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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Recommend reading a much better mystery series set in Asia (Laos to be exact) - Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri books. And his books are actually funny, unlike this one - which was billed as "darkly comic" but somehow I just found dark. Disappointing.
My book club was reading this one. It wasn't my kind of book. For awhile it kept my interest but there weren't any characters that I actually liked so I never felt compelled to read on for any other reason that that the club members were showing up at my house.
I don't read a lot of fiction. Well, I start a lot of fiction. Rarely does it suck me in.
I love Thailand. I love murder mysteries. I love Buddhism. I'm a cop. This is a murder mystery set in Bangkok starting a Buddhist cop and a hooker with a heart of gold.
The best part is that Burdett changes gears at the perfect times. Gory murder scene, followed by a detailed rendering of the accounting of Buddhist karma. Just brilliant. Or maybe I'm just schizophrenic enough to enjoy it.
Perfect book. Read it.
I love Thailand. I love murder mysteries. I love Buddhism. I'm a cop. This is a murder mystery set in Bangkok starting a Buddhist cop and a hooker with a heart of gold.
The best part is that Burdett changes gears at the perfect times. Gory murder scene, followed by a detailed rendering of the accounting of Buddhist karma. Just brilliant. Or maybe I'm just schizophrenic enough to enjoy it.
Perfect book. Read it.
The only way to properly describe these books are I think this is basically reading what it would be like to experience a massacre at a house of worship while smoking meth.
I bought this book at Houston airport because I remembered that a friend had recommended it to me and anything that has Bangkok in the title is already a draw for me.
It was an easy read and towards the end I couldn't put it down.
I'm not sure whether I would buy another one from the same series. Somehow there was a little too much happening in the book: CIA, Al-Qaida, the Chinese loan sharks, Sonchai - the main character - trying to find his unknown father, his partner Lek discovering he is a katoey (transgender). Sometimes less is more. But I did like the book when it focused on the Thai mentality and atmosphere. So maybe I'll give Burdett another try.
It was an easy read and towards the end I couldn't put it down.
I'm not sure whether I would buy another one from the same series. Somehow there was a little too much happening in the book: CIA, Al-Qaida, the Chinese loan sharks, Sonchai - the main character - trying to find his unknown father, his partner Lek discovering he is a katoey (transgender). Sometimes less is more. But I did like the book when it focused on the Thai mentality and atmosphere. So maybe I'll give Burdett another try.
I did not like Bangkok Tattoo as much as the first in the series, Bangkok 8. Sonchai is the same- a loner Buddhist cop who tends toward philosophical ruminations, but now he's also part owner of a brothel, along with his boss and his mom. The atmosphere's the same- the seedy side of an exotic city, but we do have the addition of Muslims and the mob. And Sonchai has a new partner, a transgender young man who wants to be a dancer of some kind.
The plot was interesting, if a bit meandering. The killed man was CIA, and of course the case is not as clear-cut as it might first appear. There's also drugs involved. To be honest, I finished listening to this a week or so ago and don't remember how exactly the drugs and the serial killer tied together. I think they were two separate plot lines pulled together by the corrupt superior and the good-hearted prostitute. What I do remember is one scene toward the end that was downright gruesome.
Most of this book centers around the sex trade in Bangkok. Burdett shows it as empowering for women, giving them money and freedom that they wouldn't otherwise have. I have to assume it's not that rosy. It also dwells on the lives and gay men and other sexual orientations.
I'll probably continue with the series, but only because I can pick them up from the library.
The plot was interesting, if a bit meandering. The killed man was CIA, and of course the case is not as clear-cut as it might first appear. There's also drugs involved. To be honest, I finished listening to this a week or so ago and don't remember how exactly the drugs and the serial killer tied together. I think they were two separate plot lines pulled together by the corrupt superior and the good-hearted prostitute. What I do remember is one scene toward the end that was downright gruesome.
Most of this book centers around the sex trade in Bangkok. Burdett shows it as empowering for women, giving them money and freedom that they wouldn't otherwise have. I have to assume it's not that rosy. It also dwells on the lives and gay men and other sexual orientations.
I'll probably continue with the series, but only because I can pick them up from the library.
this disappointed me. i started reading it shortly after finishing the first volume in this series. (i raved about it.) this novel had none of the edge of the first volume. and the really inventive Sonchai Jitpleecheep character of the first volume is a totally different creature in this novel. sad!
претенциозная хуета, еле дочитал, пролистал третью книгу там такая же залупа
автор постоянно бычит на читателя, сюжет скукота, гг куколд
автор постоянно бычит на читателя, сюжет скукота, гг куколд
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The author bio identifies the author as a non practicing lawyer who used to work for a British firm in Hong Kong. He now makes his living as a writer and has lived in France and Spain. I rate this book 4 stars for an intricate mystery with layers of surprises and an East Asian/Buddhist point of view. If you are an American, be prepared for a fair amount of criticism of western culture, especially the CIA.
The book opens with a very gory murder of a man at "The Old Man's Club" jointly owned by Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep's mother Nong and his boss Vikorn. The chief suspect is Chanya, the brothel's top earner. To add to the problems associated with the murder, the dead man worked for the CIA. Sonchai and Vikorn decide to cover up the killing and say that it was self defense by Chanya.
But then more problems arise. Muslims are worried that they will be blamed if the CIA undoes the coverup. The CIA sends several people to investigate. There is a tattoo artist who may have present during the murder.
How the mystery is resolved makes for a satisfying read.
One quote by Vikorn to Sonchai: The key to cover-ups is to leave the evidence alone, make thestory do the work. The trick is all in the the interpretation."
The book opens with a very gory murder of a man at "The Old Man's Club" jointly owned by Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep's mother Nong and his boss Vikorn. The chief suspect is Chanya, the brothel's top earner. To add to the problems associated with the murder, the dead man worked for the CIA. Sonchai and Vikorn decide to cover up the killing and say that it was self defense by Chanya.
But then more problems arise. Muslims are worried that they will be blamed if the CIA undoes the coverup. The CIA sends several people to investigate. There is a tattoo artist who may have present during the murder.
How the mystery is resolved makes for a satisfying read.
One quote by Vikorn to Sonchai: The key to cover-ups is to leave the evidence alone, make thestory do the work. The trick is all in the the interpretation."
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes