Charles’ passport contains an inordinate number of visas for Nepal, which raises
eyebrows at police headquarters, since much of the drug trade is funneled
through Kathmandu en route to Southeast Asia and then the West. This is a
fact not lost on corrupt Colonel Vikorn, Jitpleecheep’s boss, who has made
himself a millionaire many times over thanks to the insatiable Western appetite
for opiates of every stripe. Three new characters introduce an exotic spiciness
to the mix: Norbu Tietsin, an exiled Tibetan lama with a couple of very
non-lamalike habits; “Mad” Doctor Moi, an aristocratic Thai woman with a troika
of departed husbands, all of whom met with questionable fates; and Tara, a
Tantric nun schooled in the art of, um, transcendent earthly delights, which she
is only too eager to demonstrate to Comrade Jitpleecheep.
There is way too much going on to give you even a broad-strokes
idea in 300 words, so let me just say: pick up The Godfather of Kathmandu the
day it hits the stands, and block out several hours to read it in one sitting. Once
you start, you won’t get anything else done until you finish it.

—BRUCE TIERNEY www.bookpage.com

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