I'm not a mystery reader, but the setting for Skull Mantra, by Eiliot Pattison, hooked me: the mountains of Tibet. This book gives a brutally honest portrait of the life of Tibetans, after 50 years of Chinese genocide. If you are interested in the horrific plight of Tibetans in their own country, then give this a read. The tip of the iceberg: 1.3 million executed; 6,000 schools, libraries & monastaries destoyed; labor camps; forced relocation; "disapearances", brutal suppression of Tibetan religious practices & language. From Pattison's website: "I write about Tibet to give those who do not have the opportunity to travel there to understand what it feels like to witness an armed policeman assault a praying monk. ...the cause of Tibet does not mean a conversion to Buddhism, it means a conversion to compassion, self-awareness, human rights and political equality." It's a pretty good mystery novel, too. How's your Made-in-China microwave doing today?
