Another Exotic Thriller

The Adversary, by Michael Walters. Berkley Prime Crime, $15 (358p) ISBN 978-0-425-22596-7

Here's another title from my exotic mysteries backlog. It's a sequel to Walters' much-praised debut mystery featuring Mongolian sleuth Nergui, The Shadow Walker. See my review of that auspicious debut here: http://www.military.com/entertainment/books/book-reviews/military-bookshelf-paperback-corner

If Mongolia is an exotic setting for a mystery series, Walters' hero is a complicated protagonist. Educated in the West (Britain and the U.S.), he's conflicted about the rapid Westernization of his native Mongolia. Cosmopolitan and sophisticated, he's a romantic nationalist who rues the erosion of folk culture. He's also an honest man in a society rife with corruption; a workaholic; a bachelor; and a high-ranking government bureaucrat with an enigmatic portfolio.

Formerly head of the Serious Crime Team, Nergui now serves as an aide to the Minister of Security. It's obvious that he misses his old job, and he can't resist interfering, much to the dismay of his protégé and successor Doripalam. When's his old boss is around, Doripalam can't stop comparing himself to Nergui. Unfavorably, of course.

This latest episode pits Nergui against the country's most prominent crime boss, a man named Muunokhoi. Nergui has spent twenty years pursuing Muunokhoi and suspects that he's always come up short because the crime lord has infiltrated the cops.

What's different this time is a cache of incriminating documents that a late business associate of Muunokhoi's hid away. Years later, the documents turn up in the possession of the associate's widow, Judge Sarangarel Radnaa. Determined to destroy the evidence, Muunokhoi begins to take chances, and Nergui plans to be there when he makes a mistake.

Exotic locations, intriguing characters, robust action, and literate prose continue to distinguish this highly entertaining new series.

The World According to Nergui

"Complicated things, children. I've generally managed to steer clear of them."

"Young people today are much too smart for their own good."

"They're politicians. Their job is to avoid embarrassment."

"In my experience, it never pays to delve too deeply into the psychology of anything."

"Integrity's like virginity. You can't get it back."

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For fans of historical fiction, I'd also recommend Conn Iggulden's excellent series of novels tracing the life and times of Mongolia's founder, the legendary conqueror Genghis Khan: Genghis: Birth of an Empire (2007) and Genghis: Lords of the Bow (2008) and Genghis: Bones of the Hills (2009).