Bones of the Earth

Inspector Shan #10

by Eliot Pattison

Bones of the Earth is Edgar Award-winning author Eliot Pattison's much anticipated tenth and final installment in the internationally acclaimed Inspector Shan series.

After Shan Tao Yun is forced to witness the execution of a Tibetan for corruption, he can't shake the suspicion that he has instead witnessed a murder arranged by conspiring officials. When he learns that a Tibetan monk has been accused by the same officials of using Buddhist magic to murder soldiers then is abruptly given a badge as special deputy to the county governor, Inspector Shan realizes he is being thrust into a ruthless power struggle. Knowing he has made too many enemies in the government, Shan desperately wants to avoid such a battle, but then discovers that among its casualties are a murdered American archaeology student and devout Tibetans who were only trying to protect an ancient shrine.

Soon grasping that the underlying mysteries are rooted in both the Chinese and Tibetan worlds, Shan senses that he alone may be able to find the truth. The path he must take, with the enigmatic, vengeful father of the dead American at his side, is the most treacherous he has ever navigated. More will die before he is able to fully pierce the secrets of this clash between the angry gods of Tibet and Beijing. The costs to Shan and those close to him will be profoundly painful, and his world will be shaken to its core before he crafts his own uniquely Tibetan form of justice.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Detective, China, Asia

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2019

About the author

Edgar Award winning Eliot Pattison has been described as a "writer of faraway mysteries," a label which is particularly apt for someone whose travel and interests span a million miles of global trekking, visiting every continent but Antarctica.

An international lawyer by training, Pattison first combined his deep concerns for the people of Tibet with his interest in fiction writing in The Skull Mantra, which launched the popular Inspector Shan series.

The series has been translated into over twenty languages around the world. Both The Skull Mantra and Water Touching Stone were selected by Amazon.com for its annual list of ten best new mysteries. Water Touching Stone was selected by Booksense as the number one mystery of all time for readers' groups. The newest installment, Soul of Fire, was included in Publisher's Weekly's list of "Best Book of 2014".

Pattison's fascination with the 18th century American wilderness and its woodland Indians led to the launch of his second critically acclaimed Bone Rattler series.

His dystopian novel, Ashes of The Earth, marks the first installment in his third book series, set in post-apocalyptic America.

A former resident of Boston and Washington, Pattison resides on an 18th century farm in Pennsylvania with his wife, three children, and an ever-expanding menagerie of animals.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concealed
For lovers of detective thrillers, who enjoy something different, Bones of the Earth is a special opportunity to take all that’s great in a mystery novel, add political menace and place it in a location that introduces a unique culture, geography and characters – Tibet, China. The Chinese annexation of Tibet in 1950, brought about more than a change of national control, it brought about the demise of a religious culture steeped in ancient beliefs and abound by holy men. There is something inimitable about a majestic, mysterious and bloody awesome landscape that whispers, 'The Gods walk amongst these mountains'. A place that hasn’t changed in millennia, where artefacts remain to remind us of the timeless strands flowing into the past. Monks, scholars, philosophers and spiritualists have all sought out the inspiration of the Himalayas in their contemplation of life, nature and connectedness. They have acknowledged this unity by building shrines to the deities. Shrines steeped in mystery and an ascendancy which distracts from Chinese rule.

Inspector Shan Tao Yun is the main character of the series and has a troubled past that is covered in the first 9 books (which unfortunately I haven’t read). Shan previously fell out of favour with the Beijing authorities and was sentenced to a period of imprisonment in a brutal work camp. The Governor of Lhadrung County, Colonel Tan, released Shan from prison and appointed him as his police constable in the town of Yangkar, Tibet.

Shan is brought in as a reluctant observer to the state execution of Metok, a senior official who worked at a new hydroelectric project deep in the mountains called The Five Claws Dam Project. Metok was accused of taking bribes and his trial was conducted in secret with manufactured evidence, which Shan now recognises as Chinese state murder, and reminds Tan “Corruption isn’t a solitary crime. Yet only one man is charged and executed. A Tibetan.” Tan bestows a new title on Shan as ‘Special Inspector for the County Governor’s Office’, so Shan can investigate activities at The Five Claws. The Five Claws is also known as Gekho’s Roost and the old ones also referred to it as The Valley of The Gods.

