Just a quick one folks since I know many readers live outside Thailand but love to read stuff that gives u that good old Bangkok feeling. John Burdett is at it again with Bangkok Haunts. His first book Bangkok 8 started off the series about a Thai detective whose mom owns a go go bar and his dad is an American serviceman. The second book - Bangkok Tattoo was a follow up, a very bizarre one, and now Bangkok Haunts continues the story of the detective grappling with life in Bangkok. These are great books. They pull off first person pov very well, they are set in Thailand but dwell on much larger subjects than the just the bar life and they get into some pretty heady situations. The books are fast reads and really get u into the Thai mindset from a fictional prospective. The great thing about Burdett’s books is you should be able to find them just about anywhere in the world - unlike a lot of books set in Thailand that only seem to be sold in Thailand. I won’t get into the details of the book but all three of these books make for some fun reading. Enjoy!
12 Responses to “Book Review : Bangkok Haunts”
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Anyone else find this bizarre?
IF you go to this site:
http://www.johnburdett.com/
U get Stephen Leather’s website
if u go here: http://www.john-burdett.com/
U get John’s site.
??
View all comments by smitty
Talking of bizarre, the last time I was in BKK, well actually the last time I was leaving BKK, I had said my goodbyes & went to the airport in a standard yellow taxi. When we are 5 minutes away from the airport the driver drops in a cd on his player, & out comes Bryan Ferry - Slave to love! You just can’t buy it. It was my goodbye song from BKK.
View all comments by Aoh
Nice one Smitty
You dont have to be a detective to work it out.:-)
View all comments by ChelseaBlue
Yeah - I guess, based on some emails I have traded - there is more at work here but it seems one less popular author is trying to become popular by…
View all comments by smitty
I think it also has to be said that the ‘BKK based dectective theme linked to the P4P scene’ has been well and truly exhausted.
How many more times can you read the same story with different names.
View all comments by ChelseaBlue
I guess it depends on your expectations. I enjoyed Bangkok Haunts as the quick and entertaining read it is.
It’s obvious that John and similar authors are targeting a particular readership by placing the action in the P4P scene and using the Buddhist vs. Western mentality as special effect. But I think he does it well and I still have plenty of laughs throughout his books. It might be “more of the same”, but so far I still have an appetite for it so I hope he keeps them coming.
So what do I have to say Haunts? I continue to like his mix-in of the metaphysical mostly as hints and ambiguous experiences by the characters. The P4P scene with its own rules and logic continues to work for me as a story backdrop.
Just don’t take it too seriously. John is extracting maximum value out of the scene and I think that’s just fine. I would expect every fiction author to use an interesting and different backdrop that they are familiar with.
View all comments by J
CB - not sure which author u refer to in your comment. My guess is out of all the books - Burdett is selling the most based on the publisher and the availability of the books.
I think Burdett’s books are quite out of the normal genre one expects from books based in the BKK scene. He is writing thrillers that are set in SE Asia but convey much more than what normally gets written about.
I was having a beer once with another Thailand based author who is only published and available in Thailand. No small feat but nothing like global availability when it comes to the book game. This author was digesting bangkok 8 and upset that some of the names of streets were not entirely accurate. I asked him why some dude who bought the book in Oklahoma would care? These are fiction books, meant to entertain. I think sometimes the local authors seem to write their book for people in Thailand where others choose a more global audience. I have done neither so I can’t bitch much but I do think their is a skill in setting a book in a place like Thailand but finding a global audience.
View all comments by smitty
You’re right Smitty
My point was the genre has been well and truly covered.
View all comments by ChelseaBlue
I just got the book. Not as good as Bangkok 8. “Bangkok Haunts” is geared toward people who “know” BKK. Anyway.
Early in the book, Sonchai is having brunch with his mom, the FBI and GF…they listen in on a farang meeting the Issan family of the farang’s teeruk. The family wonders how the little Isaan girl handles the hefty Aussie in bed.
“…..it’s usually not an issue because most nights he’s too drunk and falls asleep on the sofa while she watches TV in bed.
It has the makings of a successful marriage.
Priceless.
View all comments by The Asian Badger
I find Burdett’s books well written and insightful.
I’ve never bothered to purchase a Stephen Leather book. It IS quite bizarre that he should hijack Burdett’s name, when you consider that his home genre - Private Dancer remained unpublished for years - is not really anything to do with the Thai scene.
View all comments by Combover
AB - I think hard to top Bkk 8 due to it being the first of the series and was written so different than the genre. 8 was the best. That section u quote is the bomb - the way he portrays the bar girl scene is so spot on.
View all comments by smitty
Smitty…You have it exactly right. I can see it in my (distorted) mind. Happy 4th.
View all comments by The Asian Badger