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betseyboo's review
1.0
This book was not for me. It turned into work just reading it. The story lost momentum and I stopped caring.
kelinickole's review
I know this was published in 2003 but calling the only marine “the black American” “the black marine” “the negro”? Please. Goodbye.
Also the other three characters described were women and ALL of them were described in horrible light.
Also the other three characters described were women and ALL of them were described in horrible light.
debs4jc's review
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.
darkzem's review against another edition
1.0
A slow plodding and poorly realized cop drama. It wants to be a witty hard boiled detective story with a unique perspective set in a beautiful and mysterious foreign land but it lands like the hindenburg. The characters feel shallow and often border on becoming racist stereotypes. The writing is pretentious and disjointed. The main character is a quiet literally holyer than thou asshole with zero liability and while the central plot is basically functional but it feels like it's barely proped up and does nothing to save tragic waste of a lot of potential. I can't honestly recommend this to anyone.
duparker's review
4.0
The originality of this book flows throughout. It was inventive, creative and full of twists that worked well with the odd (to me) setting. The overall mystery is a bit childish, but that is part of the point, and part of the intrigue.
grahampogo's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
krobart's review
3.0
This novel provides a lot of background about Sonchai and is full of rich descriptions of the city and its occupants. It is also darkly funny. Burdett does an excellent job of conveying the flavor of the city. The mystery is dark and complex, involving the sex industry, drug smuggling, and connections to the Russian mafia and Cambodian thugs, but it is also entertaining. Sonchai’s insights into, for example, the other characters’ past lives, lend additional spice to the mix. This series is not a traditional one but offers something fresh.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/bangkok-8/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/bangkok-8/
iheartrice's review
3.0
This book was "out of my comfort zone", but for some reason I picked it up at a used book store. Good Read.