, die sicher wahr sein könnten und die ebenso sicher nicht nach außen dringen sollen. Es überschauert einen bei dem Gedanken wie systematisch die Kultur des tibetischen Volkes kaputt gemacht werden soll. Schon Kleinigkeiten werden hergenommen, um Menschen für Jahre in Straflager zu bringen. Verschwindet jemand, gibt es keine Sicherheit, ob er je wieder auftauchen wird. Doch der stille Widerstand der Tibeter und auch Shans intelligent ausgefeilte Ideen, die Wege der Macht zu Gunsten der Schwachen auszunutzen, lassen einen hoffen, dass noch nicht alles verloren ist. Die Reihe um den Ermittler Shan ist ausgesprochen lesenswert und geeignet das Interesse an den Vorgängen in Tibet zu schüren.

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize that this book was in a series until I put it in here on goodreads. Maybe if I had started at book one, I would have liked it better. I just found it hard to get into and really care about the characters. I have read a lot about China but was not aware of the ethnic struggles between China and Tibet. It was also hard to believe that this book takes place in modern times with the mention of the internet when it could easily have taken place in the 1950s! Even earlier possibly with the living conditions of the people!!

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid entry in Pattison's Inspector Chan series. 

In this case, I read more for the fascinating descriptions of Tibet than for the mysteries, but the mysteries hold their own.

I read this immediately following Bone Rattler, which Pattison sets in his own country's history, and I find I prefer his take on Tibet than the history with which he is probably more familiar.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Eliot Pattison's book series featuring Inspector Shan - an exiled Chinese police officer in Tibet. This was a particularly good addition in the series as it introduced a new character Lieutenant Meng. I hope she will return in another book and add to the help Shan receives from some very unlikely people. Highly recommend this book and the entire series.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandarin Gate: Eliot Patterson


Life for continues to be difficult for Shan Tao Yun. Once a formidable Inspector stationed in Beijing, finally released from a work camp hoping to create some type of life for himself. But, the story opens in an unusual way where he meets him and two monks getting ready for a celebration and the reopening of a shrine. As one monk is chasing a thief and hopes to get back his bounty, Shan and Lokesh the other monk assist him in his quest. But, what happens next will not only surprise Shan but also create a serious void in his heart and life. As he and the monk bring back what was stolen, clean the items and prepare for the celebration Shan spies a rifle among the monk’s possessions. Fearing that this would get him in trouble with the authorities he planned to rid him of the gun before it’s noticed. But, the tables turn deadly as the monk prays, says his final words and uses the gun on himself. Fearful, sad and knowing that the death had to be hidden or more would follow in a different way, Shan and Lokesh plan on the burial and find a way to hide what some might find out anyway. But, not before Shan spies the police in the Tibetan township and comes face to face with a heinous crime scene and much more. Status matters in this world and according to the Chinese government those without official identity do not have the freedom to move about and Shan cannot return to his home in Beijing and lives among the outlawed Buddhist Monks. As the new Inspector of irrigation and sewer ditches, a job, not that vital or important, he falls upon this scene. Jamyang’s agony in death would be great, as he would not go to heaven as one would want to. Jamyang must have as Shan contemplates had some great agony in life that propelled him to take his own. If his death is not hidden, the death of an unregistered monk dying of a bullet self inflicted in his head would definitely flag a red alert to the Chinese police. If as he states the knobs will learn of it, then those in Public Security would use it as an excuse to ship more to the camps. Lokesh would set about the task of carrying him away to be cleaned and hopefully remove him before anyone notices. As the author enlightens the reader into Shan’s past life, his relationship with his son who is in prison and his life right now. Meeting a Public Security lieutenant he learns more about what the police are looking at and the fresh crime scene he came upon. The scene an old Buddhist temple the victims two men and a nun arranged in the pattern of the letter U. The bodies mutilated, defiled and covered with red paint and their hands held down with a stone. The woman wore a Tibetan wool cap and the sight would bring chills down anyone’s spine. As Shan assesses the crime scene more thoroughly as the police go off in a different direction he notices some important things about the murdered victims. One thing for sure someone went to a lot of trouble to orchestrate the scene and not blood but red paint covered the bodies. As he looks closer at the male figures he finds something in a pocket, a striker flint and then a piece of paper he takes with him. Looking closer at the woman he learns she’s a nun and he finds several things on her that he takes too. What is the link to the lama that killed himself and why did the murders take place in the same exact spot? Jamyang cleaned the offerings and his demeanor sad, solemn. Saying goodbye to the deities, Shan realized he knew about the murders.

