"Shibumi," by Trevanian was mentioned earlier in the thread. It really is a great book -- I've read it twice. But it must be emphasized that this is a guy book, a really, really guy book. The second time I read it, my feminism came to the fore, as I wasn't turning the pages fast for plot, and I snickered my way through it -- this is a young man's wet dream of a book. But it's fun!