At 0500 on Tuesday 3 May 2005, a lone Antonov-32 transport flies through the dawn light over the Himalayas and approaches the Tibetan capital, Lhasa. Its destination is the notorious Drapchi Prison, where some of the most revered Tibetan leaders are being held. The aircraft's loading bay is lowered. The sky is filled with mushroom grey parachutes. In a few minutes, troops of the People's Republic of China are fighting invaders. Far to the West, Paskistani FCI multi-role combat aircraft roar across the Line of Control and pound the strategic outpost of Kargil. Heliborne troops follow to raise the national green crescent flag on Indian territory.Suddenly the three-sided war so dreaded in Asia - India versus China and Pakistan - is happening. Nuclear arsenals are being readied in all three countries.

Dragon Fire is a totally gripping thriller with a horrifying and wholly believable conclusion. Humphrey Hawksley's tense prose bristles with knowledge and insight into the most explosive political area in the world. But what makes it all the more terrifying is that it's all based on fact.