With no direct supervisor over him he has more freedom to investigate the murders and what he learns from just his observations is quite compelling. Reenacting the murders in his own mind by sitting at wheel where the nun was working he as Lokesh would say picked up the chain of prayer and added his link to the dean woman’s as many did before him for centuries. Sitting at the wheel and lost in his thoughts he forgot it was a murder scene and yet he pictured the events in his mind.

As you learn more about the officers, the officials and the government in this book you learn that in the Chinese Empire a member of any of the nine ranks of public officials are distinguished by the specific kind of button worn on their cap which defines them in Mandarin society.

When Shan meets a woman named Chemno he learns more about the redistribution centers, the transitions communities and the lives of those placed in these prisons without bars. What he is told is not really the truth as he witnesses the conditions with his own eyes when he visits the Clear Water Camp and sees it for himself. Learning that they converted an old army base into a pacification camp and sending children to work in the factories was eye opening for Shan. Meeting with Jigten he learns even more. Reflecting on what happened with the police lieutenant and realizing there was more to her story and as she welcomed him to their model pioneer community and learns that someone stole the bodies and someone attacked her but who and why?

Pain inflicted, gunshots and more were the usual in Tibet and Shan and Meng were now in the middle of what he the author refers to as a hailstorm of death you might say. As he hopes to safe some and he meets a man named Yuan. Yuan Guo was a professor and his life was in Harbin. He established the Chinese History Department and married a professor. As they shared their lives he learned why the families were there, the threats made against their children and the fate of many others. As he learns more about the pacification camps and the people living there he realizes that he has entered once again a dangerous territory. Justice needs to be found and Shan will not give up until he finds the truth behind the murders, protects Cora, the American woman, enters the world of the internment camps and finds himself embroiled with the criminals, pacification teams, the corruption in the government and a gang called the Jade Crow. All throughout the novel you begin to see different shades of Shan as he battle other demons within himself to learn and find just where he belongs.
Author Eliot Pattison takes the reader inside the internment camps to see first hand the conditions, their lives and hear the voices of those sent there. The author allows the reader to get to know Shan in-depth as he struggles to find his own way in Tibet, investigate the murders, help those in the internment camps and find his true identity and worth again. The pain inflicted, the tears shed and hopelessness all come through plus the first hand knowledge he offers the reader as someone who visited and still visits Tibet and has seen the conditions first hand.

As the story continues we learn more about the cells of dissents, those transplanted to Tibet hoping they would not survive, and the pacification settlements and truth behind what is really going on in them and the conditions that the people live in. There are threats made to those living there and there are concessions they have to make in order to protect their young. Shan then leads us back to the murders and the fact that the three bodies were stolen as he meets Professor Yuan and then the encounter with the gang. Attacked by the gang members, questioned about the murders and adding more information than he had before the tensions rise and the situation more volatile for Shan. Then, a twist.

Face to face with Liang and threats made on all sides Shan finally goes to seek out the answers he needs at the nun’s hermitage but will they welcome him and when will all of the pieces of the puzzles fit into place? As we hear the voices of the abbots and learn more about what will happen if they come and interrogate them about the American who witnessed the murders. Just how can Shan help and why him?

Shan delves deeper and we learn the truth behind what Cora and Rutger were filming and what was in the photos and videos. We learn more from Jigten and from Chemno and the Clear Water Camp. How would they show the Chinese that not everyone was blind to what they were doing?

Deceits, thieves, murders, lies and much more comprise the lives of these people as they dig their way to survival but can they? There are so many issues brought to light by the author. Abuses against these people, lies told to them in order to survive, prison camps that were masked as internment camps supposedly to help these people have a better life. As one of the Jade Crow hears more truths than he cares to from Shan and the link to the dead lama is revealed and a secret about him uncovered many worlds would change.


Author Eliot Pattison reminds the reader that what is described in this book really happens, is happening now and is real. Take a trip inside the internment camps, hear the screams, feel the pain and understand the fears, customs, ways, myths, stories and lives of the people of Tibet and the dismantling of Tibet by the Chinese government over the last two generations. Learn what the government of Beijing has done to destroy the culture and beauty that was once Tibet. But as Shan rides with the police, learns the ways of others, allows Public Security to beat and abuse him he loses sight of Shan. What story did Jamyang tell and what was in his journal? Take a picture the lens does not lie unless you doctor what is filmed or photographed what you see as you read this book will remind you just how blind is everyone to the truth?