“My grandfather always just called it the original valley, like it was there before anything else. I remember once my grandmother argued when he said that, and he told her don’t be silly, there had to be a first place, from which all creation flowed. He said it was the foundation place, that all the Bones of the Earth were anchored there. If that anchor were broken, then those bones would disconnect.”

A clear distrustful and bitter relationship exists between the Tibetans and the Chinese. The authorities reshape the Earth to build a dam and they don’t care what treasured antiques they destroy or what they have to do to keep certain activities hidden. The case gets complicated when Shan uncovers a link between The Five Claws and the deaths of Metok, a US archaeology student, Natalie Pike, Professor Gangfen and others in suspicious circumstances.

Eliot builds an investigation that not only deals with intense hidden motives and surprises, but there is a constant threat that the Chinese authorities can execute anyone not totally committed to the Chinese atheist state. A real sense of danger is brilliantly portrayed, and every encounter and course of dialogue feels like a potential trap. The mood and prejudice of many very well-drawn and diverse characters are driven by this oppression. This is a very well written, tense and clever crime mystery, that navigates the cultural pressures and the beautiful landscape of Tibet.

Eliot Pattison is clearly a passionate advocate for Tibet and in parallel with a very engrossing story he exposes the hidden and subjugated culture that defines Tibetans. I would highly recommend this book and I’d like to thank Eliot Pattison for providing me with a copy of his book in return for an honest review.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy 4 stars.
This is a well done thriller, as the bad guys are identified early on. Constable Shan is the only constable in Yangkar, Tibet, China. It is in one of the most remote counties in Tibet. This is book 10 in the series, and the events from earlier books are explained well enough. I have not read any of the other books in the series. Shan was a prisoner in a brutal work camp, sent there to die by vengeful superiors in Beijing. He was a police investigator there and angered powerful people. Because he did a favor for Colonel Tan, Military governor of Lhadrung county, Tan released him from prison and made him a police constable..
Tan makes Shan a special inspector with a badge and a special letter authorizing Shan to investigate a hydroelectric project. Shan soon discovers that there are secrets connected to the project and at least 1 person has murdered because of it. How he resolves the conspiracy of powerful people willing to murder and stays alive makes for an exciting thriller that I read in 3 days.
The author demonstrates an extensive knowledge and respect for Tibetan culture/spiritual traditions.
One quote:
"I was an inspector in Beijing. I investigated the wrong people and they sent me to a prison in Lhadrung because the death rate is so high there.."
Thanks to Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley

[Floyd Pepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

...lha gyal lo, Inspector Shan.

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Lady Alexandrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "Bones of the Earth" by Eliot Pattison the main character is Tibet, its culture, people and religious beliefs. I enjoyed the setting of this novel very much, as it was the first crime novel I have read that took place in Tibet.

Shan is an investigator that truly investigates and for this he was sent to prison by “ruthless hand of Beijing.” Now, he is investigating once again and this case is much more than an average murder case. It is a whole plot to cover plans of destruction of the foundation place in Tibet, where the “bones of earth” were anchored.

The novel was well-written and it contains interesting descriptions of culture and people living in Tibet, but I didn’t enjoy it as I should. The author concentrates too much on the point that he wants to make and he forgets about what matters to his readers: the real emotions behind the words on a page. I didn’t feel anything while reading this novel. The characters in the book just weren’t interesting for me. I didn’t care what would happen to them and what they did. Their emotions didn’t seem real.

I would recommend this book for readers interested in Tibet.

I received "Bones of the Earth" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 very big stars

Book #10 and the final installment in the Inspector Shan series. Inspector Shan has one more case to battle between the Chinese and Tibetians. Colonel Tan, the Chinese government official who officiated over Llandrung county, works with Shan to save his county from being overtaken by young corrupt and ruthless Chinese bureaucrats.

I love this book series and this was a fabulous final edition. If it must end, this was a great way to leave the characters.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Shan is assigned an unusual case of potential corruption and murder in Bones of the Earth.

What do the execution of a corrupt government contractor, a fatal car accident, and the release of a “hail chaser” have in common? A link to the giant Five Claws dam project in a sacred valley in rural Tibet.

The unusual setting within Chinese-controlled Tibet is the best part of Bones of the Earth. The worst is that this book was marketed as the last Inspector Shan book. Despite that sad news, this book is still highly recommended to thriller reading getting a bit weary of the currently popular domestic suspense glut. This tale takes global politics on headfirst while also providing a unique look at a little understood culture. 4 stars!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Shomeret · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I realized that there were no mysteries in my March reading line-up, I decided to default to one of my favorite series. I love Eliot Pattison's protagonist, Shan Tao Yun, once a highly skilled investigator in Beijing who was transformed into a dissident and an ally of Tibetans by his government's policies. I downloaded a digital copy in advance of publication from Net Galley.

