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Sonchai Jitpleecheep #2
Bangkok Tattoo
Bangkok, rich in history and spirituality, crowded with temples, markets and canals, is also a city shrouded in shadows. Polluted, corrupt, infamous as the sex capital of the world, it is a place where wealth, poverty and unimaginable evil walk hand in hand.In District 8, the underbelly of Bangkok's crime world, a dramatically mutilated body is found in a hotel bedroom. It looks the corpse - who's been flayed - is CIA. And it gets worse when the self-confessed murderer is the beautiful Chanya - the best 'working girl' at The Old Man's Club, a brothel owned jointly by Sonchai's mother and his boss, Police Colonel Vikorn. Alerted by Sonchai, Vikorn quickly concocts a cover-up that involves an Al-Qaeda terrorist cell located in a southern Thai border-town where, since 9/11, the CIA has also had a covert presence.So far so but the truth will be harder to come by, and it will require Sonchai to find an ever more delicate balance between his ambition (western) and his Buddhism (eastern), while he runs the gamut of Bangkok's drug-dealers, prostitutes, bad cops, even worse military generals, and the pitfalls of his own melting heart. Crowded with astonishing characters, redolent with the authentic, hallucinogenic atmosphere of Bangkok, with needle-sharp observations about the clash of cultures when East meets West, this is a literary thriller like no other.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
176 people are currently reading
1432 people want to read
About the author
John Burdett
36 books483 followersJohn Burdett is a novelist and former lawyer. He was born in England and worked in Hong Kong; he now lives in Thailand and France.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 462 reviews
November 1, 2016
Who reads a novel to be hectored? Especially a detective novel. There may be a masochistic few who actually enjoy being addressed as farang (Thai for “foreigner”) and then repeatedly lectured on the colossal failure that is Western civilization. But why take it from a $24 book when the rest of the world is happy to do it for free?
Read my full review here: http://bit.ly/2eb8Shh
Read my full review here: http://bit.ly/2eb8Shh
September 11, 2012
Once again I seem to be at odds with my co-reviewers; a glitch in my own system, I'm sure.
When I started this book, I hoped it would be as good as Burdett's first.
But as it progressed, I discovered that it was far more than an excellent whodunit. Burdett's insights into Buddhism and the way the discipline impacts the daily lives of the small and the great in Thai society I found little short of mesmerizing.
For that alone I shall re-read it slowly and make notes, so that I can better hold my ground when entrapped in a drunken theological argument with other drunks.
The characters are well-drawn; even the CIA suits are shown to have sudden human depths, that go beyond their brain-washed training. And while I've never knowingly met an agent, all seemed plausible.
As ever, his best work is done with the Thai characters. I've lived in S.E.Asia for nearly three decades, and had begun to think I'd scratched the surface of this complicated society; Burdett has burrowed well beneath the skin (appropriate metaphor, considering the plot) and his descriptive and knowing literary style belies his obvious keen observation and affection for the Thais.
His sexual descriptions and the mental processes involved between the characters involved is masterly. He understands obsession, does this author.
This is a 'keeper'.
When I started this book, I hoped it would be as good as Burdett's first.
But as it progressed, I discovered that it was far more than an excellent whodunit. Burdett's insights into Buddhism and the way the discipline impacts the daily lives of the small and the great in Thai society I found little short of mesmerizing.
For that alone I shall re-read it slowly and make notes, so that I can better hold my ground when entrapped in a drunken theological argument with other drunks.
The characters are well-drawn; even the CIA suits are shown to have sudden human depths, that go beyond their brain-washed training. And while I've never knowingly met an agent, all seemed plausible.
As ever, his best work is done with the Thai characters. I've lived in S.E.Asia for nearly three decades, and had begun to think I'd scratched the surface of this complicated society; Burdett has burrowed well beneath the skin (appropriate metaphor, considering the plot) and his descriptive and knowing literary style belies his obvious keen observation and affection for the Thais.
His sexual descriptions and the mental processes involved between the characters involved is masterly. He understands obsession, does this author.
This is a 'keeper'.
Read
January 28, 2014The second in this really fun series. I think it's better edited/written than the first, and the main character's conflict between his Buddhist karma and the pressures of corruption inherent in his job are really fun/strong. Again, crazy plots that go to even crazier town. It's like a Tarantino movie, this series. But worth it. Violent and definitely has trigger issues in it for women, so be warned if you have issues in that area.
October 13, 2010
for some reason i was really annoyed by this book. I enjoyed the first book, but this one disappointed me. Even more than the first book, it felt like John Burdett was speaking through the main character in a really weird, orientalist way. It's like this white dude pretending to be a thai native, preaching the glories of asia and the depravities of the west... and talking about how happy everyone is in thailand, especially the women who work in the red light district. The only problem is, he's a westerner, so his words in Sonchai's mouth is just... bizarre.
The main character (Sonchai) also was less appealing in this book. He went from being a bad ass, asexual, religious cop to kind of a wimp who cares about promotion and is madly in love with the same beautiful woman everyone else in the book is madly in love with.
Overall I had to skim sections of it just to not be as annoyed and try and follow the storyline.
The main character (Sonchai) also was less appealing in this book. He went from being a bad ass, asexual, religious cop to kind of a wimp who cares about promotion and is madly in love with the same beautiful woman everyone else in the book is madly in love with.
Overall I had to skim sections of it just to not be as annoyed and try and follow the storyline.
May 23, 2016
This is really a very good book, and the best of the Sonchai Jitpleecheep mysteries I've read so far (although I read Godfather of Kathmandu first, and so didn't quite understand the backstory then -- I would definitely recommend you read them in order, and after the next one I'll probably reread Godfather).
And so I really hate to be picky, but...Burdett is so close to greatness here -- he has an excellent voice in Sonchai, he really knows Bangkok, and he's a very strong storyteller and plotter. But like many artists, he sometimes just doesn't know when enough is enough. His abundant humor -- and Sonchai is a very funny character -- occasionally veers too far into satire; he really overdoes the sex and drugs and whole katoey thing (we get it -- there's a lot of sex in Thailand!); and at least in this story, I ultimately found Chanya an unappealing heroine. Yes, she's a whore -- but she's such a slutty one! (You'll understand that by the end of the book.)
