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Amazon.co.uk Review
When a US Marine is killed in Bangkok, the task of finding the murderer falls to Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, seemingly the only member of the Royal Thai Police Force whose idea of justice excludes the habitual bribe-taking practised by his fellow officers. This assignment is especially important to the devout detective because during the investigation of the murder scene, the methamphetamine-stoked snakes that bit the marine also kill Sonchai's police partner, best friend and Buddhist soul-mate Pichai. Sonchai's pursuit of revenge will team him with a sexually frustrated FBI agent and leave them at the mercy of yaa-baa-fuelled motorcycle-taxi drivers as they hurtle through neon-lit Bangkok and into the labyrinthine and deadly machinations of the international jade and drug trades in search of the killer.
At one point Sonchai asks: "This isn't a whodunit, is it?" The answer is no, but John Burdett (also author of A Personal History of Thirst and The Last Six Million Seconds) infuses the plot with enough suspense, detail and dry Asian insight to keep readers rapt as the story careens about the bars and brothels of Thailand, taking in its flesh trade and cut-rate plastic surgery parlours and ending in a climax with a fittingly Buddhist twist. Bangkok 8 is highly recommended for readers in the mood for Thai. --Benjamin Reese, Amazon.com --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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‘Wow! Partly 'normal' thriller and partly off-the-beaten-track Buddhist narrative ... An original and gripping novel.’
--This text refers to the
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'm a sucker for crime fiction set in unusual locales, so it was with great anticipation that I dove into this Bangkok-set debut novel. Burdett does a magnificent job in bringing Bangkok to life—from the neon-lit sex industry to shocking poverty, endemic corruption, widespread yaa baa (methamphetamine) trade, ever-present Bhuddism, and the lingering effects of the Vietnam war. Things kick off with straight-arrow cops Sonchai and Pichai tailing an American marine—allowing Burdett to give Bangkok's legendary traffic a cameo. However, in the middle of their task, the marine is killed by poisonous snakes, one of whom also kills Pichai when he tries to rescue the marine. From here on out Sonchai is a man on a mission, dedicated to solving the marine's (and thus by extension his partner's) murder. The death of the marine brings with it the involvement of the U.S embassy, and a female FBI agent comes over to liase with Sonchai. The plot is a typically convoluted thriller effort, involving international jade smuggling, a powerful American with White House connections, extreme S&M, Khmer thugs, Chui Chow Chinese gangsters and more. Actually, the story itself if the weakest part of the book, succumbing to stereotypical thriller elements and scenes. And it has to be said—the ending is really, really lame.
Still, there's lots to recommend the book. This is a thriller with many shades of gray to delight in. For example, on the one hand, Sonchai is an arhat (kind of a Bhuddist living saint), the one clean cop in the district, and yet he's clear that the only justice he intends to bring his partner's killer to is that found in the barrel of his gun. Similarly, his boss is totally corrupt, but Sonchai respects and reveres him. Most interesting is the portrayal of the sex industry, which is much less condemnatory than one might expect. (Although whether or not it accurately represents Thai attitudes to sex is not for me to judge.) The straightforward story also veers into the supernatural, with Sonchai able to see the past lives of people he encounters. Others love this aspect of his character, but it struck me as an unnecessary gimmick that detracts from the book's excellent portrayal of Bhuddism. Sonchai is a wonderfully laconic character, and all the more surprising for having come from the pen of a Westerner. On the whole, this is a very enjoyable thriller with a wonderful protagonist and great insight into Thai culture and Bangkok, however don't approach it with overly high expectations or you'll be disappointed—it is still of the airplane/beach read genre.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the first of the author's books I've read, and it won't be the last. As they say, the book 'gets under the skin' of Thailand, and anyone who's been to Bangkok will recognise how superbly John Burdett has captured the spirit, the very essence, of the city.
More than a straightforward detective novel, Bangkok 8 gives us a deep insight into the spiritual side of Thailand and its people. The complications of adding Buddhism to mass tourism (some of it highly questionable in motive) is handled expertly, and anyone interested in Thailand would learn more about the country and its people from reading this book than from studying several editions of the 'Lonely Planet' guide.
A truly un-put-downable novel, fascinating and multi-layered, this is one of the two best novels I've read in the past few years. Perhaps the best - it narrowly beats 'God is a Bullet'.
More than a straightforward detective novel, Bangkok 8 gives us a deep insight into the spiritual side of Thailand and its people. The complications of adding Buddhism to mass tourism (some of it highly questionable in motive) is handled expertly, and anyone interested in Thailand would learn more about the country and its people from reading this book than from studying several editions of the 'Lonely Planet' guide.
A truly un-put-downable novel, fascinating and multi-layered, this is one of the two best novels I've read in the past few years. Perhaps the best - it narrowly beats 'God is a Bullet'.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Firstly this book is incredibly readable: it starts with a shocker and just when you start getting comfortable you're hit by something totally surreal...a bit like living in Asia! Follow the main character, a Thai Policeman called Sonchai, through his own struggles with keeping his Karma in balance, dealing with the loss of his soul brother, and his innate understanding of the Western mind. Explore the Thai Adult Industry with him and meet the Johns, the Janes and the JohnJanes... As a Westerner, it makes you feel kind of small...It's by far the best book I've read in a while...the characters are extreme and utterly believable...incredibly well written with the knowledge of one whos lived there for some time...If you're remotely interested in what happes out in the East, read this book!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Limps to a finish
I have just been to Bangkok and read this whilst I was there. Initially the plot is gripping and at half way I was hooked. Read more
Published 1 month ago by AJH
Half way, can't go any further
Really wanted to like this book, as it's one of a selection of books recommended in the back of the Rough Guide to Thailand which I thought I'd read before I go to Thailand in July... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Manda Moo
Blue guide to Bangkok
Enjoyable romp through Bangkok's seedier quarters. The author easily rivals Martin Cruz Smith, who's close to him in style. Read more
Published 7 months ago by John Coffey
Somewhere different
Burdett presents a gritty -- but thoughtful -- crime novel combined with a kind of Rough Guide chic that presents a gripping paradigm of Thailand. Read more
Published 10 months ago by M. Cantrell
Interesting read
Written from an interesting character perspective. (it's the lead character telling the story.) I think he has bangkok fairly well pegged although there are some visual and... Read more
Published 20 months ago by FilmBuff
must read
John Burdett is far and away the best novelist of Thailand subjects (and he must be a great read for anyone anywhere). Read more
Published 22 months ago by Charles H. Harpole
Full Of Eastern Promise
I was lured to this book by its eye-catching cover and an endorsement in the blurb from Carl Hiaasen, who I rate very higly. Read more
Published on 10 Feb 2010 by I. Read-Books
Murder by snakes
First Sentence: The African American marine in the gray Mercedes will soon die of bites from Naja siamensis, but we don't know that yet, Pichai and I (the future is impenetrable,... Read more
Published on 9 April 2009 by L. J. Roberts
A waste of time
Page turner????? The polt meandered it's way through a social study and description of Bangkok's seedy underside...that way the book is certainly eye opening and informative.... Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2008 by Z. Raza
good writing weak plot
I enjoyed the book, it was interesting to see how the west is viewed through eastern eyes. Unfortunately, the plot was like something out of a bad b movie. Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2008 by Cromlechi
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