The Godfather of Kathmandu (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)

John Burdett's famed Royal Thai detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep confronts the most shocking crime of his career and is put to the test both as a...more

John Burdett's famed Royal Thai detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep confronts the most shocking crime of his career and is put to the test both as a Buddhist and as a cop in this riveting tale. Sonchai’s Jitpleecheep’s boss, Colonel Vikorn, has decided to make Sonchai his consigliere in a heroin smuggling operation. Vikorn’s connection is a man named Tietsin, an exiled Tibetan lama based in Kathmandu, who wants to use the profits from the deal to invade China. Sonchai travels to meet Tietsin, and, still reeling from personal tragedy, falls under the sway of this dark and charismatic guru. To complicate matters, a rich American film director has been murdered. It is a shocking and intriguing case, and solving it could lead to a promotion for Sonchai, but, as always, he is for more concerned with the state of his Karma than he is with his status in the earthly realm.    less