166. "The Godfather of Kathmandu" by John Burdett

I thoroughly enjoyed John Burdett's first three novels featuring Thai detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, so I was eager for the fourth, The Godfather of Kathmandu. However, it was difficult to follow, convoluted, and ultimately disappointing. Sonchai, reeling from the death of his son (which, he explains, is due to his own bad karma and/or his expressed willingness to suffer to achieve Buddhist enlightenment), is drawn into the investigation into the murder of an American film director. The investigation and Sonchai's other role, as consigliere to his corrupt boss (see above reference to bad karma), take the detective to Kathmandu, where he meets a mysterious spiritual guru and a beautiful woman schooled in the ways of tantric sex. Back home in Bangkok, he pursues a connection between the dead film director and an aristocratic, semi-insane, also beautiful doctor of pharmaceuticals. A late connection to gem trading necessitates a trip to Hong Kong and ties together various loose strands, but also adds another dimension to a plot already heady with dimensions.

Conclusion: Definitely not a good introduction to the series, and even die-hard fans might struggle with this one.

165. "The Piano Tuner" by David Mason

David Mason's The Piano Tuner is set primarily in Burma during 1886-1887. Edgar Drake, a London piano tuner, receives a request from the British War Office to travel to colonial Burma to service the piano of Surgeon-Major Anthony Carroll. It's an unusual request, but Carroll is an unusual man: By reciting poetry and playing music, he has managed to forge strong relationships with local tribes and rulers, enabling him to oversee a peaceful settlement in a conflict-ridden region.

Drake leaves his beloved wife in London and travels to Burma, where he confronts realities he could never have imagined: ruthless bandits, desperate poverty, fatally careless British soldiers, an elegant and mysterious native woman, the slow wheels of British bureaucracy, and finally Carroll himself.

His dedication to his mission--not because of any military or civic duty but because of his deep care for pianos--and his fascination with Carroll lead Drake to a series of decisions that will have fatal repercussions.

Some sections of the novel are written in a breathless, comma-laced prose that is difficult to follow, particularly when depicting dialogue. But overall, this is an evocative, powerful novel about a journey into an Asian heart of darkness.

164. "Fieldwork" by Mischa Berlinski

Continuing with the Southeast Asia theme, Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski takes place in Thailand and in the border regions of the Golden Triangle--Burma, Thailand, and China. The novel's narrator, also named Mischa Berlinski, becomes obsessed with the story of a Dutch-American archaeologist who committed suicide in a Thai jail more than a decade after she shot a missionary twice in the back.

Through interviews with people who knew Martiya van der Leun, the archaeologist; her own letters; forays into archaeology and the spiritual beliefs of local tribes; and discussions with the vast Walker clan--the family of missionaries that spawned the man van der Leun killed--Berlinski strives to understand the crime. In the process, he explores what has motivated four generations of the Walker family, and what compelled van der Leun to give up her American life to dwell in a hut with a pre-literate hill tribe. Her ultimate embrace of the tribal beliefs, at the same time the Walker scion is converting more and more tribe members away from those beliefs, leads to a conflict that the novel attempts to portray as inevitable.

The story is fascinating, and Berlinski is a strong writer, providing ample details about Thai life, history, and cultures to engage readers. My only critique is that the novel's ending felt anticlimactic and a little abrupt.

163. "The Merry Misogynist" by Colin Cotterill

The Merry Misogynist has just murdered his fifth wife and is ready to move on to the sixth at the opening of Colin Cotterill's latest (well, latest available in paperback) entry in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. However, the body of Wife #5 is discovered, and soon Dr. Siri, the 73-year-old coroner of Laos, and his cohorts are on the trail of the killer. Dr. Siri, who sees ghosts and serves as host to the spirit of ancient shaman Yeh Ming, also embarks on a quest to find Crazy Rajid, a homeless Indian who hasn't been seen at any of his usual haunts. Accompanied by his new wife, Madame Daeng (who makes the best noodles in Vientiane), Dr. Siri pursues both investigations, despite his age and declining health.

The book takes place in Laos in the late 1970s, after the Communist takeover. Dr. Siri's joyous, mischievous, and irascible personality, as well as his loyalty to anyone who needs his help, tempters the grimness of the Pathet Lao regime.