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THE BIG MANGO
 
 

THE BIG MANGO [Kindle Edition]

Jake Needham
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

Print List Price: £8.99
Kindle Price: £3.29 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
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Product Description

Review

"THE BIG MANGO is a full-blown work. There's no room for improvement. It's as good as it gets." --The Bangkok Post

"Fans of such thriller writers as Leonard Elmore and Carl Hiaasen will find a lot to like here: wise-cracking crooks, tough broads, nefarious government agents, an ordinary Joe out of his depth, plot twists, and scenery with character." --The Asian Review of Books (Hong Kong)

"No cliches. No BS. Thrillers written with a wry sense of humor in the mean-streets, fast-car, tough-talking tradition of Elmore Leonard." --The Edge (Singapore)

"Fast-paced, intriguingly filled with dodgy money and dodgier characters, dialogue which is gritty and realistic." --The South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)

"The most delightful improbabilities are artfully woven together to form the plot of THE BIG MANGO. This witty, inventive, and most of all thrilling thriller is ... [a] heady, bloody, luxurious, sordid fictional romp." --The Nation (Thailand)

Product Description

"THE BIG MANGO is a full-blown work. There's no room for improvement. It's as good as it gets." --The Bangkok Post

From the Big Apple, to the Big Orange, to the Big Mango. It does have a kind of nutty logic to it. Bangkok is about as far as Eddie Dare can go without falling off the edge of the world, although at times Eddie wonders if that isn't exactly what he has done.

$400,000,000 is in the wind, the result of a bungled CIA operation to grab the Bank of Vietnam's currency reserves when the Americans fled Saigon in 1975. A few decades later, the word on the street is that all that money somehow ended up in Bangkok and a downwardly mobile lawyer from San Francisco named Eddie Dare is the only guy who can find it.

The problem is, Eddie knows nothing at all about the missing money. At least he doesn't think he does. But so many other people believe he's got an inside track that he and his old marine buddy Winnebago Jones figure it's worth a shot to head for Bangkok and try their luck.

But first Eddie and Winnebago have to battle the jagged netherworld of modern-day Thailand - a corkscrewed realm where big-time dealers tango with small-time hustlers, criminals on the lam mingle with politicians on the take, and the merely raffish jostle with the downright scary for center stage in the big leagues of weird.

If they can overcome all that - as well as outmaneuver a freelancing CIA man, a pack of angry Secret Service agents, and a ruthless Vietnamese intelligence woman - maybe they can find out what really happened back in Saigon all those years ago.

