Mandarin Gate by Edgar Award winner Eliot Pattison is a gripping thriller that plunges Shan Tao Yun into the volatile political and religious landscape of Tibet.

Once a respected Inspector in Beijing, Shan lost everything—his position, his family, and his freedom—after crossing a powerful figure in the Chinese government. Released unofficially from a labor camp, Shan now lives in the remote mountains of Tibet among outlawed Buddhist monks. Stripped of his status, identity, and the freedom to return to Beijing, Shan has adapted to his humble role as an inspector of irrigation and sewer ditches in a distant Tibetan township.

But his quiet life is shattered when he stumbles upon a gruesome crime scene: the bodies of two unidentified men and a Tibetan nun strewn across the grounds of a Buddhist temple under restoration. Shan quickly realizes that these murders are more than just a brutal act—they pose a riddle that the Chinese authorities may be eager to bury. As he investigates, Shan discovers that a nearby village has been transformed into an internment camp for Tibetan dissidents, arrested in Beijing’s latest crackdown.

Now, Shan must navigate a dangerous path through the internment camp, a local criminal gang, and the government’s ruthless pacification teams—all while grappling with his own growing doubts about his identity and purpose in Tibet.

“Pattison dramatically portrays the bitter oppression suffered by the Tibetan people under Communist China in his excellent seventh novel featuring Chinese investigator Shan Tao Yun. Pattison movingly delineates the difficulties of seeking justice under a police state in this brilliantly constructed and passionate whodunit.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author
Eliot Pattison, author of The Skull Mantra—winner of the Edgar Award and finalist for the Gold Dagger—brings his extensive world travel and frequent visits to China into his writing. His numerous books and articles on international policy issues have been published globally.