Serpentine

Thomas Thompson brilliantly dissects the festering evil that is Charles Sobhraj in 1979's "Serpentine." This twisted tale winds across continents, through hideous murders and countless shocking crimes and arrives at clear-eyed conclusions about the nature of evil. Thompson's thorough research and compelling narrative of the life of the man known as "The Serpent" equal a tale minus the subtle glorification or sympathy so often found in similar accounts.

This is the best book on Charles Sobhraj - at least, this is the best book that I have read.

Thomas Thompson has written a gripping tale, and what I admire, is that he wove the stories of some of the victims into the narrative. And he did this masterfully.

He started the book with the story of Charles' parents and described the circumstances of his youth. From this, it is easy enough to understand the trauma that shaped Charles.

Then, you move on to his continuing criminal career and end with the drama of his trial.

Sadly, Thomas Thompson died in 1982, else I am sure that he would have continued the story with an update.

This is a brilliant book.

The book is personal for me, as it goes into detail about some of the victims, including the girl bound for Lama Yeshe's Kopan Buddhist monestery in Nepal where I was living at the time. Everyone was wondering why she was so late and what became of her, only to eventually learn she was the victim of a serial killer. Life is risky and we must beware of smooth-talking people we meet along the way. That said, we must be bold and take our chances or be doomed to live in fear and trembling.

One of the best ever true crime books I've read. How this author managed to know so much about this case is beyond me but the way he writes is so great. I loved everything of this book. It is so exiting and he brings you to another world,and you are never bored.

This book will take you all over the world and the writer manages to keep you exited. It reads as a great adventure novel but in reality it is a non fictional true crime book. I wish more true crime writers could write like this. Neutral but not in a boring just the facts kind of way.

True crime story about Charles Sobhraj. I read this book many years ago and decided to re read it as I remember it was very intense . I was fascinated by all the detail even on this second reading. One of my favorite true crime books.

Charlot - Love + Evil in Asia

With compelling style and suspense this true-crime book reconstructs the bizarre, bloody journey of a mesmerizing but sinister young man named Charles Sobhraj. Sweeping back and forth over half the globe -- from the boulevards of Paris to the slopes of Mount Everest to the underbellies of Bangkok and Hong Kong -- Sobhraj left in his wake a trail of baffling mystery and inexplicable horror. He also led the police of a dozen nations on a chase that ended at least twelve and possibly twenty-four corpses later with a mere seven-year prison sentence in Delhi.