And where those ten tons of money are.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 744 KB
  • Print Length: 400 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Half Penny Ltd (Hong Kong) (22 Nov 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B006CSC1BU
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #37,956 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all time favourite Asian novels 28 Jan 2002
Format:Paperback
Jake Needham has a wonderful way with words and a meta understanding of Bangkok ways and its culture. The Big Mango has a terrific storyline and likeable characters that you can relate with from the start. Probably more of a mans book, the hero, Eddie Dare is at the crossroads of his life when he receives a note that could change his life! I guess most 40 year olds will empathise with this senario. If you have spent time in Thailand you will appreciate Needhams attention to detail, if you havent travelled to the far east, don't worry, this book will take you there and back.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Curl up with a plate of durian chips and enjoy! 15 May 2011
Format:Paperback
Certain writers capture the zeitgeist: the LA of Chandler and Elroy, the Stockholm of Sjöwall/Wahlöö and Mankell, and the Singapore of Farrell and Theroux all come to mind. Raymond Needham has nailed post-Vietnam Bangkok, both time and place. Those of you who have been to Bangkok (and remember Vietnam) will revel in the authenticity of The Big Mango. Those of you who have not yet been to Bangkok, will be amused and charmed. This book, long a cult favorite of old Asia hands, is finally being given the broader distribution it deserves. The book is a classic caper novel set in the damp, tropical delight of Thailand. Enjoy it and then find Needham's other works!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars MANGO Scores Big 2 May 2011
Format:Paperback
I highly recommend THE BIG MANGO; excellent intrigue, well plotted with engaging characters, and written by an ex-pat who's lived in the territory.
I feel like when reading Jake Needham's novel THE BIG MANGO I'm cool and alive and on a personal guided tour of Bangkok, conducted with great style, strong writing, and time to enjoy the flavor of this historic Southeast Asian city. That and a few AK47s, semi-automatic pistols, and a hero who's at first hesitant but accepting of a desperate mission to find a huge load of cash, and we're on a joy ride through Bangkok--with a few beautiful women along for the trip.
THE BIG MANGO launches American Eddie Dare on a high-risk quest to locate a chunk of cash that's been missing since the end of the Vietnam War. The problem is Eddie doesn't know who's behind this proposition, but the payoff potential is enough to cloud his better judgment. The Americans want the missing money, the Vietnamese want it, and they both think Eddie has the line on where it might be found.
Take along plenty of Tanqueray and a few cigars and enjoy the ride, MANGO moves with excellent narrative and a smooth and witty voice. Needham knows Bangkok, and he knows where the bodies are buried.
The reader is the winner here, because while Eddie and his pal Winnebago (a guy, not an RV) bounce around Bangkok, they take us to all the cool places. Yeah, all of them. Go-Go bars, whore houses, fine restaurants and hotels, and up the Chao Phraya River for a shake-down at a riverside party pad. With Mango's danger factor running as strong as the currents in the Chao Phraya, the payback is that everything's for sale in Bangkok; limo drivers, guns, grenades, sex with beautiful young women. Everything but the truth.
Needham asks us to stop and linger a while.
... Read more ›
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Great first Bangkok book from Needham 16 Dec 2009
By Clive
Format:Paperback
I had searched long and hard to find this first book from Needham. Where did I find it? Where else, but in the Big Mango itself- Saigon Paragon mall in Bangkok. This is an exciting story of the trail of $400m of money evacuated to Bangkok by some US Marines at the fall of Saigon in 1975. Roll forward to 1995 and a Frisco lawyer called Eddie Dare (great name!) is challenged to go to Bangkok and find the loot. The CIA and Vietnam secret service as well as a host of Thai's are all mixed into the exciting chase that weaves as quickly as a Tuk-tuk through the narrow Soi's. Needham paints Bangkok as it really is, from the glorious Wat's, sincere Wai's and friendly smiles to the grime, corruption, and seedy go-go bar's. I recommend you look for this book as it is a treasure, all the way to a hot climax after midnight in a bar in Soi Cowboy!
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2.0 out of 5 stars The Big Mango 1 Mar 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Distinctly average - it could have been a lot better - it had all the makings of being good but just couldn't get there. Jake Needham is nowhere near as good as John Burdett - shame really as I was really looking forward to enjoying this but it really never got off the ground. I probably won't bother reading any more from this author - John Burdett owns this space.
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3.0 out of 5 stars A worthy read 17 Jan 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
An amusing tale all in all set in teh context of the warm and colourful context of the Big Mango- Bangkok
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3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting 14 Jan 2013
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Pretty standard Thai novel. Decent read. Characters needed further development. I enjoyed it and got a sense of the real thailand..
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5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read 28 Dec 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am on constant search for writing based in SE Asia, and particularly love the crime/mystery genre - was so glad that at long last got this book, it was a proper page-turner, and if you're familiar with Thailand very enjoyable (although this is of minor importance really).

Very much looking forward to reading the rest of Mr Needham's tomes, they're all on my Wishlist now.

One request though - audiobook please? Some of us have to drive lots......
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A realy amazing thriller..!
They don't come any better as this book. It takes you right there into the heart of Bangkok. Reading through the book you feel like you can realy take in those sounds and smells... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mac Paco
5.0 out of 5 stars A Bite of the Mango
I have read all of the Jake Needham books and am glad that I started with this one first because it undoubtedly encouraged me to read all of the others. Read more
Published 9 months ago by JohnUK
5.0 out of 5 stars True To Thailand
The Big Mango was a great read for me, especially as I have an understanding of Thailand due to living there a lot. Read more
Published 9 months ago by paul
5.0 out of 5 stars The Big Mango by Jake Needham - an accidental book-purchase, that was...
The main character, Eddie Dare, a run-down lawyer from San Francisco, together with his former Vietnam-War buddy Winnebago, is contacted through ominous ways and mysterious... Read more
Published 9 months ago by ADHamburg
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally unexpected, and entertaining
Jake Needham's novel, The Big Mango, broke into the expat market at a time when detective genre and most books covering Thailand focused heavily on the Red Light District and... Read more
Published 12 months ago by far side travel
5.0 out of 5 stars Well happy with this!
I have to confess to being a sucker for this genre (western wise-guys mixed up in foregn affairs), but even so, The Big Mango is a pleasure to read. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Jo
3.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable romp
The Big Mango was Needham's first novel and it and his subsequent novels have all sold well in Asia. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Rob Kitchin
5.0 out of 5 stars Asian crime
As a frequent visitor to Thailand, And a enthusiast detective reader.[ And a film-Noir enthusiast, but that a different story]
I always wanted to read a book combining the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Peter Lenderink
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic
What a classic! I have been a fan of Jake Needham's books since I first came across them in Singapore a few years ago. Read more
Published 18 months ago by rockyG
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