Death in Shangri-La

Zur makes his U.S. debut with an intriguing if flawed thriller. Dotan Naor, a retired Israeli operative, specializes in rescuing fellow countrymen who have gotten into trouble abroad. After Israeli arms dealer Willy Mizrachi is found beheaded in Delhi, Naor, who has just returned to Israel from Mumbai, is visited by the police, who want to know why Naor’s name was in the dead man’s appointment book. Naor doesn’t reveal that Mizrachi beseeched him a year earlier for help with Mizrachi’s son, who gave up a promising legal career to join a Buddhist monastery in northern India. When Naor learns that the murder coincided with a series of terror attacks in India targeting Israeli tourists, he agrees to return to that country to investigate. He’s joined by intelligence agent Maya Kfir, who, conveniently for Naor’s libido, happens to be a knockout. Zur doesn’t make suspension of disbelief easy, especially after saddling his lead with a backstory that includes a martial arts match against Vladimir Putin at China’s legendary Shaolin Monastery. Readers with a tolerance for genre clichés will be satisfied. Agent: Murray Weiss, Catalyst Literary Management. (Aug.)