Plus, I overall found this story even stronger than the excellent Bangkok 8, in large part because the plot started off on a bigger screen -- another murder, but one with links to post-9/11 terrorism and the long-simmering and too-often-ignored ethnic troubles in Southern Thailand, (I lived in Kuala Lumpur during this period, and my Rotary Club used to take trips up to Hat Yai to work on charity projects, so I've seen this firsthand). But then the story doesn't really follow up on these really serious issues, focusing instead on some typically cartoonish, fish-out-of-water CIA agents in Thailand.
Minor criticisms all, which is why this still gets 4 stars. But it could so easily have been 5 if Burdett had just reined himself in sometimes -- but then I guess Thailand really is all about excess, isn't it?
And so I really hate to be picky, but...Burdett is so close to greatness here -- he has an excellent voice in Sonchai, he really knows Bangkok, and he's a very strong storyteller and plotter. But like many artists, he sometimes just doesn't know when enough is enough. His abundant humor -- and Sonchai is a very funny character -- occasionally veers too far into satire; he really overdoes the sex and drugs and whole katoey thing (we get it -- there's a lot of sex in Thailand!); and at least in this story, I ultimately found Chanya an unappealing heroine. Yes, she's a whore -- but she's such a slutty one! (You'll understand that by the end of the book.)
Plus, I overall found this story even stronger than the excellent Bangkok 8, in large part because the plot started off on a bigger screen -- another murder, but one with links to post-9/11 terrorism and the long-simmering and too-often-ignored ethnic troubles in Southern Thailand, (I lived in Kuala Lumpur during this period, and my Rotary Club used to take trips up to Hat Yai to work on charity projects, so I've seen this firsthand). But then the story doesn't really follow up on these really serious issues, focusing instead on some typically cartoonish, fish-out-of-water CIA agents in Thailand.
Minor criticisms all, which is why this still gets 4 stars. But it could so easily have been 5 if Burdett had just reined himself in sometimes -- but then I guess Thailand really is all about excess, isn't it?
July 22, 2014
John Burdett seems to have stumbled onto an excellent premise when he combines the conventions of hard-boiled crime novels with the exotic Thai locales and Buddhist philosophy in Bangkok Tattoo and, presumably, the other books in the series. Why do these elements, not a set which I would naturally connect, blend so well? Think about it this way:
• The classic crime novel main character is a weathered, capable crime-solver. He’s (I’m sticking with “he” here, don’t yell at me) a loner with old friends, shady connections, and both a checkered past and an expert’s knowledge of navigating the underworld. Ladies and gentlemen (um, gentlemen, I did say I was going to stick with guy characters), meet Sonjai Jitpleecheep, your Asian counterpart. He’s a decent cop. He runs a whorehouse in partnership with his mother on the side. The ghost of his dead partner haunts his dreams.
• The Thai setting shares an alien, romantic quality with gangland back rooms and dark alleys. The reader feels, in a good crime story, as if he or she (this is a different “he or she”, although I believe APA says I’m just supposed to switch every now and then and not go with “he or she”. I don’t fucking care. Stop distracting me.) is privy, throughout the story, to a subterranean code and culture.
• Some stock characters are present. You’ve got the young partner (although, um, this one wants to become a complicated version of a transvestite, if I’m saying that correctly), the sharp but corrupt police boss, and the whore with the heart of gold.
• Now, and this is the most important, the Buddhist ruminations allow Sonjai the opportunity to thread the narrative with commentary not unlike the hard-bitten mumblings of a cynical Ellroy character (Ellroy gives a glowing cover blurb on the back of Burddett’s novels).
So I liked this novel but I liked Bangkok 8, its predecessor, better. Bangkok Tattoo benefits from a long stretch focused on a female character (through her diary) but loses steam on a cardboard mystery. I’m not sure the story is Burdett’s focus, anyway, he appears to include a plot because he has to include one, you know, in a novel. The real attractions are the tight prose and cool ambience. And while I dig Burdett’s work, and probably will continue the “Tattoo” series eventually, this one sounded a heck of a lot like the first book but not as good. Go back and read Bangkok 8, like you should, as it’s the first in the series. And stay away from the author pic, too, which makes Burdett look he’s taking part in a British boy band reunion. But if you like Bangkok 8 this is a serviceable sequel, but no Godfather 2, if you know what I mean.
• The classic crime novel main character is a weathered, capable crime-solver. He’s (I’m sticking with “he” here, don’t yell at me) a loner with old friends, shady connections, and both a checkered past and an expert’s knowledge of navigating the underworld. Ladies and gentlemen (um, gentlemen, I did say I was going to stick with guy characters), meet Sonjai Jitpleecheep, your Asian counterpart. He’s a decent cop. He runs a whorehouse in partnership with his mother on the side. The ghost of his dead partner haunts his dreams.
• The Thai setting shares an alien, romantic quality with gangland back rooms and dark alleys. The reader feels, in a good crime story, as if he or she (this is a different “he or she”, although I believe APA says I’m just supposed to switch every now and then and not go with “he or she”. I don’t fucking care. Stop distracting me.) is privy, throughout the story, to a subterranean code and culture.
• Some stock characters are present. You’ve got the young partner (although, um, this one wants to become a complicated version of a transvestite, if I’m saying that correctly), the sharp but corrupt police boss, and the whore with the heart of gold.
• Now, and this is the most important, the Buddhist ruminations allow Sonjai the opportunity to thread the narrative with commentary not unlike the hard-bitten mumblings of a cynical Ellroy character (Ellroy gives a glowing cover blurb on the back of Burddett’s novels).
So I liked this novel but I liked Bangkok 8, its predecessor, better. Bangkok Tattoo benefits from a long stretch focused on a female character (through her diary) but loses steam on a cardboard mystery. I’m not sure the story is Burdett’s focus, anyway, he appears to include a plot because he has to include one, you know, in a novel. The real attractions are the tight prose and cool ambience. And while I dig Burdett’s work, and probably will continue the “Tattoo” series eventually, this one sounded a heck of a lot like the first book but not as good. Go back and read Bangkok 8, like you should, as it’s the first in the series. And stay away from the author pic, too, which makes Burdett look he’s taking part in a British boy band reunion. But if you like Bangkok 8 this is a serviceable sequel, but no Godfather 2, if you know what I mean.
