Don't let the title locale fool you: this fourth installment of John Burdett's Sochai Jitpleecheep series is firmly based on the original formula of the earlier Bangkok books. Six years after Bangkok Haunts, Sonchai, now 37, is called to the scene of a gruesome murder. Hollywood director Frank Charles is eviscerated with a chunk of skull and brains removed, in the fashion of foreign noir novels found at the scene. Although this spectacular case is a chance for promotion, Sonchai is not terribly inspired.

Instead he is preoccupied by both personal tragedy and his unofficial promotion. Appointed consigliere to Police Colonel Vikorn's Godfather, Sonchai is responsible for coordinating the joint purchase of forty million dollars of heroin with Vikorn's archrival Army General Zinna from Tietsin, the title Tibetan character exiled to Nepal, raising money to invade China before the Beijing Olympics. Sonchai is drawn to his brand of Buddhism, blade wheel and all.

Unlike previous stories in the series, these two plotlines do not converge to a satisfying climax. Burdett rolls out some new interesting characters, but there is less of a local feel as the operation is scaled up to international levels. Sonchai is slowed down by rolling joints all over town to cope with his loss, while dealing with his largest moral crisis yet. However, there is a refreshing look at the underside of Tibetan-Chinese relationship served up in Burdett's pointed style. I have come to regard this series as a guilty pleasure, primarily on the strength of the original. Now I'm just happily along for the ride with Sonchai.