MANDARIN GATE by Eliot PATTISON (a review)


Excerpt from Chapter 1, pages 11-12

For the moment it did not matter that there were brigades of Chinese police seeking to ferret out men like Lokesh and Jamyang, two of the gentlest, kindest humans he had ever known. It did not matter that bonecatchers roamed the hills, that outsiders were settling in the valley, pushing out Tibetan families who had been rooted there for centuries. He could forget for now the nightmares of death that increasingly disturbed his sleep. He would not even let thoughts of his son, locked in a gulag camp thirty miles away, cloud the day. Shan had been learning from his friends to accept that what mattered was the here and now, the experience of this moment. And this moment (…) was perfect.

As if reading Shan’s mind, Jamyang looked up from his meditation. ‘’The gods are content enough,’’the lama declared with a serene smile. He reached through the fragrant smoke and squeezed Shan’s hand. ‘’I take strength from you being here now,” Jamyang whispered, and wrapped his rosary around his fingers.

Then the lama picked up the pistol and shot himself in the head.

This suicide, followed by the gruesome murders of three seemingly unrelated people --a Tibetan nun, and two unidentified men-- on the grounds of an old convent in Tibet, will send Shan on a dangerous quest for the truth and for justice. But how do you achieve this in a country run by the Chinese government’s police and where monks are considered outlaws, where natives can be imprisoned for no particular reason, and where the only hope of survival is by blending in and letting yourself be indoctrinated.

Eliot Pattison’s novels featuring Shan Tao Yun started in 1999 with The Skull Mantra, which became a winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. In that book, Shan was a veteran police inspector who had been deported to Tibet for getting in the way of a highly influential man in the Beijing government. In Mandarin Gate, the 7th book in the series, Shan is now an inspector of irrigation and sewer ditches in a small Tibetan township, unofficially released from prison for having saved a Colonel from a false accusation of murder (see The Lord of Death, 2009).

Shan’s son Ko is in a prison for the criminally insane where inmates are malnourished and treated like cattle, if not worse. With every step he takes, each and every day, Shan is at risk of worsening his son’s situation; one false move or one wrong word from Shan and Ko could be transferred further away in an even worse prison.  Every month, Shan is allowed to send a letter to Ko and to visit him once. He can’t afford to lose these two privileges. But to avoid reprisal on his Tibetan friends for the recent murders, he will readily put himself at risk.

In the course of his investigation, he will get help from unexpected places, even trusting people he would never have wanted near him before: the Jade Crows’s gang leader, Lung, whose brother and nephew were both recently killed; and also Meng, a Chinese female officer who is at a crossroads in her life.  

The Shan series of novels is built upon complex plots that involve more than just murder mysteries; like the Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags inscribed with invocations, mantras, and symbols, Pattison’s stories carry Tibet’s traditions and beliefs not only with respect, but also with a richness in details. He shows both the physical and psychological aspects of the painful history, just as the prayer flags are used to balance the present lives both externally and internally.

Mandarin Gate is a compelling novel that involves more interesting and complex characters than many writers will create in ten books. It is a story that will transport you in the Tibetan mountains and villages for a journey into the heart, mind and spirit of its people.  This is a book well-deserving of showing up on the end-of-year best novels lists.
JF
December 30th, 2012
P.S.: don't forget to vote for your favourite crime fiction books of 2012
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DERNIÈRE NUIT À MONTRÉAL de Emily ST.JOHN MANDEL


C'est l'histoire de Lilia, 7 ans, qui par un soir d'hiver très froid, pieds nus et en robe de nuit, les bras couverts de pansements, va rejoindre son père, dehors, dans la neige. Elle ne l'a pas vu depuis plusieurs semaines mais ils ne se quitteront pas pendant plus de dix ans, tout le temps que durera leur cavale en Amérique pour échapper à la police et au détective privé engagé par la famille. Détective privé qui devient obsédé, au fil des ans, par la disparition de cette petite fille. À un point tel que sa femme le quitte et qu'il laisse sa propre fille, Michaela, livrée à elle-même avec ses rêves de devenir funambule, un héritage venu de ses parents, anciens forains qui ont bien du mal à devenir sédentaire.

Après une décennie d'errance, le père de Lilia décide que tout s'arrête au Nouveau-Mexique, et qu'il y fonde une nouvelle famille, avec la permission de sa fille. Elle essaie bien de s'habituer à cette stabilité mais s'aperçoit vite qu'elle ne peut pas s'arrêter définitivement, ni faire du "sur place". Alors elle reprend la route, seule. Elle a cependant l'impression constante d'être suivie. Elle remonte lentement vers le nord où tout a commencé. À New York, elle croise Eli, un éternel étudiant passionné de langues mortes. Lilia sort ensuite subitement de sa vie, mais lui, tombé amoureux, part à sa recherche. Une carte postale anonyme venue de Montréal lui indique la direction à suivre. Et c'est là, dans ce nord glacé, que Michaela lèvera le voile sur le passé de la fugueuse.

Un très bon roman noir. L'auteur excelle à créer ces atmosphères confinées de chambres de motels un peu miteuses, l'habitacle de la voiture, ou ces bibliothèques où se réfugient Lilia et son père pendant de brèves escales.

Quelques descriptions de la ville de Montréal et des allusions à la loi 101 sur la protection de la langue française au Québec laissent à penser que l'auteur n'a pas conservé de très bons souvenirs de son bref séjour en sol québécois. À moins qu'elle ne joue à fond la carte de l'anglophone qui se sent persécuté, pour les besoins de l'histoire.

Un récit qui néanmoins nous habite longtemps après avoir tourné la dernière page.

