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Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:A thriller with attitude to spare, Bangkok 8 is a sexy, razor-edged, often darkly hilarious novel set in one of the world’s most exotic cities.Witnessed by a throng of gaping spectators, a charismatic Marine sergeant is murdered under a Bangkok bridge inside a bolted-shut Mercedes Benz. Among the witnesses are the only two cops in the city not on the take, but within moments one is murdered and his partner, Sonchai Jitpleecheep—a devout Buddhist and the show more son of a Thai bar girl and a long-gone Vietnam War G.I.—is hell-bent on wreaking revenge. On a vigilante mission to capture his partner’s murderer, Sonchai is begrudgingly paired with a beautiful FBI agent named Jones and captures her heart in the process. In a city fueled by illicit drugs and infinite corruption, prostitution and priceless art, Sonchai’s quest for vengeance takes him into a world much more sinister than he could have ever imagined. show less
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karatelpek Short chapters, a stronger mother with a less than respectable profession, plus history and exotic flare.
Member Reviews
Sex, drugs, and murder in a disorienting mix which makes as much of a statement about the poisonous lack of western culture as it does about the growing flexibility of the east in confronting that vast vacuum. A frequently disorienting read but a relentlessly interesting one as conventional mystery tropes are melted and remodeled with Buddhist meditations.
I liked this a lot, though rather unexpectedly. I knew it interested me the second I reached for it on the shelf, wondered it if it would offend me, and did not think it would hold my attention. I'm glad I went for it. It fits quite well with my love of books that suck you right into the heave ho of great old overcrowded cities, and of Buddhism, noir, cliffhangers, characters so wacky you know they might be real, travel guides, and fast mystery/fiction pacing with a smattering of philosophy on the absurdity of the human condition. It mixed real and ridiculous in a way I appreciated and believed wholeheartedly. I got lost in it, and would have stayed longer. I already put the next installments on hold at the library.
I was expecting a kind of travelogue, light reading mystery set in Bangkok, but what I got was a very complex and sometimes profound consideration of the meaning of life, the differences between Thai and Western culture, the importance of tolerance and the cost of exploiting human beings. Much more than I bargained for!
This is a book that actually lives up to the reviews on the cover. Burdett drops us into an alternate universe called Bangkok, which we see through the eyes of a police detective, half Thai and half American, the son of a prostitute, who weaves his Buddhist beliefs throughout the first person narrative. It's unlike anything I've read - as atmospheric as the best of Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko novels, but a lot more exotic and even better written. There's also a very ironic sense of humor that runs through the entire story, despite the gruesome goings on. Burdett's take on Thai prostitution will not go down well for a lot of readers, but he does a pretty good job of reconciling the good and bad aspects of Thai society - something I show more had a hard time doing during the week I spent there a few years ago.
I don't want to speculate on how the author did his research into the various elements that make up this book - I hope it wasn't all done in person - but he does an amazing job of weaving in commentary on Thai culture in a direct but not heavy-handed way. For example, the detective listens to a popular Thai radio call-in show whose discussions are relevant to the bizarre case he is working on. To provide more details would just lessen your enjoyment of the story. Just dive in; don't even read the description on the back cover. show less
I don't want to speculate on how the author did his research into the various elements that make up this book - I hope it wasn't all done in person - but he does an amazing job of weaving in commentary on Thai culture in a direct but not heavy-handed way. For example, the detective listens to a popular Thai radio call-in show whose discussions are relevant to the bizarre case he is working on. To provide more details would just lessen your enjoyment of the story. Just dive in; don't even read the description on the back cover. show less
The detective story gives enough action to keep you engaged in what is essentially a thorough comparison of Western and Thai culture, and insight into the Thai sex industry. The clashes between moral systems are a delight - discovering the honor code of a completely rotten ( by Western standards) police chief and an feisty Thai prostitute (who is also the mom of our protagonist, a half-white Thai cop) offer food for thought way beyond the bounds of a traditional mystery.
This book, which is one of the steamiest I have ever read and has plenty of violence, is certainly not for everyone, but I thought it was a terrific read. Sonchai Jitpleecheep, a devoutly Buddhist Bangkok cop; his mother; his friend Pichai (alive and dead) and virtually all the other characters are unforgettably written. So -- the book has chutzpah, excellent writing, excellent characters, plenty of local color, great plotting, suspense, cross cultural musings and intelligence, philosophy that makes you ponder, and even a strong spiritual undercurrent. IFor those not put off by the underbelly views, Who could want anything more? Well, I want to read the next two books in the series for sure!
You would think that a crime novel involving Bangkok's drug and sex trades would be salacious. It is, I guess, but what sticks with me most about this book is the differences between Thai culture and American. The obvious device for this is the teaming up of a Thai police detective and an American FBI agent, which, although pretty obvious, is exactly what you need and are looking for in this sort of thing.
The explanations of Bangkok and buddhism and whorehouses and drug trade is really impressionable. It doesn't exactly paint any of them in a good light necessarily, but it makes you feel like you've visited the secret parts of Bangkok--the parts the tourists don't usually get to see.
Having spent some time in Manila, I began getting show more strangely nostaligic and wistful for the kind of dirty, odd, very non-American-like values in a large Asian city like that. And then in comes Kimberly Jones, the American FBI agent, who you suddenly want to impress, admire and ask to leave and mind her own business all at the same time.
Having read the Bangkok books somewhat out of order (I read this one AFTER Bangkok Tattoo) I may be somewhat off in saying that I preferred Tattoo and Bagkok Haunts more than this one. But all the same, I liked it. It's dirty, gritty, rough and satisfying. I imagine, a lot like Bangkok. Just like a crime noir ought to be. show less
The explanations of Bangkok and buddhism and whorehouses and drug trade is really impressionable. It doesn't exactly paint any of them in a good light necessarily, but it makes you feel like you've visited the secret parts of Bangkok--the parts the tourists don't usually get to see.
Having spent some time in Manila, I began getting show more strangely nostaligic and wistful for the kind of dirty, odd, very non-American-like values in a large Asian city like that. And then in comes Kimberly Jones, the American FBI agent, who you suddenly want to impress, admire and ask to leave and mind her own business all at the same time.
Having read the Bangkok books somewhat out of order (I read this one AFTER Bangkok Tattoo) I may be somewhat off in saying that I preferred Tattoo and Bagkok Haunts more than this one. But all the same, I liked it. It's dirty, gritty, rough and satisfying. I imagine, a lot like Bangkok. Just like a crime noir ought to be. show less
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Impeccably researched, this is sometimes poetic, often exotic, and totally hardcore
added by private library
Read this book, savour the language - it's the last and most compelling word in thrillers
added by private library
A fantastic new thriller with an avenging Buddhist cop as its central character
added by private library
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Bangkok 8
- Original title
- Bangkok 8
- Original publication date
- 2003
- People/Characters
- Sonchai Jitpleecheep; Pichai
- Important places
- Bangkok, Thailand; Thailand
- Epigraph
- Like all the men of Babylon, I have been proconsul; like all, I have been a slave. I have known omnipotence, ignominy, imprisonment. Look here - my right hand has no index finger. - Jorge Luis Borges, 'The Lottery in Babylon'... (show all)
In the whole world there is no-one who does not welcome it like reason. - Confucius, talking about jade - Dedication
- For Sofía
- First words
- 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, says the Buddha).
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Inside, our live entertainment is singing "Bye Bye Blackbird."
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