This journey takes the author through contemporary Russia, some of it's newly independent republics and China. The tales he has to tell about Russia are quite sad a depressing including a low life expectancy of only 58 years due to excessive drinking and smoking. The rampant corruption and break down in law and order are forcing many to drink themselves to death. Added to this is a very strong distrust of the west.

The news from the republics is not that flattering either. With pockets of new found wealth like in Kazakhstan, the story is the same with corruption and the mafia ruling the roost and the common man having to deal with declining incomes and standards of living.

With China it is a very different story. Unbridled growth evidenced in its ever growing and flashy infrastructure but at the same time the suppression of minorities like the Uighur and favoring the majority Han and the ever present tentacles of a totalitarian state and lack of true freedom. Overall a very gloomy and scary forecast for that whole region in general.

This journey takes the author through contemporary Russia, some of it's newly independent republics and China. The tales he has to tell about Russia are quite sad a depressing including a low life expectancy of only 58 years due to excessive drinking and smoking. The rampant corruption and break down in law and order are forcing many to drink themselves to death. Added to this is a very strong distrust of the west.

The news from the republics is not that flattering either. With pockets of new found wealth like in Kazakhstan, the story is the same with corruption and the mafia ruling the roost and the common man having to deal with declining incomes and standards of living.

With China it is a very different story. Unbridled growth evidenced in its ever growing and flashy infrastructure but at the same time the suppression of minorities like the Uighur and favoring the majority Han and the ever present tentacles of a totalitarian state and lack of true freedom. Overall a very gloomy and scary forecast for that whole region in general.

I'd been hearing about the Uygher people in the news, and about the level of tension in the parts of China in which they live. Before that, I had never heard of them.

After reading Murderers in Mausoleums, though, it took those little sound bytes I was given every day and painted a more vivid picture of the tension, of the two disparate peoples living together.

The book wasn't all about Uyghers, and in fact, they probably only took up about one chapter (albeit a long one) in a longer book chronicling a journey from Red Square to Tienanmen Square.

John Tayler sets off on a journey across two countries at one time or another best described as being Communist. He starts in the square containing the mausoleum of one infamous murderer (Lenin), and ends at the mausoleum of another (Mao Zedong). Along the way, he visits the purported mausoleum of Genghis Khan. He interviews the locals, and gets their take on the situation.

The fact of the matter is, though, that nobody is really happy, happy. Though people are mostly content.

On his trip, he, being an American, is constantly asked "What's your nationality?" "American." "No, your BLOOD." And to many, it's all about the blood. Wherever he goes, he faces corrupt officials, people who would wish to overthrow the current corrupt government and start their own (corrupt government), and herds of citizens who gladly digest the lies their corrupt governing officials tell them.

The book, I would say, is mostly a travelogue, but at the same time, it seems like it's trying to present lesser-known cultures to the reader. However, these observations are, like observing Schrodinger's cat, not going to give the best results. Tayler was at times, too much an outspoken American, which would momentarily jar me away from the story at hand. I read the book to see the journey, not constantly get reaffirmed that the author is sort of a Buddhist, but not really. It was like listening to a symphony orchestra playing a new and interesting piece, and somewhere in the middle you start to hear a repeated theme, played on an accordion.

If you can get over Tayler's constant commentary, then you'll definitely get a very good glimpse at the life between the Squares, and maybe even gain a larger appreciation for what you actually have. ( )

Reading Murderers in Mausoleums, you will gain a vital understanding of Russia and China; their culture, their ideals, their fears, their struggles as our global neighbors. Jeffrey Tayler, is a correspondent whose purpose in writing the book is to find out for himself how the people who were once the oppressed are now viewing a renaissance taking place in their countries. He also wants to talk with the people deep within the country, to get a sense of how they feel about the West, especially the United States. What he hears will astonish you.

The book is a journal of his 7,200 mile trip that begins in Red Square and ends in Tiananmen Square. Travel is undeniably a hardship with many obstacles to overcome. Schedules are not always followed. Passports are checked with no consistency. The ubiquitous guards perusing papers will often hold Tayler for a payoff, or just to be officious and obnoxious. He endures extreme hostile climatic conditions, stress from potential threats to his life and difficult barriers that others would not have crossed. I applaud with my deepest respect his valiant pursuit to achieve his goal. Some areas he visited he claims no westerner has ever seen. Amazing!

Tayler uncovers spectacular lies told and perpetuated throughout Russian history. Tayler pays close attention as a citizen of Karaganda, ( the second largest city in Kazakhstan) discusses when coal was discovered in his town during Stalin’s reign. The story of Karaganda is a sorrowful one and amazingly a work camp called Karlag, created by Stalin did not close until 1958. This cover-up speaks to the cruelty and prejudice of Stalin’s nature which is an astonishing story to read.

Murderers in Mausoleums a reference to the leaders who we know now were murderers, not rulers, has the excitement of a novel. At the same time it contains a valuable visual and oral history. This plurality creates a harmonious balance that should capture the attention of those readers who shun history books. Jeffrey Tayler the transcontinental traveler who stops at nothing to get an interview offers a rare insiders look from so far away. Shocking and alluring, this book offers both. Highly recommended. ( )