There were strange events associated with the hydroelectric dam project that was the dramatic center of this book. Did they have a spiritual cause, as the local Tibetans believed, or was there a more rational explanation?

If this is really the last book in the Inspector Shan series, as the description states, I can say that I thought that it ended well. I would like to imagine that Shan's future life is going to be happy, or as happy as can be managed in Chinese occupied Tibet. Bones of the Earth ranks with the best books in this series. The political, spiritual and personal elements combined to make this book a superior mystery.

For my complete review see https://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/2...

[Oneofthefoxes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geschichtsschreibung wird von den Siegern bestimmt… Ein Spruch, gerne mehr als Floskel benutzt, dessen tiefere Bedeutung und Wahrheit aber in Die vier toten von Tibet ziemlich deutlich wird.
Tibets Kultur liegt seit Jahrzehnten im Sterben… Ausgelöscht von der chinesischen Regierung, die alles daransetzt, um die Jahrtausende alte Kultur und Traditionen des Landes aus zu löschen und an ihrer Stelle die „chinesische“ Treten zu lassen. Was passiert mit einem Land, dessen Geschichtsschreibung radikal geändert wird, damit sie in die eines Regimes passt? Was passiert überhaupt, um diese Geschichtsschreibung an ein anders Verständnis der Daseinsberechtigung von Wissenschaft überhaupt anzupassen?
Seit 20 Jahren lese ich die Romane um Inspektor Shan und seine verschiedenen Fälle, die ihn von einem Tibetischen Straflager nun hierher zu diesem letzten Band durch halb Tibet geführt haben.
Das dies nun der letzten Band, der Reihe ist, macht mich auch wehmütig, weil ich die Romane einfach richtig gut finde. Pattison hat meiner Meinung nach mit sehr viel Respekt vor Tibet, seiner Kultur und den Menschen dort immer wieder spannende Geschichten erzählt, die gleichzeitig immer wieder China als das Regime entlarvten, das es ist.
Ja Pattison ist selbst kein Tiber und ja, es wäre wichtig, wenn tibetischen Autor*innen gehör erhalten und in breiter Öffentlichkeit gelesen werden würden. Trotzdem finde ich es genauso wichtig, das jemand Stellung bezieht und indem Pattison darüber geschrieben hat, hat er meiner Meinung dazu beigetragen, das Leser*innen überhaupt genauere Informationen erhalten haben, die sie vielleicht sonst schlichtweg überlesen hätten. Kriminalromane sind eine gute Möglichkeit gesellschaftliche Probleme anzuprangern und ich finde den Blick auf Menschenrechtsverletzungen zu richten ist nie ein verkehrter Weg.
Ich persönlich war jetzt wenig überrascht, dass auch dieser Band wieder alle meine Erwartungen gehalten hat. Der Kriminalfall war gut konstruiert und die Verwebung mit der politischen Situation vor Ort einmal mehr gelungen. Gleichzeitig bemerkt man auch den Wandel, dem sich Tibet nicht entziehen kann. Manches am tibetischen Buddhismus und auch der noch älteren Bön-Tradition wirkt vielleicht im ersten Moment etwas befremdlich, weil man diese Traditionen nicht kennt und vielleicht auch die Vorstellungen dahinter nicht versteht. Dabei geht es nicht darum irgendeine Form von Exotizismus zu praktizieren, sondern sich auf eine fremde Kultur ein zu lassen, zu versuchen den Blickwinkel auf sich wirken zu lassen. Zu sehen, was hier eigentlich passiert und nicht so sehr, ob diese Vorstellungen einem selbst fremd erscheinen mögen.
Es geht aber auch darum, welche Macht Wissenschaft zugeschrieben wird, denn gerade auch die Archäologie ist hier ein wichtiger Dreh und Angelpunkt für die Geschichtskonstruktion in China, in den nächsten Jahrzehnten. Vieles war mir in dem Punkt so bisher nur sehr abstrakt klar, aber im Roman tauchen konkrete Beispiele auf, die illustrieren, wie diese Konstruktion eigentlich funktioniert und was sie bedeutet.
Trotzdem, bei all dem naja Lerneffekt, Eliot Pattison gelingt es auch die Spannung zu halten, die wie ich das schon kenne, eher ruhig daher kommt. Es ist keine Action geladener, atemraubender Thriller. Aber das heißt nicht, das mir langweilig beim Lesen wurde. Im Gegenteil, ich mag diese Ruhe, die eigentlich jeder der Shan- Romane ausstrahlt, ich mag die Figuren und ihre Geschichte. Einzig das Ende ist mir vielleicht etwas zu märchenhaft geraten.