BIO: Emily St.John Mandel est née en Colombie-Britannique, a étudié la danse à la School of Toronto Dance Theatre, et elle a vécu brièvement à Montréal, avant de se relocaliser à Brooklyn, où elle habite présentement. Dernière nuit à Montréal est son premier de trois romans.

texte de Grenouille Noire

CONTEST: VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2012


UPDATE: with so many votes coming in today, I'm extending the deadline until noon tomorrow (January 2nd). I have a couple of ties right now, so your votes will really count. As of 1 pm (Montréal time) I've received over 450 ballots, way more than I ever expected! Thank you. I'll post the results on Friday, January 4th. Happy New Year!

Last year, I wrote a list of my favourite books of the year; this time, because I don't want to omit too many books (I can't read everything that's out there, unfortunately) I want to try something different. How about you tell me what books you most enjoyed in 2012.
I've written down a list of some of my favourites to help you out, in each category, but you don't have to pick one of these titles --just add your own favourites. To be eligible, the novels need to have been published between November 1st, 2011 and October 31st, 2012.

Click here to send me your selections (one pick per category, 6 answers total--you can do it quickly by just writing the authors's last names or part of the titles, etc) and you'll be entered automatically into a contest for the chance to win a bundle of books (some were published in 2012, others are advance reader's copies of 2013 titles). Also, every writer, agent, publicist, and publisher who would like to add a book or two to the bundle, you are welcome to send them to me (my mail address can be found in the OFFICE DESK/INFO KIT page on this site). My goal is to give 5 books to one winner, and 2 books to four more winners. Additional books will be given away every week, through January.

Everyone over 18 years of age can participate --from any country (on this planet). Don't forget to give me your full name and postal address. Results will be posted on January 3rd, and then I'll contact the winners of the giveaways before announcing them. After that, I'll post my personal list of favourite crime fiction books of 2012.
Please pass the word around!


November 1st, 2011 to October 31st, 2012
1- WORLD (except CAN, USA, UK)    
     
CALL ME PRINCESS Sara BLAEDEL  
SAIL OF STONE Ake EDWARDSON  
THOSE WHO LOVE NIGHT Wessel EBERSOHN  
BURNED Thomas ENGER  
SOME KIND OF PEACE C. GREBE & A. TRAFF  
BRENNER and GOD Wolf HAAS  
SALVATION OF A SAINT Keigo HIGASHINO  
1222 Anne HOLT  
AUTUMN KILLING Mons KALLENTOFT  
SEVEN DAYS Deon MEYER  
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD Malla NUNN  
PHANTOM Jo NESBO  
THE VIPER Hakan OSTLUNDH  
SAY YOU'RE SORRY Michael ROBOTHAM  
CAPTURE Roger SMITH  
     
2- UNITED KINGDOM    
     
RUSH OF BLOOD Mark BILLINGHAM  
A DARK AND BROKEN HEART R. J. ELLORY  
SAFE HOUSE Chris EWAN  
BROKEN HARBOUR Tana FRENCH  
HANGING HILL Mo HAYDER  
INTO THE DARKEST CORNER Elizabeth HAYNES  
THE FIRST CUT Ali KNIGHT  
THE VANISHING POINT Val MCDERMID  
THE DEVIL'S RIBBOND.E. MEREDITH  
DARK ROOM Steve MOSBY  
STOLEN SOULS Stuart NEVILLE  
STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE Ian RANKIN  
VALLEY OF ASHES Cornelia READ  
AGENT 6 Tom Rob SMITH  
THE KEY Simon TOYNE  
     
3- UNITED STATES of AMERICA    
     
GUN CHURCH Reed Farrel COLEMAN  
THE DROP Michael CONNELLY  
CLIFF WALK Bruce DESILVA  
GONE GIRLGillian FLYNN  
SIMPLE Kathleen GEORGE  
LONESOME ANIMALSBruce HOLBERT  
DEAD HARVESTChris F. HOLM  
THE DISPATCHERRyan David JAHN  
11/22/63 Stephen KING  
THE PROPHET Michael KORYTA  
DEFENDING JACOB William LANDAY  
EDGE OF DARK WATER Joe R. LANSDALE  
LIVE BY NIGHT Dennis LEHANE  
AND WHEN SHE WAS GOOD Laura LIPPMAN  
THE CUTTING SEASON Attica LOCKE  
EL GAVILANCraig MCDONALD  
WHAT IT WASGeorge PELECANOS  
HELLBOX Bill PRONZINI  
DRIVEN James SALLIS  
LET THE DEVIL SLEEPJohn VERDON  
     
4- CANADA    
     
A KILLING WINTER Wayne ARTHURSON  
TRUST YOUR EYES Linwood BARCLAY  
THE BEGGAR'S OPERA Peggy BLAIR  
UNTIL THE NIGHT Giles BLUNT  
CONFINED SPACE Deryn COLLIER  
THE NEXT ONE TO FALL Hilary DAVIDSON  
BELLRINGER J. Robert JANES   
THE DEAD OF WINTER Peter KIRBY  
THE PROFESSIONALS Owen LAUKKANEN  
TUMBLIN' DICEJohn MCFETRIDGE  
BLOODMANRobert POBI  
CROW'S LANDINGBrad SMITH  
      
5- TOP INDIE or SELF-PUBLISHED    
     
HILL COUNTRY R. Thomas BROWN  
BLOOD TEARS Michael J. MALONE  
GHOST MONEY Andrew NETTE  
A DETAILED MANDavid SWINSON  
RESURRECTEDSteve TROTTER  
      
6- YOUR 2012 FAVOURITE CRIME FICTION NOVEL  
TITLE WRITER  
     

Thank you for taking the time! And HAPPY HOLIDAYS, whatever you celebrate, as long it involves peace!

JF
December 2012