260 pp. "In To the Elephant Graveyard, journalist Tarquin Hall does more than chronicle the daring, adventure-filled search for a killer elephant -- he creates a vivid account of the people in an isolated area of India whose culture is intimately connected to the region's elephants and, like the elephants, is quickly dying out. In Assam it is not unusual to see signposts in villages saying where domesticated elephants should be hitched. The Khasi tribe, whom Hall joins in the elephant hunt, lives intimately with the elephants, riding on their bare backs, caring for them, talking to them, and praying to them. But amid the peaceful coexistence of man and beast, there is trouble: a killer elephant is on the rampage, stalking Assam's paddy-fields, murdering dozens of farmers and leaving behind their mutilated and crushed bodies. When Hall travels to Assam to join in the hunt for the killer elephant, he meets a cast of colorful and surprising characters. Among them are Dinesh Choudhury, one of India's last licensed elephant hunters, and Churchill, a member of the Khasi tribe who befriends Hall and teaches him to ride an elephant. Initially, Hall is convinced that no elephant could be guilty of the grisly crimes of which the rogue is accused. But his preconceived ideas soon begin to unravel. To the Elephant Graveyard is a compelling account of the search for a killer in a region of India rife with insurgency, rich in folklore and superstition, and whose ancient ways are fast disappearing along with the ever-shrinking forest. "Thoroughly enjoyable." -- Frederick Forsyth; "This highly entertaining book proves that a really determined young man . . . can still go out into the world in search of adventure, find it, and even make it his career." -- Peter Hopkirk."
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