July 25, 2020
This series is why I don't like getting books as gifts. Having lived in Thailand, a friend bought me the entire series and I felt obliged to read it because she spent her money on it... sigh... well, anyway, this book, like its prequel, is pathetic beyond words, being more of a spewing of the author's prejudices than an accurate representation of Thailand. The supposedly spiritual Sonchai, Buddhist savant extraordinaire, who earns his daily bread and spends his days posing as a cop, being a pimp, doing drugs, spending more time talking about clothes than the dhamma (that's the Pali spelling) and expresses his loving compassion (metta) by constantly denigrating others (I guess he forgot the 3rd spoke on the 8 Fold Path), and all the other things the Buddha didn't espouse, gets caught up in a whirlwind when a C.I.A. agent is found murdered and mutilated in his mother's brothel. I guess if you have no real knowledge of Buddhism and have never spent substantial time in S.E. Asia, you might like this book, but you'd learn more about Thailand watching Ong Bak rather than reading this tripe from a Quinton Tarrantino wannabe.
July 24, 2022
This is the second entry in Burdett's series about a Bangkok detective whose mother runs a brothel, and an even wilder ride than the first one. (See my review of Bangkok 8.)
Sonchai Jitpleecheep is the product of a Vietnam-era liaison between a Thai prostitute and a U.S. GI; his mom now runs a Bangkok whorehouse and he is a police detective working for the corrupt but wily Colonel Vikorn. At least in Burdett's view of Thai society (how accurate that is I leave to others with more knowledge), there's no contradiction between Sonchai's mother's business (and his complicity in it) and his devout Buddhism. The whole book, in fact, is a rumination on the Buddhist versus the Western worldview, and how the former accommodates things that we westerners are appalled by (when we're not enthusiastically indulging in them).
The beautiful Chanya, the house's star earner, returns from an assignation in a nearby hotel covered in blood. She confesses to the gruesome murder of her john, who turns out to be an American CIA officer. Vikorn and Sonchai cook up a self-defense scenario that gets Chanya off the hook. But the dead Yank was looking into Al-Qaeda plots in southern Thailand, meaning more CIA snoops quickly show up, along with Muslim leaders anxious not to be scapegoated; when other similar murders follow it becomes clear that Chanya's hiding something big.
There's a lot going on here, as much cultural exploration as thriller narrative, and it's all very seductive. Burdett appears to know the territory, and his sympathetic inside look at the Thai vice trade is almost convincing. I can believe that making lots of money in a Bangkok brothel might seem a good option to girls from destitute villages in rural Thailand, but I wonder if all the men involved in the prostitution trade are quite as sensitive and indulgent as our hero Sonchai. Burdett's contrasting of Buddhist acceptance and the Western mania for progress should give us pause, but then there's a reason the Third World's poor, and maybe there are some advantages to our fixation on rules, even if it leads to hypocrisy. Anyway, the book is pretty entertaining if your tastes run to the fairly edgy, with plenty of sex and violence and a serious attempt to get inside a culture very different from ours.
Sonchai Jitpleecheep is the product of a Vietnam-era liaison between a Thai prostitute and a U.S. GI; his mom now runs a Bangkok whorehouse and he is a police detective working for the corrupt but wily Colonel Vikorn. At least in Burdett's view of Thai society (how accurate that is I leave to others with more knowledge), there's no contradiction between Sonchai's mother's business (and his complicity in it) and his devout Buddhism. The whole book, in fact, is a rumination on the Buddhist versus the Western worldview, and how the former accommodates things that we westerners are appalled by (when we're not enthusiastically indulging in them).
The beautiful Chanya, the house's star earner, returns from an assignation in a nearby hotel covered in blood. She confesses to the gruesome murder of her john, who turns out to be an American CIA officer. Vikorn and Sonchai cook up a self-defense scenario that gets Chanya off the hook. But the dead Yank was looking into Al-Qaeda plots in southern Thailand, meaning more CIA snoops quickly show up, along with Muslim leaders anxious not to be scapegoated; when other similar murders follow it becomes clear that Chanya's hiding something big.
There's a lot going on here, as much cultural exploration as thriller narrative, and it's all very seductive. Burdett appears to know the territory, and his sympathetic inside look at the Thai vice trade is almost convincing. I can believe that making lots of money in a Bangkok brothel might seem a good option to girls from destitute villages in rural Thailand, but I wonder if all the men involved in the prostitution trade are quite as sensitive and indulgent as our hero Sonchai. Burdett's contrasting of Buddhist acceptance and the Western mania for progress should give us pause, but then there's a reason the Third World's poor, and maybe there are some advantages to our fixation on rules, even if it leads to hypocrisy. Anyway, the book is pretty entertaining if your tastes run to the fairly edgy, with plenty of sex and violence and a serious attempt to get inside a culture very different from ours.
July 25, 2021
Yuck. The first in the series, Bangkok 8, is described as "a thriller with an attitude to spare" and I was expecting something similar. The attitude is quite present in the first maybe 25%. The attitude is a "hey farang [Thai for western foreigner], our culture is better than yours and has been around longer" sort of thing. It is done humorously and is not overbearing - and note that the author is British. For me, that sort of humor is well-tolerated when poking fun at oneself.
The "yuck" is that there is just too much sex and not enough detective work. OK, so Sonchai is not only on the police force, he is a minor stockholder in a go-go bar, which is really a front for prostitution. It isn't unrealistic to expect a certain amount of sexual reference, even brief explicitness. I most certainly won't count the pages, but I suspect that if you remove all the crotch rubbings the novel would dwindle from 300 pages to about 125. Burdett finally gets around to solving the mystery in earnest only in the last 75 pages. And even that involves making sure we know that having a full body tattoo includes the male member which can only be fully appreciated in a certain condition.
This makes 2-stars only because I saw it to the end. I have t0o much to read to continue this series.
The "yuck" is that there is just too much sex and not enough detective work. OK, so Sonchai is not only on the police force, he is a minor stockholder in a go-go bar, which is really a front for prostitution. It isn't unrealistic to expect a certain amount of sexual reference, even brief explicitness. I most certainly won't count the pages, but I suspect that if you remove all the crotch rubbings the novel would dwindle from 300 pages to about 125. Burdett finally gets around to solving the mystery in earnest only in the last 75 pages. And even that involves making sure we know that having a full body tattoo includes the male member which can only be fully appreciated in a certain condition.
