(Larger Image)
|
Bangkok 8: A Novel
by John Burdett
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Vintage (2004-07-13)
ISBN: 1400032903
EAN: 9781400032907
Dewy Decimal #: 813
Paperback: 336 pages
Release Date: 2004-07-13
SKU: 6677
Condition: Good
|
Editorial Reviews
|
Product Description
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 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.
|
Amazon.com Review
When a U.S. 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 precludes his fellow officers' customary system of bribery. This assignment's especially important to the devout detective for 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-fueled 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. As Sonchai himself notes at one point, "This isn't a whodunit, is it?" And, no, it isn't, but author John Burdett (A Personal History of Thirst, 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's flesh trade, through its cut-rate plastic surgery parlors, and ends in a climax with a fittingly Buddhist twist. Bangkok 8 is highly recommended for readers in the mood for Thai. --Benjamin Reese
|
Customer Reviews
|
Meh.
Rating  (2)
Date: 2008-12-20
The writing in this book was typical run-of-the-mill mystery/thriller writing, but it expected the so-called "exotic locale" to lift it above the genre. It didn't. I'll admit that I've never been to Thailand, but the whole book was an unsuccessful attempt of a westerner trying to sound like a Thai person. I was insulted and I'm not even Thai. It seemed to me that the author just didn't have enough knowledge/experience to be able to create a Thai protagonist. The result was your average sarcastic white cop protagonist in a Thai costume. Great for people who want a book about a foreign country without having to think too much about it.
And, for all of you grammar nerds out there, this book was RIFE with comma splices. No, they weren't used with creative license. Who edited this book, anyway?
|
|
Nuanced humor
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-12-15
Wonderful book. Great sense of nuanced humor, which comes via the characters rather than the writers voice, which is more difficult to pull off than one would think. Highly recommended.
|
|
Culture overpowers the story
Rating  (4)
Date: 2008-11-23
I was so fascinated by Burdett's depiction of the Thai Culture that the story took a back seat to the insight he gives not only into the culture but in the entirely seperate mindset that the Thai people have from the farang (Westerner). So much of what is on the surface is nothing like what lies inside. At times the novel has a surreal and deep quality to it and I really loved the plot, but each and every character undergoes transformations or is not what they seem. It gives a somewhat confusing air to the whole proceedings. I recommend Burdett and plan to read more of his work, but this is not a novel that will appeal to everyone. If you have a lot of issues with some offbeat sexual matters, than I would stay away from Bangkok 8. Otherwise enjoy the ride.
|
|
Fascinating and far-fetched
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-10-10
This crazy mystery focuses on Sonchai, a police detective in Bangkok, Thailand. Sonchai's partner is killed when the pair are investigating the gruesome murder of a U.S. Marine. Sonchai vows to track down and kill the person responsible. At the same time he has to work with FBI investigators who come to work on the case.
There was a lot to like about Bangkok 8 (though I never understood the title). The author did a great job of depicting the city of Bangkok and the Thai people, especially the seamy world of the sex trade where East and West meet. Sonchai himself is the son of a long-gone American and a prostitute mom (who now runs a special brothel catering to the Viagra age group). He's also a devout Buddhist, and there is a lot of witty and quite insightful banter between him and the FBI agent about the differences between East and West, as they are drawn deeper into the surprising life and death of the Marine.
The plot ultimately takes a far-fetched turn involving transsexuals and an elaborate conspiracy. The ending was outlandish and to me, disappointing and dumb, though some may find it hilarious. From what I've read in other reviews, this type of plot twist is a hallmark of the author's work, so obviously it works better for some readers than it did for me.
P.S. If you are afraid of snakes, this may not be the book for you!!
Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis & Clark"
|
|
Taut, intense (90%) then stupid (10%).
Rating (3)
Date: 2008-08-05
0 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
The majority of the book was a serious, taut, thriller. At a certain point, a weak feeling snuck up in the text and it went downhill from there to the ending, which was fluffy and disapointing. Not that it would stop me from re-reading the beginning, but I was disappointed.
|
|
Retail Price: $13.95
Our Price:$4.25
That's 70% Off!
 |
|