Collusion and corruption!

How can I not give this final installment in the Detective Shan series five stars? I clung to every word Eliot put down, listened to every prayer uttered by the tibetans throughout these captivating pages, and was amazed by the depth of Eliot's understanding of the plight of Tibet in the face of Chinese occupation.
Shan Tao Yun is front and center with Colonel Tan, governor of Lhadrung County, as they uncover corruption, murder and foul doings, all in the name of Beijing and the Motherland.
The plight of the Tibetans is underscored even as Shan uncovers a massive, fraudulent plot surrounding the building of a dam smack in the center of a Tibetan holy place, known locally as Valley of the Gods, Holy Home, and Gekho’s Roost.
When an American archeology student is killed by a mining explosion / accident when investigating a cave holding an ancient shrine, the intrigue ratchets up, especially as Tibetans she was associated with come to inexplicably die.
The Tibetan gods are angry and the Chinese confused, which leads to more brutality and retaliation.
Astrologers, sorcerers and scientists all have their part to play, along with the Chinese party faithful.
The action moves swiftly and I was as glued to that as I was to the expose of traditional tibetan life before and after Mao's rule.
The cruelty and injustice of the Chinese overlords is evident in the gulags and simple everyday life. Communism has exchanged one set of warlords for another centralized from Beijing.
For Shan the simple life of a village contained, just became even more complicated, and that's a huge understatement.
A page turner combining historical fiction with mystery and intrigue!
Fascinating in all sorts of ways and highly addictive.
An elegant read!

A St Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley ( )