Xiao Shan is an unusual detective, a Chinese former party bureaucrat exiled to a labour camp in Tibet, he encounters the world of lamas, freedom fighters and discovers the way of the compassionate buddha. Each of the books in the series reveals how Shan learns to adapt and appreciate a culture that is truly timeless, where the spiritual is as important as the physical world and there is no such thing as a 'fact'. In solving the mysteries, Shan tries to protect the Tibet that he has come to know and love by responding to the Chinese authorities whose mentality of quotas, political slogans and apportioning blame he understands and fears. The books give a flavour of the stunning landscape of Tibet and how it has shaped the people that live there. The Chinese repression and occupation of Tibet is a backdrop throughout the books but there are also moments of humour, friendship, dramatic tension and detail about the different ethnic traditions in the region. The stories reveal the different responses to the Chinese occupation: cooperation, collusion, prayer and fighting. The books give very little biographical detail about the author, although it is clear that he has undertaken a lot of research and knows the historical background. Through these books I have learnt a lot, been inspired and disheartened by the reality of Tibet in equal measures. I can't wait for book number 4.
