It took a while to get into this book, and not until after finishing did I begin to "get it". There are many characters, and not being a mystery devotee, I did not "figure it out" (I guess the book worked!) This book is about a part of the world that a lot of us "care about" but few have visited, or penetrated the local culture. Moving west from the locale of The Skull Mantra, Water Touching Stone is set mostly in far western Tibet and Xinjiang. For afficiandos of unreachable central Asia its a real treasure. As an aside, I wonder if the glimpses of cooperation between oppressed Tibetans and oppresed Mulsim minorities are real...or made up by the author?

There seem to be two plots: 1) will Shan and colleagues find the killer(s)? and 2) how will the spiritual lives of Shan, the other "good guys", and those wavering on the edge hold up? At times, the mystery theme seems less important than the religious one. After finishing the book, my central impression was a reminder/teaching of the first Noble Truth of Buddhist teaching...all life is suffering. I would encourage people to read this book and try to understand how Shan and the other characters persevere.

After reading The Skull Mantra, I immediately began looking forward to reading Mr. Pattison's next book. As time passed, I became a bit worried he might not write another. After reading Water Touching Stone, I understand why there was such a long time between the two. This is definitely a thinking person's mystery, so much so that I will re-read it several months from now. Please, if you haven't read the Skull Mantra, read it before reading this book. There are too many connections between them. Shan returns again, the reluctant protagonist, called this time by the people who he has come to revere. The request: go find who is killing the children. There is a mind-boggling cast of characters that sometimes become difficult to keep straight, but none are no wasted. The mix of pain experienced by the different characters makes a striking contrast to both the beauty of the cultures and the author's description of the physical environment. Prosecutor Xu in particular comes across as terribly human in the final pages of this book. I must admit to wondering how the author could wrap this book up with any degree of neatness. He exceeded my expectations and left the perfect amount of ambiguity at the end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a well-crafted mystery that both entertains and challenges the reader.

This book is thoroughly satisfying on many different levels; a rare thing in todays, pump them out, formula novels. There is mystery and intrigue. A chinese teacher is killed. Her orphan students, 9 and 10 year olds, are being murdered. A tibetan lama asks our hero, Shan, the protagonist of `Skull Mantra`, to investigate. There is the harsh cruelty of the chinese political programs designed to eradicate etnic ties and cultures of the nomad tribes in Xinjiang as they have done so devastatingly in Tibet. There is political intrigue between various factions in the governing bodies of the area. There are grand vistas with the stark beauty of the desert, the magnificent mountains and, last but definately not least, the sensitivity and gentleness of Tibetan buddhism which so touched Shans spirit and seeped into ours as well.
I did not find the cast of characters hard to follow. They were developed well enough to add to the rich texture of this book.
This is such a wonderful read that I would like to buy this book for each one of you. I very highly recommend it.

"Skull Mantra" offers an interesting look at the shamanic origins of Tibetan Buddhism. If one is open to a departure from what we believe Buddhism is, to how it may actually operate in the Tibetan society, this book shows how otherwise learned men in the spiritual sense, can operate in worlds that allow for a physical manifestation of spirit demons in the modern world. While the book kept my interest, it was not an easy read. Many Chinese and Tibetan terms had to be integrated with a very elaborate plot. The author does not make things easy for the reader. When the protagonist has an insight into what might be happening, the author only informs the reader after a number of pages and other plot manipulations. I did love, however, the ease with which the Tibetan characters could view events on many planes and levels without any of the contradictions that a Westerner may have had. The two American characters seemed superficial and simplistic compared to the workmanlike attitude of the various Asian characters. People accepted their positions matter-of-factly, concentrating their energies on a more spiritual practice that most Americans would find incomprehensible. The cultural attitudes dealing with death in a country where it is difficult to simply bury the dead (the earth is, after all, often frozen and rocky ) are particularly foreign to the Westerner., much like Joel's reaction to the process in Northern Exposure! Interesting setting, fascinating culture, and unfortunately one that may be doomed to death by the destruction of not only the spirit but the land as well! If you like Tony Hillerman or stan Jones, you'll like this if you keep with it!

When I started to read The Skull Mantra, I was not happy with the author's apparent lack of understanding of Tibetan Buddhism, which I practice. Just having Buddhists refer to their "soul" and having them kneel to pray made me cringe, and I hated to see Tibetan Buddhist practice reduced to reciting mantras. But after finishing the book in record time (the plot left me no other choice), I wonder whether the technical errors reflect ignorance so much as an attempt to allow uninitiated readers to relate to the feelings of the characters. Where it really counts, the book faithfully represents the deeper currents of Tibetan Buddhist thought. This is especially true in the conclusion, which starkly presents the way in which different cultural backgrounds find resolutions for the same problem (I'm trying not to give too much away here!). Yes, the foreign words and concepts make the book hard to read for those who are completely unfamiliar with the background. But if you want to read a great mystery that also introduces you to a culture worth knowing and an international conflict worth knowing about, this is it.