Für mich trotzdem ein würdiger Abschluss der Reihe und ich bin froh, dass ich Shan den ganzen Weg über begleitet habe.

[CarolineFromConcord · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to love the *Skull Mantra* series about a renegade Chinese investigator who served time in a prison camp where Tibetan llamas transformed his life. In the 20 years since Eliot Pattison first started publishing these stories, the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the brutalization of the Tibetan people and countryside hasn't let up, and I think he is doing a service to let the world know what is going on.

In this episode, we see investigator Shan working for the justly feared Colonel Tan, who will provide a measure of protection to Shan's son in a prison camp as long as Shan uses his knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism and customs to help Tan unravel mysteries. It's increasingly feasible for Shan to help his Chinese boss and the Tibet people at the same time.

Tan is governor of a remote county in Tibet and is currently concerned about a dam project that has bypassed his authority. There are also strange doings among poor, apparently magical, Tibetans that Tan can't figure out. Can they cause hail to fall? Can they bring on earthquakes? In a complicated plot with some nice surprises, Shan solves puzzles and helps friends and foreigners in the process. Meanwhile, the reader learns a lot about Tibet.

There was only one brief misstep in my view. I can accept that the brutal Colonel Tan is softening a bit after decades under the influence of mysterious Tibet, but I can't accept that Shan's elderly llama friend would slip from his invariable gentleness and kindness to try to embarrass anyone, even Chinese oppressors. There is a moment when the author finds it necessary to have Lokesh switch from the Tibetan language to Mandarin so that a particular Chinese soldier can hear a clue that the plot needs him to hear. I think Lokesh would do it to be polite -- not to "embarrass" anyone.

If you like your stories nicely wrapped up in the end, as I do, you won't be bothered by the improbability of some concluding details.

[Jim Bogue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, apparently, the last in a series of ten mysteries featuring Shan, a former policeman in Beijing now in semi exile in Tibet. It is an exciting, fast paced, and well written finale.
Over the course of these books readers have learned about Tibetan culture and religion (seemingly very much intertwined) and its reaction to Chinese rule. We see it largely through the eyes of Shan. He is Chinese in culture and upbringing, but not a fan of the current government. He was sent to rot in a labor camp in Tibet, where he was physically and morally saved by lamas in the camp. Thus we follow him in his increasing comprehension and in his redemption.
We also follow, if more haltingly, the redemption of Colonel Tan, a local Chinese military official. At first he uses Shan because, even if a “criminal “, he is a good cop. Later he comes to empathize with, and sometimes support, Shan’s passion for justice and efforts to ameliorate the lives of local Tibetans.
Anyone interested in combining lessons in Tibetan culture with exciting mysteries should dive into this series!

[Kristen Lindquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite mystery series—and I read a lot of them—with a satisfying, deserved conclusion. What gets me in these books is not only the well-crafted mystery, but also the vivid depiction of the Tibetan landscape inhabited by the old gods and demons, the insight into Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, and the painful details of the Chinese occupation and its effects on the Tibetan people. These are books that make you want to do something for the people of Tibet when you’re done reading. I will miss Inspector Shan and my near-annual visits in the mind to a beautiful but horribly oppressed place and people.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

On of the best series. Try to read the 10 books in order for maximum enjoyment. It is seriously distressing to learn of China's destruction of Tibet's ancient culture and abuse of the population...what a loss that affects all of us in this world.

[Terry Crossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most wonderful conclusion to an absolutely fabulous series!!! Full of life lessons and routed in deep mysteries with surprising twists and turns. I am going to greatly miss Inspector Shan and the whole gang of characters that are so wonderfully developed.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great end to a great series. Thank you, Mr. Pattison, for eye-opening, heart-breaking, mind-expanding travels into the heart of Tibet.

