A Bewitching Smile, second in the Land of Smiles Trilogy, is reminiscent of A Passage to India in the creation of a kind of psychological DMZ, another Shangri-la with its own epiphanies and perils. The toughsensitive characterization, and the sharp, often aphoristic dialogue, and the irony, combine to create a powerful drama.
In this sequel to A Killing Smile, Richard Breach who is a magician, mystic and world-class card player teaches English in Bangkok. Crosby, his former student, has found an assignment for Breach’s talents: a rescue mission. Snow is held hostage in a hill tribe village in the North of Thai-land. Snow’s plan to become Lahu godman has failed and his life is at risk. Breach has a reason of his own—a dying friend in English has requested a set of ritual shaman’s.
“Moore’s novels are breaking new ground in fictional writing about Thailand. . . . He writes with gentle humor and a sensitive understanding of what it is to be lost.”
—*The Nation*