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Bangkok 8 (Hardcover)

by John Burdett (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam Press (1 Jul 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0593051734
  • ISBN-13: 978-0593051733
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.8 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 676,296 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

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

Publishing News
‘Wow! Partly 'normal' thriller and partly off-the-beaten-track Buddhist narrative ... An original and gripping novel.’

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Who need's a 'rough guide' when you've go John Burdett?, 9 Sep 2004
This review is from: Bangkok 8 (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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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant - A smart and enticing novel, 12 Nov 2004
This review is from: Bangkok 8 (Vintage) (Paperback)
A great novel, set in Bangkok, exploding many of the myths people have about the city. A real insight into the unique balances of Thai culture and Buddhist nature, woven through an exiting, page turning crime novel, with great characters and plot. Enjoy this real taste of Thai culture. If you have ever been to Bangkok, this is a real must. The research on the part of the author is nothing short of brilliant.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Summer Thriller, 2 Sep 2003
By A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
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.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars 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 3 months ago by L. J. Roberts

1.0 out of 5 stars 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 13 months ago by Z. Raza

3.0 out of 5 stars 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 18 months ago by LT10

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book
I had noticed the book at old Dom Muang Airport some years back, but actually bought it in Pattaya. I pealed off the sealing once settled on the plane home and did not sleep a... Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2007 by Mr. Michael Round

2.0 out of 5 stars let down
I bought this because of the James Ellroy recommendation on the back. All I can say is that the great man is wrong. This is a mess of a book. Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2006 by M. J. Tibbetts

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacking
An American Marine killed by snakes on drugs? It's happened in Thailand, and Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is on the case. Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2004 by Erin Horgan

5.0 out of 5 stars East meets west...Big time
A stonking thriller with a great understanding of both the Thai mind and how Westerners (Farangs) are part of life Bangkok. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2004 by Happy tea drinker!

5.0 out of 5 stars Take me away to Bangkok
I don't know if the Bangkok in Bangkok 8 is the real city, but I bought it. This is a fascinating book full of magic and it all sounds absolutely true and believable... Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning work of fiction
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... Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2003 by John Gimblett

5.0 out of 5 stars Bangkok - Stunning and Different
With Carl Hiaasen and James Ellroy both touting the book as something really good, I had to buy it and more than glad that I did. Read more
Published on 31 Jul 2003 by Patrona Stewart

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