When a headless corpse is uncovered by a prison work gang on a windy Tibetan mountain, veteran Beijing police inspector Shan Tao Yin would seem the perfect man to solve the crime - except Shan himself has been a prisoner there for years. More at ease with his fellow Tibetan inmate monks than with the Chinese officials who run the work camp.

Eliot Pattison has taken us into the highest reaches of this world, into the rarified realm of petty, absolute bean-counter tyrants with pasts to hide & greed to satisfy. Mixed in with centuries-old rituals & stories, are modern day mischief & manipulations. Hidden tunnels & monasteries; helicopters & Chinese armed forces; faxes & demons & a lot about the influence of Communism as practiced by Chinese bureaucrats & Buddhism as practiced by Tibetan adepts. The more things change the more they stay the same! Amazing!

The story of how both Westerners & Chinese have incised the mystical, magical & spiritual from the Land of Snows is a sorry one. Crass shenanigans to placate tourists & callow genocide to rid the land of its holy men.

In the end The Skull Mantra is only a murder mystery, a mere novel yet it aroused my wonder, raised the hairs on the nape of my neck & deeply satisfied. Good stuff! You really should buy yourself a copy!

I was waiting with great anticipation for Pattison's latest book to be published and I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed. This story just didn't have the edge of the seat gripping feel to it. With his other books, I couldn't put them down, wanting to know what would happen next. With this book some of that magic was unfortunately lost. Having said that, there are very few books with stories based in Tibet, so for that I am still drawn to his books. If you're looking for a different kind of murder/mystery or are an Asiaphile, Pattison is it.

Eliot Pattison's books are unlike any other books that I have ever read. Having thoroughly enjoyed his two recent works set in Tibet and adjacent regions, entitled The Skull Mantra, and Water Touching Stone, I was very eager to read Bone Mountain.

The main impression one gets is of a gentle religious teaching disguised as a mystery novel. If one is open to Mr. Pattison's exposition of Tibetan Buddhism, which seems entirely consistent with the other readings and experiences of your reviewer, an admitted outsider, one cannot help but admire the compassion and gentleness of most of the Tibetan characters, and indeed of many of the Han Chinese. There are quiet miracles, small answered prayers, and descriptions of meditation that are calming to read. The cumulative effect is like walking in the mountains or hearing beautiful music, completely independent of the who-killed-the-guys theme.

The pacing of the book is better, I thought, than in Water Touching Stone. Again, there are several key geographical locations that are introduced and described. An eco-consciousness theme is more obvious than in the previous novels. The action shifts back and forth between these various locales, but this time they are close together, accessed on foot, and related historically, religously, and even geologically to each other. The modern world again intrudes, and, in fact, the integration of the timeless Tibetan religious themes with helicopters, computers, and Westerners is a real challange which by and large is handled convincingly.

The book can be read and enjoyed on several levels. Personally, I enjoyed "the journey" of Shan and his companions so much I really did not care whether the mystery was solved. I intend to buy several copies as gifts. It certainly does not shy away from politics, and I have been struggling with whether or not, and how, to present this books to Chinese people I have been priviliged to get to know. This book reminds us of one of the many horrific wars that grip our world, and points to a path that may be of great value in reducing the suffering.

Once in a while a great novel receives recognition for its inherent stature. Such was the case when Eliot Pattison's debut novel THE SKULL MANTRA won the prestigious Edgar Award. His second novel, WATER TOUCHING STONE, would have won if THE SKULL MANTRA hadn't; I mean, you can't keep handing the trophy over to the same guy, even if he deserves it. But the plain and simple truth is that no one is doing quite what Pattison is doing, and no one is doing what they do quite as well as what Pattison is doing.

If you are by chance unfamiliar with Pattison, or either of the aforementioned novels, you could certainly jump on with BONE MOUNTAIN. Although BONE MOUNTAIN is a continuation of the themes and characters introduced and explored in THE SKULL MANTRA and WATER TOUCHING STONE, BONE MOUNTAIN stands quite well on its own, as Pattison continues to amaze and astound with some of the most compelling prose out there This is a man who has a love for the written language. while his words flow with a poetic verve that is by turns beatific and terrible --- depending on his subject matter --- this is not prose that lends itself to a hurried or cursory reading. Pattison does not satisfy accuracy at the altar of experience. The reader comes away from each sitting with BONE MOUNTAIN intellectually challenged and culturally richer, as Pattison continues to explore the land, the mystery, and the tragedy that is Tibet.

BONE MOUNTAIN continues the process of shouldering Pattison out of genre adulation and into mainstream attention. And if he brings attention through these novels to the plight of the Tibetan people, then he will accomplish the task that he perhaps set out to perform to begin with.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub