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Title: Bangkok 8 by John Burdett, B.D. Wong ISBN: 0-7393-0387-2 Publisher: Random House Audio Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 Format: Audio CD Volumes: 5 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.13 (53 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent book
Comment: I just finished reading it, and couldn't put it down. Very suspenseful and also poignant, as the main character is the son of a Thai prostitute and a white American soldier. He gives a moving picture of life in the ... trade, life as a half caste in Thailand, and life as a Thai Buddhist. This last was fascinating and a big part of why I recommend this book. It's a page turner of a murder mystery, starting with a dead marine and a beautiful suspect, but the best part is following what we have come to think of as a standard story through the viewpoint of a Buddhist cop working in a corrupt, if "compassionate" culture. It's hilarious at times, and at times heartbreaking, and if you happen to guess who the murderer is, you'll still never guess why. To people who say the ending is a letdown, well, that is one of the drawbacks of this type of book. It's always a letdown to solve a tantalizing case and end a compelling read. This book was definitely worth it, and I've already bought another of his books to read asap.
Rating: 4
Summary: Bangkok Gr8 !
Comment: This thriller has original characters, colorful settings, lots of action and suspense, hilarious moments, and a little Buddhist philosophy. It's a page-turner, and the main character, Sonchai, is very engaging. He's a good guy in a wild city, where bad things happen, as he tries to solve a case as well as avenge his soul-brother's murder.
It's a good novel, with interesting twists and turns. You can almost feel Bangkok's heartbeat while you're reading, and you can't wait to see what will happen next.
While reading this book, I just HAD to go out and get some pad thai, it's that absorbing.
I agree with another reviewer who mentioned that the ending is weak. I think the loose ends were too neatly tied up. But with so many sub-plots and layers of the story, I think finishing the book would be disappointing no matter what.
I hope Sonchai, and his mom, appear in a sequel.
Rating: 3
Summary: A strong city, a weak cast
Comment: I picked this up when I saw that the blurbs on the back cover came from my two favorite crimes writers, Carl Hiaasen and James Ellroy. I suppose I was hoping for great things, either Hiaasen's light hand, or Ellroy's dark tales of intrigue. However, when a character takes a deep breath and delivers a one to three page sermon on, amongst other things, jade, prostitution or buddhist beliefs, you discover that you are not in the hands of an expert. It seems as if Burdett had almost too much that he wanted to impart to the reader and rather than work pieces skilfully into the plot, he opted for dense exposition. It is a shame, because Burdett can write well. Sochai Jitpleecheep comes across as a well developed character and would have held the book together had he not been surrounded by a paper thin supporting cast. Take your pick, the [attractive] FBI agent with a crush on our hero, the [prostitute] with a heart of gold, the evil millionaire sexual sadist. Most of Burdett's secondary characters are little more than B-movie types given the odd line of amusing dialogue. It's a shame, because Burdett does a fine job bringing the city and the culture to life. If only he had found the right characters to populate his streets.
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Title: The Winter Queen : A Novel by Boris Akunin, Andrew Bromfield ISBN: 1400060494 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 06 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: None of Your Business by VALERIE BLOCK ISBN: 0345461843 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 03 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Today Show Book Club #13) by Mark Haddon ISBN: 0385512104 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 31 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Fear Itself: A Fearless Jones Novel by Walter Mosley ISBN: 0316591122 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: July, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Last Car to Elysian Fields: A Novel by James Lee Burke ISBN: 0743245423 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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