This makes 2-stars only because I saw it to the end. I have t0o much to read to continue this series.
August 9, 2012
I really enjoyed the first book in this series. I felt like in this book the Sonchai became less appealing to me. More human then on the verge of becoming an enlightened person (this is personal preference )
I found myself lost in the Japanese aspects of it ( again my own fault ) and couldn't wait to just finish the last page so I could say I read it all.
Not as intriguing as the first book and yes I got tired of being "heckled" because I'm a farang. I live in Thailand and I already am jaded by the name everyone uses about me freely. It's become derogatory to me in that they call me that because of my skin color ( and yes because I come from the West ) I know it's not always meant in a malicious way. Just becoming annoying to me (I am not perfect and I have my days )
Thank you Bangkok Tattoo for pointing out all the ways I FARANG am ignorant in Thai culture. I know I am but could you use a better name for me or just write a book that portrays the true Thai culture without rubbing it into my face.
I found myself lost in the Japanese aspects of it ( again my own fault ) and couldn't wait to just finish the last page so I could say I read it all.
Not as intriguing as the first book and yes I got tired of being "heckled" because I'm a farang. I live in Thailand and I already am jaded by the name everyone uses about me freely. It's become derogatory to me in that they call me that because of my skin color ( and yes because I come from the West ) I know it's not always meant in a malicious way. Just becoming annoying to me (I am not perfect and I have my days )
Thank you Bangkok Tattoo for pointing out all the ways I FARANG am ignorant in Thai culture. I know I am but could you use a better name for me or just write a book that portrays the true Thai culture without rubbing it into my face.
April 9, 2008
This is the second in John Burdett's series about a hard-boiled Buddhist Thai detective. These books are exciting and funny and educational. Mr. Burdett, speaking as Sanjeep, takes any opportunity to teach the reader about the foods and customs of Thailand and about Buddhist practice and philosophy. Even more challenging, for me, is that all these books take on the sex trade industry head-on. They've actually caused me to revise my myopic view that sex work is a necessary evil, and to admit to my American prudishness. Many of the women in these books are truly masters of their destiny and have found ways to use their bodies (but not their minds!) to make very good money.
September 1, 2017
I was really looking forward to John Burdett's follow up to the entertaining Bangkok 8, Bangkok Tattoo, and while I enjoyed it, it had some serious flaws. I guess I was pretty satisfied until 3/4 of the way through, when his plots started to wear thin. This might also be where the sneering anti-west/American attitude of Sonchai Jitleecheep started to grate on me. I don't remember this condescending tone in the first novel, which seems somewhat self-hating since Sonchai is half "farang" himself, which in most Asian societies makes you a sort of outsider as well. The American CIA agents seem to reflect the perceived attitudes of an intellectual Englishman. For example, the main murder victim Mitch Turner is a neurotic, muscle bound, religiously misguided lost soul. Of the other three CIA agents, one, described as a jaw-grinder, succumbs to the flesh trade falls in love with a whore and is murdered, while the female boss is a lesbian, who hires a girl out as well. There are some British drug dealers and an eccentric Japanese tattoo artist, and not to mention the corrupt police Colonel Vikorn and army General Zinna don't necessarily exhibit the best aspect of the Thai people either. However, all the customer sat the Old Man's bar are rough American ex-hippies. You certainly see more Europeans and rough working class Brits in Bangkok. The British, in particular, have a reputation to act like barbarian Anglo-Saxons sacking a city when they travel abroad. So in a sense there are few redeeming characters, however among the few are the Muslims. Hmmm imagine this, coming from a liberal Brit.
Sonchai is devoutly Buddhist, but exhibits his own moral relativism as he helps run his mother's brothel The Old Man's Club, and succumbs to the charms of the beautiful and successful working girl Chanya. There seems to be a sort of apologetic attitude to the oldest profession in the world, as Burdett feels the need to offer a note at the end of the book saying that per capita the skin trade is much larger elsewhere. If you want a more balanced look into Thai people I recommend Rattawut Lapcharoensap's excellent book of short stories, Sightseeing. That being said, I like how he ties in post 9/11 concerns as well as current affairs by citing the Muslim sectarian violence in the south of Thailand, and most of the plots are compelling, but I would like to have seen more about the war between Vikorn and Zinna, which was one of the more compelling aspects of the book. As usual, there's plenty of local color and history. I think both of his Thailand mysteries have flaws, but are basically entertaining reads. He has set the stage for a third, as some unresolved plot points are kept open.
Sonchai is devoutly Buddhist, but exhibits his own moral relativism as he helps run his mother's brothel The Old Man's Club, and succumbs to the charms of the beautiful and successful working girl Chanya. There seems to be a sort of apologetic attitude to the oldest profession in the world, as Burdett feels the need to offer a note at the end of the book saying that per capita the skin trade is much larger elsewhere. If you want a more balanced look into Thai people I recommend Rattawut Lapcharoensap's excellent book of short stories, Sightseeing. That being said, I like how he ties in post 9/11 concerns as well as current affairs by citing the Muslim sectarian violence in the south of Thailand, and most of the plots are compelling, but I would like to have seen more about the war between Vikorn and Zinna, which was one of the more compelling aspects of the book. As usual, there's plenty of local color and history. I think both of his Thailand mysteries have flaws, but are basically entertaining reads. He has set the stage for a third, as some unresolved plot points are kept open.
May 29, 2012
For me, Bangkok Tattoo was a book of two halves. The first half was interesting and entertaining, immersing the reader in the sights and sounds of the seedier side of Bangkok. The story raced along and had plenty of intrigue and twists and turns. In the second half the story unravelled and lost focus and direction. The main plotline of the first half petered out and another thread came to dominate, and the story resorted more and more to show rather than tell, and less and less plausible. The ending redeemed things a little, but it still felt a little flat and relied on Jitpleecheep forgetting that he had a vital piece of evidence in his possession. In general, the characterisation is good, and Sonchai Jitpleecheep makes for an interesting central character, caught as he is between the worlds of the police and Bangkok nightlife, and American and Thai society, and the most of the other characters are colourful and engaging. The exception is the Americans who are stereotypical, dull and by the numbers military types. The observations of Thai society are informative, though I was somewhat dubious as to how prostitution, and lives and attitudes of the women who practice it, are portrayed. Whilst I have little doubt that the nature of prostitution in Thailand is different to that in the West, I’m not at all convinced that its quite as Burdett portrays it; that paying for sex is an unproblematic transaction in Thai society where women willing engage with little emotional damage or other consequences. After so much promise in the first half, it was a shame that the story fizzled out in the second.
January 8, 2014
I see some people are upset as being referred to as 'farang', not sure why. Must be the American entitlement lol. Anyhoo, this is the first book I have read by this author. It was passed on to me by a co-worker. It was a slow read at first, but I kept reading it because I really wanted to know what happened. The book gave me a new insight into the world of prosititution. I, like the Americans the narrator refers to, always thought of prostitution and brothels in Asia to be like the documentaries you see on PBS where they show 3 and 4 year old girls out on the street. This book gives a different version, one in which grown women choose prostitution as a means to support family (much like in America) but also because it is something they want to do, not forced in to. It was a way for women to be empowered in a male dominated world. The way it ended though, I mean wow! I did not see that coming. Well not necessarily the ending, but rather the 'who' and the 'why' behind the murder. It is a good read.
February 18, 2012
I seem to be cursed in a peculiar way. When I was younger, whenever I read a book and liked it, I would immediately read all the other books by the same author. And I always liked them, as far as I remember, which is why I kept doing it.
Now whenever I read a book and like it and immediately read another book by the same author, it is disappointing. I don't know how this keeps happening. How am I accidentally always reading the author's best book? Does this mean that when I read a book and DON'T like it, THAT is when I should read another book by the same author? Because they have one good book, I just didn't read that one first?
Anyway, I dunno, but as for this book... Let's just take one main lesson away from it, which is, don't write a book in first person if the plot requires 3/4 of the stuff to have happened to other people when the narrator is not there.
Now whenever I read a book and like it and immediately read another book by the same author, it is disappointing. I don't know how this keeps happening. How am I accidentally always reading the author's best book? Does this mean that when I read a book and DON'T like it, THAT is when I should read another book by the same author? Because they have one good book, I just didn't read that one first?
Anyway, I dunno, but as for this book... Let's just take one main lesson away from it, which is, don't write a book in first person if the plot requires 3/4 of the stuff to have happened to other people when the narrator is not there.
June 28, 2008
I started this book after I finished Bangkok 8; I am not likely to finish it. The writing is not good enough to justify all the viagra being flung about and the disdain for "farang"(this word is used at least 5 times on every page) Americans not understanding Thai food, prostitution, religion, politics, transportation, or much anything else. In fact, I'm beginning to think that these murder mysteries are more of a vehicle to show how naive and coarse Americans are. Maybe I would connect to it more had I been to Thailand, but as it is, I'm not very impressed with this author.
January 3, 2013
Great read! This high octane thriller is set in the Bangkok sex trade district. The half-Thai/half-American who has never met his GI dad narrates the storyline peppering it with references to his devout Buddhism. There's a serial killer on the loose and he's taking a very unique souvenir from his vics, but the plot is really well imagined. It will keep you guessing until the last twenty pages. Highly recommended if you like spy novels or depraved mysteries.
August 31, 2019
I forgot how condescending and moralizing I find the narrator's voice. Between being addressed as "farang" (=foreigner) about five times per page and the constant lecturing about the evils and stupidity of Western civilization I just can't enjoy these books.
May 13, 2021
An entertaining romp around the backstreets of Bangkok.
Not groundbreaking, but very entertaining, particularly for anyone who has lived/holidayed in Thailand.
Preferred this outing to the first in the series, so will continue with the others
Not groundbreaking, but very entertaining, particularly for anyone who has lived/holidayed in Thailand.
Preferred this outing to the first in the series, so will continue with the others
April 26, 2010
RATING: 4.5
PROTAGONIST: Detec. Sonchai Jitplecheep
SETTING: Thailand
SERIES: # 2 of 2
What a treat to find such an engaging group of characters in such a well-detailed setting between the pages of a book! Having missed the debut novel of the series, BANGKOK 8, I was delighted to be introduced to royal Thai police detective Sonchai Jitplecheep; his incredibly innovative boss, Police Colonel Vikorn; his mother, Nong, who is part owner of the Old Man's Club (or "house of ill repute"), the young man, Lek, who he is mentoring and who is undergoing a gender change; and more.
Detective Jitplecheep and Colonel Vikorn are members of the police force in District 8 in Bangkok. They are unlike any other police types that I have run across before. Part of the reason for that is that the Thai police do not emulate a military model. They tend to let Buddhist principles guide their approaches, which means that they are practical and not overly bureaucratic. As a matter of fact, Vikorn is also an owner of the Old Man's Club and has several other operations and schemes going at the same time.
The book opens with an American found gruesomely murdered in a hotel room. His penis is on the bedside table, and his back has been mutilated. That's nothing to get too upset about until his identity is revealed: he is "Mitch Turner", a CIA agent who was working undercover locally. One of Nong's best girls (and the fantasy love interest of Sonchai) by the name of Chanya appears to have murdered him. She was the last one seen with him and returns to the Club drenched in blood and in an opiate haze.
As you can imagine, when a CIA agent is murdered in another country, the US is likely to send all sorts of other spy type guys to investigate. Vikorn creates a wonderfully fictional account of Chanya's activities on the night of the murder. I have to say that Vikorn was my favorite character in the book, an expert in misdirection, a strategic genius in creating the perfect cover-up for every bad situation that arises.
As Sonchai's investigation proceeds, he becomes entangled with the FBI, CIA, terrorists, Thai military and Thai mobsters and Muslim clerics. Although much of what he sees involves the sex and drug trade, it never feels seedy. Somehow, the Thai culture supports prostitution—it's a step above eking out a living in misery.
BANGKOK TATTOO was an excellent book. For some reason, I was expecting it to be dark in outlook; I was pleasantly surprised at how much humor was woven into the narrative. There was a classic laugh-out-loud scene where Nong devises a solution to the management problem that has beset the sex trade since time began: how to accurately predict the male erection. Unfortunately, the Viagra solution causes more of a problem than it cures. However, as we moved into the latter part of the book, that humorous tone diminished, which tended to slow the pacing.
