Good books transport the reader to places that are not easily accessible: a distant location, a foreign culture, another time, or into the heart of a remarkable person. Eliot Pattison accomplishes all of this brilliantly in his novel. Far away in the mountains of Tibet, the body of a man is discovered - someone has neatly severed his head from his body. Shan, a former police officer exiled from Beijing to Tibet, must quickly find a culprit before an American delegation visits the country. As Shan delves deeper into the secrets of Tibet, he uncovers hidden monasteries and caves where Tibetans organize their resistance - and soon he must decide which side he is on. In the USA, this book was awarded the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel of the Year.