[Ileana Renfroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tenth and final installment Bones of the Earth by Eliot Pattison is an intriguing must read novel.

Description: Bones of the Earth is Edgar Award-winning author Eliot Pattison’s much anticipated tenth and final installment in the internationally acclaimed Inspector Shan series. After Shan Tao Yun is forced to witness the execution of a Tibetan for corruption, he can’t shake the suspicion that he has instead witnessed a murder arranged by conspiring officials. When he learns that a Tibetan monk has been accused by the same officials of using Buddhist magic to murder soldiers then is abruptly given a badge as special deputy to the county governor, Inspector Shan realizes he is being thrust into a ruthless power struggle. Knowing he has made too many enemies in the government, Shan desperately wants to avoid such a battle, but then discovers that among its casualties are a murdered American archaeology student and devout Tibetans who were only trying to protect an ancient shrine. Soon grasping that the underlying mysteries are rooted in both the Chinese and Tibetan worlds, Shan senses that he alone may be able to find the truth. The path he must take, with the enigmatic, vengeful father of the dead American at his side, is the most treacherous he has ever navigated. More will die before he is able to fully pierce the secrets of this clash between the angry gods of Tibet and Beijing. The costs to Shan and those close to him will be profoundly painful, and his world will be shaken to its core before he crafts his own uniquely Tibetan form of justice.

Investigator Shan Tao Yun's character is very well developed and makes the novel extremely interesting. There is corruption, deaths, and corrupt government all the ingredients needed for a masterful storyline.
I received this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. I definitely give this a 5 Star

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series when it first came out nearly 20 years ago, and although sadly I've missed some of the more recent installments, Pattison's Inspector Shan series is one of the best series out there. Beginning with The Skull Mantra in 2000, the series ends with Bones of the Earth , the 10th and final book in the series.

Inspector Shan, a disgraced Beijing investigator, was sent to a Chinese gulag in Tibet in the first book. Shan is horrified by the treatment of the Tibetan monks and intrigued by the courage and calm acceptance the monks exhibit. In each successive book, Shan's situation improves as he proves himself a skillful investigator and useful to Colonel Tan.

In Bones of the Earth, Shan witnesses the execution of a Tibetan, then finds himself investigating the deaths of an American woman and an archaeologist, and realizes that the executed Tibetan was not guilty of corruption, but a witness to the murders of the woman and the archaeologist who were trying to prevent the destruction of a Tibetan holy site. As usual, Shan is in a precarious situation as he attempts to bring the guilty to justice.

While I'm sad to see this series end, I'm happy that the conclusion provides a sense of hope for Shan and the people he loves. I was pleased to see a couple of characters from earlier books make reappearances. And I loved Tara, the goat!

This is an excellent series with characters the have depth and dimension, complex mysteries and investigations, and exemplary research and knowledge of Tibet and its people.

Highly recommended. To understand why Eliot Pattison writes about Tibet.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Mystery/Crime. March 26, 2019. Print length: 352 pages.

[Wytzia Raspe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disgraced Chinese police detective is now released from the prisoncamp he was send to and allowed to serve as a constable in a village in Tibet. His son is however still in a camp and the high Chinese official who ordered his release has still a firm grip on his life. Near his town a hydro dam in built in a valley that has been sacred to the local people since all times and what is regarded by the local people as Gekho's roost, a local demon God. An executed Tibetan engineer, a American student who died in a car accident, a dead man in the sky train all seem to have a link with this hydro dam project. Chan is ordered to solve the case.

When I was on about 20% of the book I was thinking it reminded me so much of a novel I had read years ago. A fact finding discovery to my bookshelves produced the first novel in this series, This book is the 10th.

The series is set in Tibet and it is clear the writer has a lot of sympathy with the Tibetan people and their culture and detests the occupation and harsh suppression by Beijing.

It might sound strange but due to all the deities and demons and the for me unfamiliar Buddhist religion and Tibetan and Chinese culture and the harsh neglect of human rights and rule of law it felt most of the time as if I was reading a fantasy novel. But then remembering this is real and sometimes we see refugees from Tibet all the way in Europe.

The detective part of the story is nicely done but the real charm is the colour locale.

