Shibumi by Trevanian

First Published: Crown Publishers, 1979
Edition Read: Three Rivers Press, 2005
ISBN: 1-4000-9803-3

Truly a strange spy novel. Almost beautiful, highly aesthetic moments in an otherwise almost obnoxiously masculine book. No good people. No desperate, driving plot. No major intrigue. But it works. Once Trevanian decided to write a spy novel modelled on the ancient Japanese board game, Go, I guess the result was always going to be unpredictable.