For me this was a return to form after Think Fast Mr Moto in part because of its interesting setting - Peiking, and an expedition to find buried treasure in the Mongolian desert (I wonder if this inspired the film of Thank You Mr Moto).
It's also got a more compelling American-male-aboard-who-gets-involved-with-Moto protagonist - a man who has embezzled money from his family. He romances the standard exotic woman and once more it's not that compelling - I wonder if its me, or Marquand. Again there is excellent action that you want more of. This has a long page count.
The support characters are very strong - a Japanese officer who is a rival for Moto (more militaristic but respect worthy), a local prince, a super smart Russian intelligence officer, and a Western officer who works for the Prince... who is an Australian! He keeps asking for a "lucifer" to light his cigarette! Must have been based on a real person. Great to see an Aussie baddy.
There's massive stakes here - a possible war between Japan and Russia over Japanese expansion in Manchuria. The book is a bit sympathetic to Japanese expansion! Well the Japanese do win and the Americans are impotent. It's kind of a downer book with Moto triumphing. Overlong but a good entry.
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