The End of the Monsoon — John Lathrop

Michael Smith, at the US embassy in Cambodia, has an urgent assignment: do what it takes to help a US oil company secure its contract with the Cambodian government before upcoming elections strengthen a Chinese competitor. His affair with Zainab, the British charge's wife, complicates events. Unaware of Smith's role, Zainab pushes hard for reform, convincing her candidate to tie oil concessions to clean government, and Chinese concessions to the release of a dissident monk. The ruling party works for the monk's release, but insists that Zainab, a Buddhist herself, travels to the remote northern border for the handover. Smith considers a British diplomat's spouse to be a protected species in Cambodia. But does she really qualify? With tension, moral complexity and an authentic feel for modern Cambodia, The End of the Monsoon is a gripping story of love and the struggle for integrity.