The Thunder Dragon Gate

This thriller novel revolves around Tom Grayne, an American secret agent, and his wife Elsa. "The Thunder Dragon Gate" is the name of a Tibetan monastery that is thought to be the gateway to Shambala and is thus idolized as a symbol for the passage to higher levels of mystical perception. Tom and Elsa are attempting to smuggle the keeper of the gate, Thö-pa-ga, back into Tibet to resume his ordained duty and learn everything they can about the path to Shambala. Only a power-hungry rajah named Dowlah, a slew of Chinese and Japanese agents, and a massive man-eating spider known as Shang-Shang stand in their way. The gate itself is said to be guarded by a Shang-Shang. Will Tom Grayne and his wife Elsa succeed in smuggling Thö-pa-ga back into Tibet?