In addition to the wonderful character development, Burdett did an outstanding job of putting the reader squarely into the Thai setting. It was interesting to see how people balanced themselves between obtaining the necessities of life and abiding by the Buddhist ways. For example, Chanya justified her life as a very successful prostitute by noting that her earnings would allow her to do more good than if she lived in poverty. For example, the earnings from a certain number of tricks would equate to a certain amount of hospital beds for a local charity.
I didn't quite buy the ultimate villain in the book and particularly Chanya's actions with some of the other characters. Although the plotting may not have been perfect, all the other elements of the book worked. Burdett's vivid writing is a real treat, although I could have lived without the asides to the reader. I can't wait for my next visit to Bangkok; I know that I'll be visiting Sonchai and Vikorn in my mind until then.
PROTAGONIST: Detec. Sonchai Jitplecheep
SETTING: Thailand
SERIES: # 2 of 2
What a treat to find such an engaging group of characters in such a well-detailed setting between the pages of a book! Having missed the debut novel of the series, BANGKOK 8, I was delighted to be introduced to royal Thai police detective Sonchai Jitplecheep; his incredibly innovative boss, Police Colonel Vikorn; his mother, Nong, who is part owner of the Old Man's Club (or "house of ill repute"), the young man, Lek, who he is mentoring and who is undergoing a gender change; and more.
Detective Jitplecheep and Colonel Vikorn are members of the police force in District 8 in Bangkok. They are unlike any other police types that I have run across before. Part of the reason for that is that the Thai police do not emulate a military model. They tend to let Buddhist principles guide their approaches, which means that they are practical and not overly bureaucratic. As a matter of fact, Vikorn is also an owner of the Old Man's Club and has several other operations and schemes going at the same time.
The book opens with an American found gruesomely murdered in a hotel room. His penis is on the bedside table, and his back has been mutilated. That's nothing to get too upset about until his identity is revealed: he is "Mitch Turner", a CIA agent who was working undercover locally. One of Nong's best girls (and the fantasy love interest of Sonchai) by the name of Chanya appears to have murdered him. She was the last one seen with him and returns to the Club drenched in blood and in an opiate haze.
As you can imagine, when a CIA agent is murdered in another country, the US is likely to send all sorts of other spy type guys to investigate. Vikorn creates a wonderfully fictional account of Chanya's activities on the night of the murder. I have to say that Vikorn was my favorite character in the book, an expert in misdirection, a strategic genius in creating the perfect cover-up for every bad situation that arises.
As Sonchai's investigation proceeds, he becomes entangled with the FBI, CIA, terrorists, Thai military and Thai mobsters and Muslim clerics. Although much of what he sees involves the sex and drug trade, it never feels seedy. Somehow, the Thai culture supports prostitution—it's a step above eking out a living in misery.
BANGKOK TATTOO was an excellent book. For some reason, I was expecting it to be dark in outlook; I was pleasantly surprised at how much humor was woven into the narrative. There was a classic laugh-out-loud scene where Nong devises a solution to the management problem that has beset the sex trade since time began: how to accurately predict the male erection. Unfortunately, the Viagra solution causes more of a problem than it cures. However, as we moved into the latter part of the book, that humorous tone diminished, which tended to slow the pacing.
In addition to the wonderful character development, Burdett did an outstanding job of putting the reader squarely into the Thai setting. It was interesting to see how people balanced themselves between obtaining the necessities of life and abiding by the Buddhist ways. For example, Chanya justified her life as a very successful prostitute by noting that her earnings would allow her to do more good than if she lived in poverty. For example, the earnings from a certain number of tricks would equate to a certain amount of hospital beds for a local charity.
I didn't quite buy the ultimate villain in the book and particularly Chanya's actions with some of the other characters. Although the plotting may not have been perfect, all the other elements of the book worked. Burdett's vivid writing is a real treat, although I could have lived without the asides to the reader. I can't wait for my next visit to Bangkok; I know that I'll be visiting Sonchai and Vikorn in my mind until then.
December 29, 2018
Will Leitch is one of my favorite writers. He covers sports in word form and movies on the Grierson & Leitch podcast. All year long, he has grappled with is love for the Wes Anderson movie Isle of Dogs, which is set in Japan and has many references to famed director Akira Kurosawa but whose characters are voiced mostly by white people. The movie has been deemed (accurately in my estimation) to be culturally appropriated.
I’m not one for winning “Who’s the most woke white person?” contests. Nobody wins and it’s usually non-white folk who end up losing again at the hands of people who call themselves allies. So I’m not going to judge Will too hard for liking the movie considering how much I like this book (and its prequel).
John Burdett is a Brit. His perspective is British. His view of the east, no matter how informed and nuanced, is from the western gaze. His characterization of Thai folk and culture, no matter how well done, is appropriation at the highest level. 90% of the time, I wouldn’t bother with a book like this.
And I probably shouldn’t. But so help me, I do. Because this is the second book in the series and not only is it almost as good as the first, it’s genuinely unique among most of the books I read. Burdett captures the weird, rambling voice of Sonchai Jiptlecheep, a devoutly Buddhist biracial Bangkok police detective, in a fascinating way. As he meanders his way through the streets of Bangkok, the rural areas of Thailand and other locales in search of the perpetrator of a bizarre murder, while musing about Buddhism, sex, and culture along the way, I find myself being more and more drawn in. This isn’t the first book to use its city location as a character but it does so in a way that makes the atmosphere feel lived in, not stuffy and in need of salvation like say, Gotham City or even fictional portrayals of New York.
I wish this series was written by a Thai person. It’s disappointing that it’s not. You shouldn’t have your view of another culture filtered through the lens of someone not of said culture. I take all of Burdett’s rumination on Thailand and its people with a grain of salt. But I take them anyway. Because his books are damn good.
I’m not one for winning “Who’s the most woke white person?” contests. Nobody wins and it’s usually non-white folk who end up losing again at the hands of people who call themselves allies. So I’m not going to judge Will too hard for liking the movie considering how much I like this book (and its prequel).
John Burdett is a Brit. His perspective is British. His view of the east, no matter how informed and nuanced, is from the western gaze. His characterization of Thai folk and culture, no matter how well done, is appropriation at the highest level. 90% of the time, I wouldn’t bother with a book like this.
