Sacred Mountain — Robert Ferguson

Philip Armitage was 19 when he was sent to fight in Burma as an army officer. Deep behind enemy lines and cut off from his column, he struggled to save the lives of his loyal Gurkha soldiers by leading them safely back to India. Ten years later, haunted by these memories, he arrives in Kathmandu to report for The Times on the 1953 Everest expedition. He finds a city bursting with Tibetan refugees, driven from their homeland by the recent Chinese invasion. Reporters from other papers have also arrived, intent on intercepting The Times exclusive dispatches and scooping the story. Climbing high into the Himalayan mountains, he finds himself the only person able to lead a mission to save one of Tibetan Buddhism's most sacred men, and with him the future of the Tibetan resistance. But to do so he must face his past and hope that he can find redemption on the desolate slopes of Everest, the Sacred Mountain. Sacred Mountain is a gripping historical novel that takes readers from the stifling jungles of Burma to the soaring peaks of the Himalaya, with vivid descriptions placing them in the heart of the action. It's a moving story about one man's life, torn apart by the consequences of war, and his struggle to atone. Robert has been inspired by a number of novels, including Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh and The Bridge over the River Kwai by Pierre Boulle.