[Lkelly6 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bones of the Earth by Eliot Pattison

Somehow, I purchased this last book of one of my all-time favorite mystery series without noticing it was the LAST book in the series. I have an unfortunate habit of reading series books out of order, not that this randomness actually bothers me.
These Inspector Shan books are entertaining as a mystery-puzzle to be solved, clue by clue and educational as a teach-by-showing-actions of a part of the world far removed from my world of total freedom of speech, religion, movement, life-choices.
What elevates this series to all-time-favorite is that slowly reading each book is Food for my Soul. If the value of a book is based upon how much it can change the innermost thinking of a person, then these books are HIGHEST VALUE. I think and rethink and reread passages; then I compare decisions a character makes with decisions I observe being made by a person in a comparable position of authority or leadership or family status in the USA.
I live in Alaska and hike mountain trails here. Hiking, I think about the Tibetans and their lives. I used to live in Colorado where I occasionally saw cairns that had been built by previous hikers; now I think about who built it and to whom the rocks are dedicated.
While I can understand an author moving on from a character such as Inspector Shan, I sincerely hope that Mr. Pattison might write another book focused on Shan or his progeny someday.

[Martha Burke-Hennessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last of the Shan series, alas

I have relished Pattison's series and his revelatory treatment of a Tibet and its spiritualism from the first book. Goodness and mercy win out over the forces of darkness, greed, and anger. Shan is a lowly Constable dumped in a backwater, who takes his investigative role seriously. When an American woman and an archeologist are blown up in a cavern to make way for a new dam, he calls it murder and is determined to bring corrupt and dangerous men to just despite constant death threats to himself and his son Ko serving an indeterminate sentence. The characters are Chinese military, prison superintendents, engineers building a dam to generate electric power, which will inundate sites sacred to the people of Tibet. Shan sympathizes with the herders, cooks, holy men and women of that beleaguered country. He feels healed by the mountains, the rocks and ledges, the caves and sacred caverns, the winds and cold. The spirit of illegal priests and nuns guarding ancient holy places and artifacts slowly infiltrates those like Shan, a Chinese bureaucrat, who try to understand, even the cruel Colonel Tan and old guard Commissar are touched by spirits they can barely perceive. A moving ending to a mind-opening series.

[Booknblues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bones of the Earth is the tenth and final Inspector Shan book by Eliot Pattison. It seemed to me that the final book of a series which I have enjoyed so much deserved a 5 star rating. I am truly sorry that this is the last one of the series, but I enjoyed the heck out of reading it.

For a little background, the series which is set in Tibet begins with The Skull Mantra. Inspector Shan was a detective in Beijing on the fast track until he went up against some Party bigwigs and was sent in disgrace to prison in Tibet. He survived there with the help of some imprisoned Tibetian Monks. I was so impressed by The Skull Mantra that I read the first 4 books one after another like book potato chips. I was clearly hooked and have preordered every one since then.

I have Pattison to thank for giving me a small education on Tibet and I'm always thrilled to have a reading journey there. I thought that Pattison wrapped the story up nicely, although if he changes his mind (hopefully) , he could easily add to the story.

I encourage all who enjoy mysteries to give this series a try beginning with the Skull Mantra.

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diesmal geht es unter anderem um Korruption.
Auf dem ersten Blick ist es ein normaler Krimi, dann ist man auf einmal mitten in Tibet, mitten in dem Kulturkampf den China in Tibet führt, die Vernichtung der alten Kultur und der noch älteren Religion. Eine sehr fremde Lebensweise mit der uns der Autor nebenbei vertraut macht. Shan war/ist Chinese, aber durch den langen Aufenhalt in einem Arbeitserziehungslager und das Leben in Tibet, ist er selber zu einem Tibeter geworden. So wie er immer weiter lernt, lernen wir Leser mit ihm. Die ultra spannenden Augenblicke sind eher selten, dafür erleben wir eine gründliche Ermittlungsarbeit die auch das Übernatürliche mit einbezieht. Es gibt weder nur Gut und auch nicht nur Böse. Denn alle haben irgendwo ein Element des anderen in sich.
Es ist der zehnte Band man kann ihn allein lesen. Um Inspektor Shan kennen zulernen sollte man aber in der Reihenfolge lesen.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers of this series know that Pattison writes complex, at times challenging, mysteries which blend investigation with information about Tibet and China. If you haven't read an Inspector Shan novel, you're in for a treat- and don't worry, there's more than enough info here to get you going (but not too much for those who know it). This time out, Shan, who has been exiled to Tibet, is roped by Colonel Tan, the Chinese in charge of this area of Tibet, into looking into the Five Claws dam. A Tibet engineer has been executed for corruption related to the hydroelectric project but Tan and Shan both believe something's not quite right. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not always an easy read, this one will make you work for the answers, which makes it, for me at least, well worth my time.

