Deadly Drought

Social and political satire turns this fifth Superintendent Bamsan Kiet ( Kiet and the Opium War ) adventure into a wry overview of contemporary mores and idioms. Prince Pakse, ruler of the mythical Pacific Rim country of Luong--which is very American in nature--sets the intricate, engaging plot in motion when he calls Kiet back from a vacation during Luong's worst drought ever. Pakse wants Kiet to oversee the public execution of a Chinese rice broker convicted of hoarding. Kiet delegates the job, but he becomes embroiled in other troubles: the return of Pakse's illegitimate son; the foremost seeress's dire weather predictions; the hard-sell techniques of an American air-conditioning salesman; the plight of a stranded American missionary; and the questionable trial of the rice broker. With enviable composure Kiet untangles each problem and lays it to rest. Alexander weaves in football stories, snippets of life at the posh Sporting Club and other extraneous asides to entertain and amuse still further. (Sept.)