Oracle Lake: A Thriller [Hardcover]

Paul Adam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 2007

"A cliff-hanger in every sense.... Brilliantly imagined, fiercely authentic and wholly gripping."
--Literary Review (UK)

The Indian town of McLeod Ganj has been home to the Dalai Lama for more than forty years. Now, the Dalai Lama is dead, and his followers can only conceal his death for so long before word spreads to the rest of world. Maggie Walsh, a daring British photo-journalist, has received a tip about the earth-shattering event and flown straight to the remote village. But before she can get out with the story she is apprehended and remains trapped in detention while the world media trumpet the news.

Now that the Dalai Lama's death has become public, the Tibetan exiles are faced with a dangerous task: to find his reincarnation before the Chinese government can stop them. The borders have been closed and Tibetan nationalists are being arrested throughout the country. In spite of the Chinese occupying forces, an exiled group of Buddhist monks must secretly cross the Himalayas into occupied Tibet to consult a legendary oracle lake for clues to the newborn child's location.

 

Sensing the story of her career, Maggie has smuggled herself into Tibet to join the monks in their search. She soon realizes that this may be the most dangerous assignment of her life. Because the Chinese are determined to prevent the child being found, and will do anything to meet their goal. And when the fate of the Tibetan nation and the future of Buddhism itself are at risk, the most unexpected players may be forced to fight back.

 

Paul Adam's acclaimed novel The Rainaldi Quartet brilliantly portrayed the centuries of history and mystery behind the world's most valuable violins. Now, Adam turns his expert eye for vivid detail to the Far East, capturing the conflict and culture of Tibet in this sweeping new adventure thriller.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After the triumph of The Rainaldi Quartet (2006), British author Adam delivers a routine thriller focusing on the continuing Chinese oppression of Tibet. Journalist Maggie Walsh, having barely survived being caught in the middle of a firefight in Colombia, happens on the story of a lifetime when she manages to infiltrate the Himalayan inner sanctum of the Dalai Lama and learns, to her astonishment, that the beloved spiritual leader has died. Maggie tags along as the search begins for the baby in whom he has been reincarnated. When word of the quest reaches the political leadership in Beijing, the dreaded Public Security Bureau frantically launches a massive military operation to thwart it. Numerous hairbreadth escapes and the predictable growing attraction between Maggie and one of the monks seeking the new Dalai Lama will have some readers eagerly turning pages, but others will find this outing strictly by the numbers. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

PRAISE FOR THE RAINALDI QUARTET

"Elegant."
--Entertainment Weekly
 
"Beguiling"
--New York Times Book Review
 
"Well-crafted, expertly-paced... the plot mixes equal parts thriller and riddle."
--Christian Science Monitor
 
"Rich in detail about the history of violin making and music and the chicanery and fraud that often accompany them, the story is told with uncommon grace, clarity, and wit."
--Denver Post
 
"Combines new and old puzzles in an atmospheric and detailed novel."
--Richmond Times-Dispatch
 
"From the first stirring theme to the last fading chord, mystery fans and music lovers alike will be captivated by British author Adam's excellent contemporary thriller."
--Publishers Weekly (starred)
 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (July 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312370253
• ISBN-13: 978-0312370251
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delivering the Dalai Lama, August 29, 2009

By 

Jeannie Mancini "vernefan" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oracle Lake: A Thriller (Hardcover)

Maggie Walsh is a photo journalist for a London TV station. She risks her life going beyond the call of duty to venture out into the horrors of today's world to film and document the news. When this story opens she has received a hot tip that the Dalai Lama is on his deathbed. She convinces the network to let her go to India, enabling them to be the first on location and the first on the air with this devastating event. Upon her arrival at the monastery that the Dalai Lama resides in, she sneaks her way in, only to shockingly find that he is already dead, and that the Tibetan monk community is for some mysterious reason not announcing this sad news to the world. She is able to film the Dalai Lama in a state of meditational repose, before being captured by security and her film destroyed. Maggie is tossed into prison for one week as punishment for her illegal acts, but then released on the condition that she is to leave the country immediately and never to return, for this is her second Tibetan visit ending in disgrace of her unconventional actions.

While attempting to leave the country, Maggie is caught up in a small Chinese/Tibetan rebellion that leaves many locals injured and dead. Within this horrifying skirmish she is thrust into the midst of three Tibetan monks, also on a secret mission. Soon realizing just what their mission is, Maggie risks her life and reputation to remain in Tibet accompanying the monks with their dangerous task in order to reinstate her fallen career with a story she believes will gain her credit, if she can bring back the story of a lifetime.

This is the tale of one gutsy, but often rash woman trying to prove herself, and the adventure of three monks who have been entrusted with the most monumental of challenges. They must find the next reincarnated Dalai Lama before the Chinese find out and attempt to block their way or kidnap the boy. An elder lama has seen the visionary signs in the waters of Oracle Lake. Three signs that will lead Maggie and the monks over the treacherous and panoramic beautiful Himalayan mountains along a path to a baby born for greatness, a boy who will be their next Dalai Lama.

This is a grand scheme adventure of the highest quality mixing mystery, action, danger, and suspense, as the four unlikely young heroes are chased by the Chinese military. All parties on both sides desperately race to find the baby first. The Chinese, who have taken over Tibet and destroyed their heritage, do not want another Dalai Lama. Maggie and the three monks will risk it all, including life and sacrifice to ensure that this boy is brought to the Tibetan people that so desperately strive to remain independent in their hearts and souls, believing some day they will be free.

At times an edge of the seat thriller, other times an emotional roller coaster as the reader feels for the receding Tibetan culture and their struggles with the Chinese occupation. This is a story full of love, faith, and perseverance that will leave you breathless. You will feel deep sorrow for Tibet and their hardship, yet feel uplifted in realization at just what the power of love and faith can accomplish. Oracle Lake is a sensational fictional thriller not to be missed, it is extremely well executed on all accounts that make a novel great.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars exciting Tibetan thriller, July 19, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oracle Lake: A Thriller (Hardcover)

The Dalai Lama had lived in exile for four decades in McLeod Ganj, India, but has just died. His loyal followers try to buy time so that they can find his reincarnation before the Chinese government suppresses their effort because they do not want the child found. However, British photojournalist Maggie Walsh hears rumors of the demise and immediately flies to the Indian village to confirm the report.

Maggie joins Tibetan exiles seeking the next Dalai Lama although China has shut down the border into and out of Tibet. Anyone breaching the border will be killed while the Chinese deadly Public Security Bureau cracks down on Tibetan nationalists. Still Buddhist monks secretly enter their homeland to consult the oracle lake to determine the location of the reincarnation.

The search for the reincarnated Dalai Lama, the related Himalayan locales and some insight into Tibetan Buddhism bring freshness to an exciting thriller in which readers will know what next will occur to the living dangerous heroine. The story line is fast-paced as the monks and the Chinese agents seek the chosen one with differing thoughts as to what each side will do if they achieve their objective. Fans of entertaining thrillers in foreign locations will want to join the hunt for the Dalai Lama at ORACLE LAKE.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oracle Lake, November 10, 2007

By 

Barbara Goldowsky "writer" (East Hampton NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oracle Lake: A Thriller (Hardcover)

I have read several novels by Paul Adam and like his writing very much. The plots are suspenseful. His characters are well-crafted and believable. "Oracle Lake" is set in present-day Tibet, and recounts its recent sad history. Like most people, I did not know much about this remote country, though I was aware of the horrible repression by the Chinese. This novel describes the spiritual values that are being kept alive by the Dalai Lama and his followers. It gives a glimpse of hope that the forces of good will triumph over evil.