A review by debs4jc
Bangkok 8 by John Burdett

4.0

police detective sonchai and his partner pichai are following a black american ex-marine. they catch up to him just after he has been killed by an assortment of drug crazed snakes--one of which also kills pichai. thus begins thai detective sonchai's first adventure as a virtuous buddhist cop who must uncover the truth and seek justice. this is complicated by his view of karma and his visions into past lives, which both explains and complicates the present. sonchai teams us with a female investigator from the fbi, who along with the reader learns a lot about thai culture and the seamy side of bangkok life from sonchai. sonchai is a well qualified teacher, as he is the son of a thai prostitute and an unknown american serviceman, speaks excellent english, and tends to philosophize on the differences between thai culture and the west. the mystery story is thrilling enough, but the real charm of this story is in experiencing a different culture. if you have any interest in modern day thailand, be sure to pick this book up.