The Mandarin Gate: the gate Mandarins leave after receiving honors from the Emperor. One man would sacrifice his life for telling the truth but what happens will surprise the reader. A caste system that ranks people according to their position and presents them with a badge to wear for everyone to know their standing or ranking. An ending that will surprise the reader and a people that come together as one. Voices that will be heard and stories that will be recorded and told. One man Shan: where will life take him next?
Fran Lewis: reviewer

[Timons Esaias · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently reviewed a work in which the writing style suddenly weakened halfway through the volume (a trilogy), and here I get to report the exact opposite. While I'm devoted to this series, I have consistently complained about the over-complication of the plots, and certain bad prose habits or errors of fact. A specific indicator I use to evaluate the prose style of popular fiction writers is the number of times they use certain "phony writer words" like grimace. Pattison has run a steady multi-grimace pace for the earlier books in this series (11 in book 4, 3 in book 5, 3 in book 6), but I found only one in this volume.

My other complaints are that he used the Hollywood nonsense of Inspector Shan closing a corpse's eyes (it doesn't work in real life), and Shan gets knocked unconscious yet again. More than once, if I recall correctly. Along with all the other traumas his system has had, he must have severe TBI by this point.

But though the plot is complicated, and has interesting reveals and reversals, it still remains credible. The writing is often poetic, one cares about several of the characters, and both the despairs and joys of Shan's life are well expressed.

The only spoiler I'll give is that this is a murder mystery, and one that quickly takes a bizarre turn. It starts with us learning that Shan now has an actual position. He's the inspector of ditches for the county, and has a truck at his disposal. This gives him an interesting perspective on the area and people, but is also another thing he might lose if the slightest thing goes wrong. And there is a new officer in the area, looking to make things go wrong.

Recommended.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Number 7 in Eliot Pattison's Inspector Shan series is both a chilling mystery and a social commentary on the unimaginable, incomparable part of the world that is Tibet. The author has an accurate grasp of Tibet, Tibetans, and the way things are at the roof of the world. I say this based on my own experiences and what I learned while traveling there.
The quality of the writing remains superb and steady in all of his novels, including the Bone Rattler series about the American wilderness at the time of the French and Indian War, and the dystopian mystery Ashes of the Earth.
The Shan series is an engaging and entertaining way to experience Tibet, and maybe the reader will be inspired to hang some prayer flags in honor of the Tibetans who struggle to survive.

[Patricia Vroman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his 7th Shan novel, Pattison continues to show, through Shan, his compassion for the native Tibetan people displaced or imprisoned by the Chinese occupiers. Shan would love to escape to the mountains with his spiritual guide, Lokesh, but is compelled by his sense of justice and his horror at the increasing numbers and atrocity of detention and reeducation camps to use his talents as an investigator to try to solve some gruesome murders. Fighting against corrupt authority and at times aided or frustrated by unlikely characters he progresses despite threats to his life or a lifetime in a gulag. Pattison continues to fight for the underdog and the oppressed in this and all his novels.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some readers find the complexity of the characters & plot to be too much—feeling muddled at first. But the ambiguity & confusion is part & parcel of an oppressed society facing cultural genocide. The issues are hard to comprehend but the reader who rolls with the challenging format is rewarded with new spiritual perspective, & subtle but fulfilling plot twists & resolutions. I really like this series!

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent series taking place in Tibet as the Chinese Communist Party, through its' government & agencies, continues its' plans to eradicate any Tibetan history & culture, as well as punish any "perceived dissident(disloyal?) members of their own citizens, through extreme overt & covert actions & oppression.

I think the book fits within the creative non-fiction mold, certainly a historical novel for fairly current history, given that it goes back only about 50 years.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This the first book of this detective series I have read. It was so good because it really told me so much of the Chinese occupation of that land. That occupation is evil in its abuse of the culture and lives of Tibetans.

The story was involving with characters to care about and missions to be passionate about.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent detective story

I really enjoyed the depth of this tale. The mystery was really good as with his other books. The heartache of reading of Tibet just makes it more poignant. On of my favorite mystery series, it has led me to research more on the non fiction plight of Tibet.

[Maurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Inspector Shan books are pretty similar, with one notable exception in this case: Shan has a romantic entanglement. The ins and outs of the mystery are nearly impossible to follow. But what is consistent is the treatment of Tibetans by the Chinese authorities, which is horrific to say the least.

[John Stults · Rating 5 out of 5]

outstanding

A more twisty mystery than normal but ends up describing in detail how the PRC uses trained deep cover agents who appear to be monk and leaders but in reality work for the government. This story is well worth reading and I found it
Hard to put down. I highly recommend this novel.

[Gail Barrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are hard to find so I'm not reading them in order. It's not hard to figure things out, though, and Inspector Shan is battling the Chinese government as usual. The stories of the oppression of the Tibetan people are heartbreaking but Shan manages to solve his latest murder case. These books address universal themes as well as political ones and I am enjoying them very much.

[Marc Severson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pattison has become my favorite author. The interplay of the strangeness of Tibet and its way of life juxtaposed against a good mystery novel always keeps me interested.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partisan continues with the horrors the Chinese have visited on the Tibetan people's

[Terry Crossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another superb book in this series. Am binging and having a hard time putting the books down.

[Ardys Otterbacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still slowly re-reading the series so I can delay reading the final one. I'm still in need of reminding about Tibetan Buddhism.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so so awesome!

[Karen Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read but somewhat disappointing

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated plot. I learned about Buddhist monks and China's brutal takeover of Tibet.

[Shellie (Layers of Thought) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review posted at Layers of Thought.

An elegant and literary whodunit, set against the backdrop of China’s brutal crushing of Tibetan society and beliefs.

Description: Shan used to be a police inspector in Beijing, but was imprisoned in a remote Tibetan jail after he ran afoul of a powerful figure in the Chinese Government. After being unofficially released, he has to remain in Tibet without status or official identity, unable to return home to Beijing. He now lives among outlawed Buddhist monks, who he comes to admire and love.

While doing menial work as an inspector of irrigation and sewer ditches, he comes across a horrific crime scene, two unidentified men and a Tibetan nun murdered and displayed in a strange tableau in the grounds on an old Buddhist temple. Unable to prevent himself from getting involved, he soon realizes that the Chinese police seem more intent on covering up facts rather than solving the crime.

When the evidence leads Shan to a new internment camp for Tibetan dissidents, he finds himself in grave danger. While trying to find justice for the victims, he now has to navigate between the people running the camp, a local criminal gang, various different Chinese police and army factions, and the Chinese governments’ rabid pacification teams who are trying to stamp out local Tibetan customs and belief systems.

John’s thoughts: This was a very good read, a combination of a complex and interesting whodunit and a damning indictment of China’s treatment of Tibet and its people. Set in the remote and beautiful Tibetan countryside, you also get to learn a lot about Tibet’s traditional and gentle Buddhist communities.

The book is filled with many complex and interesting characters, starting with Shan himself who is torn between his personal beliefs, seeking justice, protecting his new-found Tibetan friends and trying not to endanger his imprisoned son. Among others featured in the story are peaceful monks, one of whom mysteriously commits suicide, Chinese intellectuals who have been banished to Tibet, and a Chinese Lieutenant who starts to help Shan despite the dangers involved.

The plot twists and turns and you cannot see how things are going to develop; though if I do have one small grumble about the book, the ending is almost too neat. But I’m being a bit churlish – this is a good read and I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone who likes complex whodunits and/or anyone with an interest in Tibet and what is happening to the beleaguered country. I’d rate this book four stars.

[Luanne Ollivier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in a while it's good to step out of my reading comfort zone and pick up something different. The something different this time was Eliot Pattison's latest book Mandarin Gate.

This is the seventh book featuring Pattison's recurring character Shan Tao Yun. Shan was once an Police Inspector in Beijing, but was too good at his job. Corrupt officials sent him to one of the harshest work camps where he was taken under the wing of a Tibetan monk. Shan has embraced their philosophy and way of life. Newly released, he now labours as a ditch inspector for the Chinese government, but in Tibet.

When a local abbess and two unidentified male bodies are discovered in an old convent, Shan finds it hard to not use his old investigative skills. Shan's immediate concern is to protect the local Tibetans. There are numerous suspects to consider - a wandering monk, an American journalist, a German photographer, a local gang, bounty hunters, corrupt officials, those sent to 'pioneer' camps and many more.

What an absolutely riveting read this was on so many levels. Pattison makes a strong political and social statement with Mandarin Gate. The plight of the Tibetan people at the hands of the Chinese government is not simply a plotting device, but the state of things as they truly (and sadly) are. I learned so much by reading this book - the customs and mores of the people, the philosophy of Buddhism, the rituals and much more. All this plus a complex plot, filled with a rich and varied cast of supporting characters. But most of all, I enjoyed discovering Shan. He is such a wonderful character - smart, stoic and and staying true to the path he has chosen for his life.

Mandarin Gate was a compelling combination of commentary and crime. And a darn good read.