I’m probably not ever going to make it to Thailand. The majority of you who read this will never get
Yes, it’s an exciting mystery with a good puzzle: Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep must solve the murder of an American marine by drug-crazed snakes (which also killed his partner and best friend). Yes, it has a great lead character: the son of a sex worker, Sonchai has a love of Western fashion but a Buddhist purity that leaves him as the only cop in Bangkok with no extra income.
But the best reason of all to read this book is the way that it immerses you in Thai culture, particularly in sleazy parts of Bangkok that may seem alien to western values but still thrive on the influx of western money. You’ll make a vicarious visit to a fascinating place where you’d probably never go in real life. As Sonchai tracks a killer through brothels, drug deals, sexual reassignment clinics, alligator farms, and masochistic horrors, you’ll feel you’re there. Burdett doesn’t just use these story elements for cheap thrills. He leaves you with plenty to ponder about the difference between western and eastern values.
If you like this book, continue the adventure in Bangkok Tattoo and Bangkok Haunts.
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