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Pattison continues to write wonderful mysteries. His plots are tightly woven, with his main character, Inspector Shan, unravels them through wisdom and patience.

The peripheral characters in the book are well fleshed out and evolve through the series, as does Shan himself. These stories are the pleasant double win of good plot and interesting characters.

Tibet and its culture continues to be a major feature of the stories. The underlying conflict, beyond the usual whodunit, is the clash between the Chinese government in Beijing with their blind obedience to party rule, and the Tibetan people and their devotion to an ancient way of life.

The villains in this piece use the blind obedience for personal gain. They underestimate the hold Tibet has on its residents, both Tibetans and Chinese.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has held up remarkably well and is brought to a exceptionally satisfying conclusion as the complex relationships between Shan, his son, and Colonel Tan bring them together to counter an exceptionally corrupt, ambitious and cruel military officer whose plans will destroy Shan’s home and community and Tan’s life’s work.
The interplay between Shan and Tan over the years has evolved from active hostility to grudging respect to something closely related to friendship. The portrait of the struggles of the Tibetan community in the face of the decades of ruthless Chinese attempts to destroy all vestiges of their culture is more vivid than ever. The descriptions of the land and its people, the culture, and the contrast between the political reality and the ongoing spiritual and human costs it exacts are truly stunning.

[Patti K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago the author wrote a series of mysteries with Inspector
Shan Tao Yun as the protagonist in Tibet. They were very enjoyable, but Pattison
stopped the series and went on to other time periods in America. Last year, this
volume was published and all Inspector Shan fans were very glad. There are hints
in this story that this is indeed the last volume. A Chinese police officer is sent to
the Tibetan territory, but soon becomes very sympathetic with the Tibetan people
and studies Buddhism seriously. He is sent to a hard labor camp for his belief in
Tibetan culture, but his excused after doing a significant favor for the resident
Colonel Tan. Now he is in charge of a very small village in the mountains and
discovers a secret that opens up an entirely new chapter in his life. Highly recommend.

[Vontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent series, well worth reading. I haven't read them all yet, was introduced at book 6 & have read through to #8. I did go back & read the first book in the series & will gradually seek out the in between volumes.

Unfortunately, this is the last book in the series. My libraries don't have an ebook of the 9th book, so I will have to read a hard copy when they reopen. I generally try to read series in order, but given the unknowns with pandemic restrictions, decided I would do it after all.

Just finished the book. Previous comments made prior to reading. Bitter sweet & poignant endings to the book, with all the conundrums of Tibet & its place within the intrigues of Chinese politics and bureaucracy (which has some parallels with bureaucracy elsewhere). Lots of action & heroism in this book, as with all of the volumes, along with politics & philosophy. I wonder if this is truly the last book of the series. The ending does give openings for another to come, should the author feel it necessary to do so.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just a murder mystery, Bones of the Earth is about the soul of Tibet, and how the Chinese are slowly but methodically destroying it. Knowing nothing of the Tibetan culture or religious practices I cannot say how accurate the depictions are, but the author seems to give a great deal of care to the subject, so I assume it is faithful to their way of life. Corruption, intrigue, and bribery are at the center of the story, which would normally read more like a thriller than a mystery. Somehow though, there is a personal touch, and its easy to get wrapped up in it.

[Tom Larkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly this is the tenth and last book in the series involving inspector Shan Tao Yun and his friends and allies. The series is as much a book about Tibet, Chinese policies there and Tibetan Buddhism as it is a who or how-dunnit'. As the latter this one is a satisfying read containing a number of surprises, twists and denouements before the final showdown and because I have been following Shan's exploits and progress from the beginning, it is also satisfying from a personal interest point of view. In addition I found it hard to put down. A fitting final installment in this wonderful series.

[James Qualls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eliot Pattison has taken his place at the top of my favorites and that is a pretty big mountain. The reason he sits there is because of who and what he has created. Inspector Shan and the monks who save, educate, and heal him have touched my soul in ways few have. Pattison never preaches about what has happened to Tibet and that is to his credit. I've started his 'Bone Rattler' series and he is doing the same thing with early America. Pattison's gifts are in his research and his humanity and I am all the better for them both.

James Qualls