Book Review: Bangkok 8

Reviewed By: Jennifer Jordan

Bangkok 8     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
John Burdett
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
203, Knopf $24.00

The act of reading this novel pumps you through the heart of Bangkok, Thailand and into a world so different from the West it may as well be on another planet.

The traffic is horrible as two Bangkok cops tail a Mercedes driven by African American Marine suspected of drug trafficking. When they finally catch up with him they find the Mercedes parked and bolted shut. The marine is seated in the front with his entire head engulfed by the mouth of python. Sonchai Jitpleecheeps partner, Pichai, knows what to do. He takes a shot, kills the python and gains entrance to the car. The Marine, top-heavy with the weight of the python, falls from the car. Falling with him are hundreds of spitting cobras; one with its fangs embedded in his partners eye.

This begins an investigation by Sonchai, a devout Buddhist and Thai half-caste, and the only cop on the force not swayed by bribes. His obsessive search for the killer leads him through brothels, drug houses, the U.S. embassy and local shops full of rare jade. He faces level upon level of corruption, lies and hedonism in an underworld that holds nothing sacred. His only clue is a painting of a beautiful woman found in the victims house who happens to be placed at the scene of the crime. The only one he trusts is a female FBI agent with a chip on her shoulder.

Lush settings and vivid characters mark this book as exceptional. Bangkok itself is a character and the Buddhist backstory of this book sets it apart from other thrillers. An engrossing and mind- altering read.

Jennifer Jordan

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Jennifer Jordan