Bangkok Haunts | 
 enlarge | Author: John Burdett
Publisher: Knopf
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 88819
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0307263185
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780307263186
ASIN: 0307263185
Publication Date: June 5, 2007
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Product Description
Sonchai Jitpleecheep—the devout Buddhist Royal Thai Police detective who led us through the best sellers Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo—returns in this blistering new novel.
Sonchai has seen virtually everything on his beat in Bangkok’s District 8, but nothing like the video he’s just been sent anonymously: “Few crimes make us fear for the evolution of our species. I am watching one right now.”
He’s watching a snuff film. And the person dying before his disbelieving eyes is Damrong—a woman he once loved obsessively and, now it becomes clear, endlessly. And there is something more: something at the end of the film that leaves Sonchai both figuratively and literally haunted.
While his investigation will lead him through the office of the ever-scheming police captain, Vikorn (“Don’t spoil a great case with too much perfectionism,” he advises Sonchai); in and out of the influence of a perhaps psychotic wandering monk; and eventually into the gilded rooms of the most exclusive men’s club in Bangkok (whose members will do anything to protect their identities, and to explore their most secret fantasies), it also leads him to his own simple bedroom where he sleeps next to his pregnant wife while his dreams deliver him up to Damrong . . .
Ferociously smart and funny, furiously fast-paced, and laced through with an erotic ghost story that gives a new dark twist to the life of our hero, Bangkok Haunts does exactly that from first page to last.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 35 more reviews...
 A fun, interesting read with a flawed ending June 27, 2008
My wife is Thai and I've been to Bangkok about seven times, so I really enjoy John Burdett's books. Like no other author, he captures the bizarreness and incongruities of Thai culture -- the sex-traffic scene versus buddhist morality; corruption versus ethics; ancient superstitions versus modern technological development; eastern way-of-thinking versus western.
Burdett's got a great, understated sense of humor in explaining Thai culture to Westerners. His plots are interesting, his books keep the reader engrossed, he sets out a mystery in the first chapter and the reader watches the main character solve the crime, with several interesting detours along the way. This book is consistent with the other "Bangkok" books in those regards.
But I've never liked the endings of any of his books, and this one is particularly hard to take. I can't go into further details without spoiling the ending, but I doubt if most readers will find it either plausible or satisfying. And, even overcoming some logistical problems, the "revenge theme" doesn't really make any sense once the reader learns all the details about the crime that the hero is trying to solve.
Also, the hero goes down some rabbit trails here that don't make any sense and don't really move the plot along. It's as if Burdett needed some "filler" material to add a few pages to the book, so he creates some interesting characters for the hero to investigate, then quickly discards them in order to get back to the main plot.
Finally, there's some mysticism here that I don't really think fits in a detective novel. Yes, it's true that many (if not most) Thais believe in ghosts and I've known several who claim to have seen and even conversed with ghosts, but it doesn't mean that they actually exist. It would be one thing if this were a Stephen King novel, but it's not.
So, over all, it's an enjoyable book with great insight into Thai culture but a flawed ending.
 Well written April 23, 2008
Excellent continuation of the Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep story; this time investigating a terrifiying snuff movie in which a former lover is murdered. Good storytelling, keeps you interested. Well worth buying.
Bangkok Tattoo
Bangkok 8
Three hits in a row April 7, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. This is the 3rd book with Sonchai, I love his character. I think John Burdett does an excellent job. I especially like the colorful descriptions of the Thai culture. Good job, I highly recommend reading all three of his books!
Farangs rejoice! Another Bangkok novel by Burdett March 14, 2008
The third volume in a hopefully never-ending series, "Bangkok Haunts" is a page-turner that demands to be read in a single sitting. Sonchai Jitpleecheep, an honest, Buddhist Thai cop, returns to investigate the snuff film of an ex-lover. The story is audacious and almost peripheral. The novel's brilliance is in the setting, and once again John Burdett portrays Thailand's District 8 as alien, seedy, magical, and seductive. Sonchai is our tour guide into this bizarre place that is hard to believe exists in the 21st century. I have no idea if his portrayal is accurate, but it feels genuine. I like how the supporting characters enrich the setting; it is not enough to tell us that Thai cops are crooked, so Burdett shows us a crooked cop, Colonel Vikorn (my favorite character), who is so honest in his crookedness that he is somewhat noble. For a farang like me, it is hard to understand transsexuals, so Burdett gives us Lek. He serves up whores, monks, and perverts as authentic characters, not as stereotypes. In fact, the least authentic character is Kimberley Jones, the American Fed, who is drab compared to everyone else. But even her subplot adds nuance to the story, which incorporates themes of love and obsession. In a perfect world, Burdett would write a new Bangkok thriller every week.
And she does haunt you... February 25, 2008
As most of you most have already read multiple reviews before mine, I will just focus on what has not been said thus far.
1. John does a great job of going into the psyche of an average Thai. These insights are truly amazing and provide some great sociological reference to this tome's main characters.
2. His attention to the scenery is mind boggling. The way he paints the picture in either a up-market bordello or the paddy fields in the Issan region make you wish you book your next vacation trip to these areas.
3. I don't like the trivial ending to such a complex plot. I wish it could have been more realistic rather than the contrite way it ended.
I couldn't put this book down and I don't use this homily very often.
Cheers,
Fred "Buddha" Sanford
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