The Godfather Of Kathmandu - Book Review

The aspect of Eastern based novels albeit with a Western bent is trying to balance its nature without nullifying the differences in perception and cultural senscience available in certain situations. "The Godfather Of Kathmandu" [John Burdett/Knof/320pgs] takes its central idea from certain headline elements as a basis but uses the mindset of its lead character who is straddling with his identity of idealism in a Buddhist world and whether it will take him up to a higher level of being. The great angle of the book is that it doesn't overwrought the spiritual aspects instead placing it in a "take-it-or-leave-it" scenario which seems to serve the plot distinctly. Written in a first person narrative from the perspective of a Thailand cop who is not quite Thai but not quite a white man gives it a parallel of living in a world he does not necessarily belong in. The title makes reference to underhanded dealings and a homage to the gangster film though this angle more refers to dirty cops and a military who use their powers for kick backs and drugs. This mid level cop whom we see life through also serves as a consigliere to his strategic boss.The undercurrent that fuels the thrust of the book is the death of a American filmmaker past his prime who after settling in Bangkok for all of its lithe possibilities ends up traveling to Nepal to make his final movie. His death is surrounded in odd circumstances, looking like both a suicide and a murder at times. The Godfather, spoke of in the title, is actually a would-be monk in Kathmandu who has achieved enlightenment without the moral accumen. His power is lusted in a way by our effervescent cop who still wants to be considered among the good guys. The doling out of the different narrative points seems to slip and slide around but the actual tone of the piece is rather consistent and engaging. It is simply in the last 40 pages that the author seems to want to tie up loose ends though the inference is that the confrontation is far from over. Nevertheless, the end feels rushed in a novel that is fairly brisk for its page count. "Godfather Of Kathmandu" is didactic in some of its reasoning but its perspective shows an interesting dramatic structure in showing an insider's perspective of the Eastern from a rapidly evolving Western point of view. Out of 5, I give it a 2 1/2