And I probably shouldn’t. But so help me, I do. Because this is the second book in the series and not only is it almost as good as the first, it’s genuinely unique among most of the books I read. Burdett captures the weird, rambling voice of Sonchai Jiptlecheep, a devoutly Buddhist biracial Bangkok police detective, in a fascinating way. As he meanders his way through the streets of Bangkok, the rural areas of Thailand and other locales in search of the perpetrator of a bizarre murder, while musing about Buddhism, sex, and culture along the way, I find myself being more and more drawn in. This isn’t the first book to use its city location as a character but it does so in a way that makes the atmosphere feel lived in, not stuffy and in need of salvation like say, Gotham City or even fictional portrayals of New York.
I wish this series was written by a Thai person. It’s disappointing that it’s not. You shouldn’t have your view of another culture filtered through the lens of someone not of said culture. I take all of Burdett’s rumination on Thailand and its people with a grain of salt. But I take them anyway. Because his books are damn good.
August 14, 2012
This second installment in the adventures of Sonchai Jitpleecheep, half-caste former-monk-now-Thai-cop, is both more straight-ahead and weirder than Bangkok 8. It’s not quite as phantasmagoric as the first – Our Hero manages to keep his asides from straying too far afield – but it introduces even stranger creatures into the zoo that is Bangkok’s seamy side. In this case, these creatures include CIA agents with various kinks, Moslems from southern Thailand, yakuza, rogue tattoo artists, and the prostitutes who service them, one and all. In between, Sonchai wrangles his gleefully corrupt police superior, his reformed-prostitute-now-businesswoman mother, and a beautiful working girl who may be the swizzle stick in this cocktail of corruption.
Our Hero’s views on Western culture (mostly of the stick-in-the-eye variety) and the snippets of Buddhist theory and practice he brings to his detecting keep reminding us we’re not reading Chandler or Spillane here. That Burdett, a British lawyer in Hong Kong, is able to so convincingly channel the psyche of someone who is so very much not him is a continuing wonder. It may all be bullshit (our Thai members may be able to clue us in) but it feels very real, as do the settings and Songchai’s command of the red-light districts that dominate his working life.
All is not iced Singha here. Once again, the American characters are stumblebums of varying kinds who fall under Thailand’s spell; Burdett leaned on this trope heavily in the first book, so it’s neither new nor original this time around. Burdett comes close to losing the fourth star for spending a section of the book recapping the tangled history of Sonchai’s beloved, essentially a lengthy flashback framed by her diary; luckily, the material is offbeat enough to keep us going through what otherwise is a long stretch of unrelieved narrative.
Bangkok Tattoo is another walk on the offbeat side if you’re looking for that, or perhaps even if you aren’t. If you haven’t read Bangkok 8 yet, start there; it’s a virtuoso performance. Then come here if you want an encore.
Our Hero’s views on Western culture (mostly of the stick-in-the-eye variety) and the snippets of Buddhist theory and practice he brings to his detecting keep reminding us we’re not reading Chandler or Spillane here. That Burdett, a British lawyer in Hong Kong, is able to so convincingly channel the psyche of someone who is so very much not him is a continuing wonder. It may all be bullshit (our Thai members may be able to clue us in) but it feels very real, as do the settings and Songchai’s command of the red-light districts that dominate his working life.
All is not iced Singha here. Once again, the American characters are stumblebums of varying kinds who fall under Thailand’s spell; Burdett leaned on this trope heavily in the first book, so it’s neither new nor original this time around. Burdett comes close to losing the fourth star for spending a section of the book recapping the tangled history of Sonchai’s beloved, essentially a lengthy flashback framed by her diary; luckily, the material is offbeat enough to keep us going through what otherwise is a long stretch of unrelieved narrative.
Bangkok Tattoo is another walk on the offbeat side if you’re looking for that, or perhaps even if you aren’t. If you haven’t read Bangkok 8 yet, start there; it’s a virtuoso performance. Then come here if you want an encore.
June 4, 2020
Even when I read the first one after just returning for a term teaching in Thailand, I felt it presumptuous of the author to address readers as 'farang' when he is a foreigner himself, writing as a Thai man. This rubs me the wrong way. The lecturing of the narrator, Thai detective written by a Western white man, gets to be a bit too much at times. Maybe it is because I have also spent time there that I feel annoyed at this aspect.
Originally I had no intention of reading any of these books after Bangkok 8 but I was hit with a bout of Thai nostalgia and ran across the second in the series. While it does satisfy a little bit of my longing to go back, my version of Thailand was quite different than the majority of the corruption and sex trade displayed in these books. I feel that at least the level of corruption may be up played for dramatic purposes, as should be expected of a thriller/detective novel. That is why I enjoyed these stories at all, for the thriller/detective/mystery aspects. Even though I can't help but feel a little negative towards the author, for reasons stated above. I also have experienced enough of the negative sentiments about Westerners, and it's a little over done here.
The first book was better in ways of suspense and thrills. While I like the detective aspect, as well as the quick pace and the locale, I have mixed feelings overall. There is a lot of criticizing of Westerners and Western culture, it can feel as though a disgruntled westerner who has decided Asia is superior to all other societies is lecturing why this is true.
Originally I had no intention of reading any of these books after Bangkok 8 but I was hit with a bout of Thai nostalgia and ran across the second in the series. While it does satisfy a little bit of my longing to go back, my version of Thailand was quite different than the majority of the corruption and sex trade displayed in these books. I feel that at least the level of corruption may be up played for dramatic purposes, as should be expected of a thriller/detective novel. That is why I enjoyed these stories at all, for the thriller/detective/mystery aspects. Even though I can't help but feel a little negative towards the author, for reasons stated above. I also have experienced enough of the negative sentiments about Westerners, and it's a little over done here.
The first book was better in ways of suspense and thrills. While I like the detective aspect, as well as the quick pace and the locale, I have mixed feelings overall. There is a lot of criticizing of Westerners and Western culture, it can feel as though a disgruntled westerner who has decided Asia is superior to all other societies is lecturing why this is true.
