The Godfather of Kathmandu

As you travel to foreign countries, you probably always ask yourself - do people of these other cultures think the same way we do, even though they speak a separate language? Don't they value the same things we do, have the same sense of right and wrong, and so on? It's tempting to think so. Burdett consistently puts the lie to that - even writing as an American. His hero Sonchai consistently exposes us to a human, but alien, value system, yet it's close enough to ours to that we can relate to it, even if we might not share it.

Or as Sonchai says:

Do not judge me too harshly, farang (foreigner). (You know how you are.) In the wasteland where narrative rots, Good Thief may be the highest aspiration. Let he who is without karma cast the show more first stone.

Filled with an intriguing and shocking mystery, the atmosphere of Thailand, nearly pornographic descriptions of the food of Thailand, and an exotic excursion to Tibet, I can't recommend this book highly enough. show less

One of the weaker entries in this generally excellent series. Our hero, Sonchai, is awash in Buddhist gried after the accidently death of his son. Sent to Kathmandu to negotiate a gigantic drug deal with a mysterious Tibetan, Sonchai falls under his influence while pursuing the Right Path.

Back in Bangkok, however, Sonchai finds himself messing with the murder of the Fat Farang, an ex-Hollywood director killed in true Hollywood style. Who did it? Why?

This book needs a bit more detection and a little less internal dialogue.

Sonchai Jitpleecheep is a Royal Thai Police Detective in Bangkok, an increasingly devout Buddhist, and now consigliere to his boss – Colonel Vikorn – and his extensive and varied criminal enterprises.

Sonchai’s son, Pichai, was killed in an accident. His wife, Chanya, retreated to a convent in her grief. Sonchai has been treating his own grief with Buddhism, and pot. He is simultaneously solving the murder of an American film director and negotiating a 40 million dollar heroin deal for Vikorn. The deal is so massive that General Zinna, Vikorn’s criminal rival, is brought in as a partner. The seller is “Doctor Norbu Tiestsin, the mad Tibetan Mind Master,” exiled in Nepal. Tiestsin has become Sonchai’s reluctant guru.

This is show more the fourth novel in this series, and possibly the most satisfying. Sonchai Jitpleecheep continues to evolve as a detective, and a person. show less

Depraved sex. Drugs. Organized crime. Tibetan Buddhism. Murder. Sounds like a party, no?

The Godfather of Kathmandu is John Burdett's 4th novel featuring Thai detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep; an increasingly devout Buddhist who also is part owner of his mother's whorehouse and the right hand man of the police chief/local crime syndicate boss. I adored the first two books: Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo; both stories had unexpected twists that were quite frankly warped. The third installment, Bangkok Haunts, started getting too much into mysticism and started to lose me. This book continues down that path, and the result is the least compelling book of the series.

Our hero's increasingly complicated life yields two major story lines in this show more book. They kind of intersect, but not really in a meaningful way. First, there is the obligatory murder of an American in Bangkok, this time, a rather famous Hollywood director. The second involves a Tibetan monk and exile trafficking in heroin to raise funds for his cause. Neither plot line was all that compelling, the twistedness found early in the series was absent. Meanwhile, Sonchai attempts to instruct us on the finer points of Buddhism -- I liked him better when he was telling us about the Thai sex trade. Rather than a book you can't put down, this was one where it was hard to find excuses to pick it up.

Fans of the series will read this out of habit -- and I'll still buy the next one. It is not a compelling entry point for new readers, however. show less

Sonchai Jitpleecheep is called to investigate the sensational killing of a famous Hollywood director, and becomes embroiled in a major heroin trafficking deal between his Thai police boss, his primary competitor (a Thai Army general), and a Tibetan Buddhist mystic. Meanwhile, Sonchai suffers a personal tragedy and is looking for meaning from the mystic, a Tibetan party girl, and a Chinese-Thai high society lady with unparalleled pharmacology expertise. This book is a letdown from the prior ones because the story is convoluted, disjointed, unbelievable, and perverse. Also, the continued and pejorative addressing the reader as farang was condescending, unnecessary and annoying. I sure hope the last book (#5) is better.

Really enjoyed this one -- an interesting police/crime procedural set in Thailand. Burdett deftly mixes Thai & American modes, mores, & thoughts with various other cultural traditions & backgrounds included too. A murder mystery with a second storyline of drug trafficking that is a bit off the beaten path. This particular book is also one for movie buffs. Recommended for fans of international mysteries.

Not the usual crispness and sexiness. Heavy in Buddhism, Tibet, Nepal, drugs, wai, Tantra, Sonchai drifts along. He seems to trip over clues instead of finding them. His 6 year old is killed in a car accident. Then more mind control. Lots of shots at Americans. Dull book. Swore off this series but then read Vulture Peak after all - and glad I did.