Lord of Death: A Shan Tao Yun Investigation [Hardcover]

Eliot Pattison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2009

Praise for the Tao Yun Shan series:

“Majestic.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A powerful picture of courage in the face of tyranny.”—The Washington Post

“Nothing I’ve read or seen about how China has systematically crushed the soul of Tibet has been as effective.”—Chicago Tribune

Shan Tao Yun is an exiled Chinese national and a former Beijing investigator on parole from the Tibetan gulag to which he had been consigned as punishment. He is ferrying a corpse on muleback over the slopes of Chomolungma—Everest—at the request of a local wisewoman who says the gods have appointed this task to him, when he encounters what looks like a traffic accident. A government bus filled with imprisoned illegal monks has overturned. Then Shan hears gunfire. Two women in an approaching sedan have been killed. One is the Chinese minister of tourism; the other, a blond Westerner, organizes climbing expeditions. Though she dies in his arms, Shan is later met with denials that this foreigner is dead.

Shan must find the murderer, for his recompense will be the life and sanity of his son, Ko, imprisoned in a Chinese “yeti factory” where men are routinely driven mad.

Eliot Pattison is an international lawyer based near Philadelphia. His five previous Shan novels have been critical and commercial successes. He won the Edgar® Award for Best First Novel and was nominated for the Crime Writers’ Association Golden Dagger.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Edgar-winner Pattison blends an eye-opening look at contemporary China with a traditional whodunit in his stellar sixth Tibet mystery (after 2007's Prayer of the Dragon). Shan Tao Yun, exiled after a career pursuing high-level corruption in the Chinese government, is arrested for the murder of China's minister of tourism, gunned down along with an American woman, Megan Ross, near Mount Everest at about the time an avalanche crushed a military bus transporting political prisoners. Though Shan persuades the arresting officer to release him from custody, he's replaced in the dock by Colonel Tan, Shan's only hope of rescuing his imprisoned son, Shan Ko. If he's to see Shan Ko again, Shan must clear the colonel by finding the real killer. The official consensus that Ross, a veteran climber, is still alive complicates Shan's efforts. Newcomers as well as those already emotionally invested in the resourceful and ethical sleuth will cheer him on. Author tour. (June)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Readers seeking a change from urban whodunits have embraced Edgar Award–winner Pattison’s superlative series set in ethereal, enigmatic, long-enduring Tibet. Shan Tao Yun, disgraced Beijing investigator and survivor of a Tibetan gulag, now spends his days quietly dwelling among residents of the “Roof of the World.” Over the years, his intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Chinese political system has proved invaluable in solving a host of compelling conundrums. In this sixth installment (after Prayer of the Dragon, 2007), Shan is transporting a corpse over the slopes of Mt. Everest when he hears gunfire. Two women—a Chinese minister and an outspoken American hiker—have been shot and left for dead at the side of the road. The Chinese authorities are quick to blame the inhabitants of a local village, who have long harbored animosity toward a government that sees Tibet’s majestic mountains as little more than a tourist commodity. Shan questions revered soothsayers and surly colonels in search of answers, ever aware that the survival of his son Ko—currently imprisoned in a Chinese asylum—depends on his success. Pattison serves as literary ambassador to beautiful, brutal Tibet in a tale that engages, enlightens, and entertains. --Allison Block

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Soho Crime; First Edition edition (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569475792
• ISBN-13: 978-1569475799
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #800,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eliot Pattison has been described as a "writer of faraway mysteries," a label which is particularly apt for someone whose travel and interests span such a broad spectrum. After reaching a million miles of global trekking, visiting every continent but Antarctica, Pattison stopped logging his miles and set his compass for the unknown. Today he avoids well-trodden paths whenever possible, in favor of wilderness, lesser known historical venues, and encounters with indigenous peoples. 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.

Pattison's longtime interest in another "faraway" place -the 18th century American wilderness and its woodland Indians-- led to the launch of his Bone Rattler series, which quickly won critical acclaim for its poignant presentation of Scottish outcasts and Indians during the upheaval of the French and Indian War. In Pattison's words, "this was an extraordinary time that bred the extraordinary people who gave birth to America," and the lessons offered by the human drama in that long-ago wilderness remain fresh and compelling today.

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stark, bleak, yet with a ray of hope, June 26, 2009

By 

tao man (Framingham, MA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lord of Death: A Shan Tao Yun Investigation (Hardcover)

This is the most recent of Pattison's Tibet series. He's a wonderful writer, creating and maintaining a rich, highly textured picture of contemporary Tibet. He obviously views things from the Tibetan side and the Chinese characters--with the exception of Shan, the protagonist, a detective who has been banished from China for being too honest in rooting out corruption in the political hierarchy of Beijing--are mostly bad guys. The Tibetans are portrayed in a much more multi-dimensional way. All his stories are well-plotted, and his political agenda doesn't get in the way. Not just a procedural, this is great writing. His novel of colonial America, Bone Rattler, is also worth a read.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to the first 4 in the series, July 6, 2009

By 

Dave "Dave" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lord of Death: A Shan Tao Yun Investigation (Hardcover)

I think that the first four books in this series are terrific. This one feels as though he phoned it in, in part because it's so sparse: The hardback edition is under 300 pages and the type and spacing are such that there's very little on each page.

Part of the enjoyment of this series is that the books are dense and complex, and with this insubstantial a book that just can't be done.

I hope that Pattison's not out of ideas, or has decided to coast.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb Chinese investigative thriller, June 2, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lord of Death: A Shan Tao Yun Investigation (Hardcover)

In China former Beijing investigator Shan Tao Yun learned the hard way about being too diligent pursuing corruption in the highest levels of the government as he was not only fired he was exiled to a Tibetan gulag. An elderly wise-woman orders him to take a corpse across the state's highest peak Chomolungma because the Gods selected him. As he treks with a mule carrying the body, Shan comes across an overturned bus filled with outlawed Buddhist monks that was knocked over by an avalanche. Within moments, he hears gunfire. Two people in a car are killed; one is China's minister of tourism and the other blond American Megan Ross.

Shan is arrested, but convinces the investigator of his innocence. Soon afterward Colonel Tan is arrested. Shan was hoping Tan would intervene to rescue his enslaved son, Shan Ko from a "yeti factory" where workers die rather quickly that is if they remain sane long enough to die. Shan must find the killer to free his offspring, but the officials insist Ross is alive though she died in Shan's arms.

The latest Shan Chinese mystery (see PRAYER OF THE DRAGON and BONE MOUNTAIN) is a superb investigative thriller because the strong insistence by officials and witnesses hamper the lead protagonist's inquiry. Ironically he is the last witness to see the woman alive, but his testimony is ignored because he is in official exile and to insure that Beijing is pleased with the results. Fans will enjoy Shan's desperate probe as he knows his son's mind at a minimum and more likely his life is at stake as no one leaves the factory the same way they entered; this indirect condemnation of Chinese manufacturing using enslaved labor to punish as well as undercut global competition enhances a great investigative tale.

Harriet Klausner