October 29, 2020
The sophomore entry in the Detective Sonchai series is a fun, if sordid, return to the seedy underbelly of Bangkok and a meandering (though ultimately satisfying) series of twists and turns. Burdett throws a LOT of elements into this book, but does a fairly good job of setting up the different elements, and succeeds in making the plot just understandable enough for this target audience (foreigners who know between nothing and something, though not too much, about Thai society and the Asian underworld). Some elements are, yes, over-the-top, but most of it is in service of a broader portrait of how Western outsiders are seduced by the radically different culture of Thailand.
On that latter point, Burdett pulls off an impressive feat. He makes the culturally-whiplashed Westerners the outsiders, and keeps the focus on knowledgeable insiders. Unfortunately, he loses points on making his narrator less likeable by having him too frequently addressing the reader and pontificating about the deficiencies in Western society. Intentional or not, it comes off as Burdett's own complaints about the West, especially when it encounters Thailand, and makes the overall narrative a little less fun. Sonchai is at his best when he explains the cultural context in the middle of the action, not when he preaches at the beginning of various chapters.
Overall, however, this book was quite satisfying. I look forward to the sequel.
On that latter point, Burdett pulls off an impressive feat. He makes the culturally-whiplashed Westerners the outsiders, and keeps the focus on knowledgeable insiders. Unfortunately, he loses points on making his narrator less likeable by having him too frequently addressing the reader and pontificating about the deficiencies in Western society. Intentional or not, it comes off as Burdett's own complaints about the West, especially when it encounters Thailand, and makes the overall narrative a little less fun. Sonchai is at his best when he explains the cultural context in the middle of the action, not when he preaches at the beginning of various chapters.
Overall, however, this book was quite satisfying. I look forward to the sequel.
August 27, 2016
I have enjoyed this book very much - up until the ending. I enjoyed the character development, the musings about culture, the interjected cultural explorations of Buddhism, the Western culture, the morally ambiguous situations and characters. I especially like Colonel Vikorn - you never know if you should love him or hate him. I also enjoyed the Chanya story, the nuanced ways of developing her love affairs (although it is a bit hard to believe that a prostitute would be able to have full-fledged relationships - inability to enjoy sex and develop trust is a disease of the trade, but I let that one pass), the description of the tormented mind of her lovers. Throw in some witty scenes in the back of the brothel or in restaurants, and you got a mesmerizing, fun novel.
Until the end. I find no joy in the obscure and morbid ending, and no connection to the rest of the story. It is a twist thrown in, not drawn from the character and previously developed plot. So, another brilliant person turns into an evil monster. Haven't we done that before? The lurid details seem sensationalistic and voyeuristic. I would have liked a less graphic and more sophisticated ending, with real motivations, instead of the stock greed and madman combination.
Five stars until the last murder. Two after that.
Until the end. I find no joy in the obscure and morbid ending, and no connection to the rest of the story. It is a twist thrown in, not drawn from the character and previously developed plot. So, another brilliant person turns into an evil monster. Haven't we done that before? The lurid details seem sensationalistic and voyeuristic. I would have liked a less graphic and more sophisticated ending, with real motivations, instead of the stock greed and madman combination.
Five stars until the last murder. Two after that.
November 11, 2016
I did not like Bangkok Tattoo as much as the first in the series, Bangkok 8. Sonchai is the same- a loner Buddhist cop who tends toward philosophical ruminations, but now he's also part owner of a brothel, along with his boss and his mom. The atmosphere's the same- the seedy side of an exotic city, but we do have the addition of Muslims and the mob. And Sonchai has a new partner, a transgender young man who wants to be a dancer of some kind.
The plot was interesting, if a bit meandering. The killed man was CIA, and of course the case is not as clear-cut as it might first appear. There's also drugs involved. To be honest, I finished listening to this a week or so ago and don't remember how exactly the drugs and the serial killer tied together. I think they were two separate plot lines pulled together by the corrupt superior and the good-hearted prostitute. What I do remember is one scene toward the end that was downright gruesome.
Most of this book centers around the sex trade in Bangkok. Burdett shows it as empowering for women, giving them money and freedom that they wouldn't otherwise have. I have to assume it's not that rosy. It also dwells on the lives and gay men and other sexual orientations.
I'll probably continue with the series, but only because I can pick them up from the library.
The plot was interesting, if a bit meandering. The killed man was CIA, and of course the case is not as clear-cut as it might first appear. There's also drugs involved. To be honest, I finished listening to this a week or so ago and don't remember how exactly the drugs and the serial killer tied together. I think they were two separate plot lines pulled together by the corrupt superior and the good-hearted prostitute. What I do remember is one scene toward the end that was downright gruesome.
Most of this book centers around the sex trade in Bangkok. Burdett shows it as empowering for women, giving them money and freedom that they wouldn't otherwise have. I have to assume it's not that rosy. It also dwells on the lives and gay men and other sexual orientations.
I'll probably continue with the series, but only because I can pick them up from the library.
June 17, 2015
Royal Thai police detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is back in the second book of the series to investigate the grisly murder of a CIA operative. Wrapped up in all of this is a hooker named Chanya, a Thai army general who is feuding with Sonchai’s superior officer, Captain Vikorn, Muslim fundamentalists, the Yakuza and a Japanese tattoo artist. I enjoyed the cadence of the book and following Sonchai around Thailand.
May 3, 2016
This was a second read for me and I liked it less than before. While there are aspects that are fascinating--the depiction of Thai culture say--I worry that a white American is perhaps not the best source for this information. I found myself distracted by this concern--it's that foreign exoticism, I guess. But I do like the main character. Anyway, mixed response, as you can see.
December 13, 2010
I liked this a bit less than Bangkok 8, mostly because I got tired of being called farang (the Thai equivalent of "gringo"). Still a good story, though.
August 16, 2022
Finally. It seems like an age since I read book #1 in this series. Book #2 did not disappoint. I really do like the insight not only into Thai culture, but also into another faith - Buddhism. I have read other books set in Thailand - The Windup Girl - and it seems like quite an interesting place to visit.
Sonchai, Chanya, and Sonchai's mom are great characters and a lot of fun - and I can't wait for Sonchai to meet his father in book #3 (I hope). The plot was a bit convoluted and I was quite surprised at what happened in the end. A good read!
Sonchai, Chanya, and Sonchai's mom are great characters and a lot of fun - and I can't wait for Sonchai to meet his father in book #3 (I hope). The plot was a bit convoluted and I was quite surprised at what happened in the end. A good read!
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