Escape: The True Story of the Only Westerner Ever to Break Out of the Bangkok Hilton

by David McMillan

Klong Prem prison, Thailand, known as the "Bangkok Hilton," is a place where 600 foreigners wait and rot among the 12,000 inmates. Amid the tragic, ruthless, and forgotten, one man resolves to do what no other has done: escape. This is the true story of drug smuggler David McMillan's perilous break-out from Asia's most notorious prison. After being arrested at Don Muang airport, McMillan spent more than a year in Klong Plem awaiting trial. He watched as the other foreign prisoners fell prey to disease, violence, and despair. Death appeared to be their only way out, but he resolved that this would not be the end for him. Two weeks before a near-certain death sentence, McMillan escaped, never to be seen in Thailand again. In this gripping account, he reveals the nightmare of existence in this infamous jail and explains how he made his hazardous jailbreak.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Memoir, Asia, Biography, Autobiography

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2007

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book in 2017 and I'm asking my past self, why? I think theres a simple answer to this that we can all relate too .... Amazon sales. We've all be there and got one click happy right?

This book made me realise something about my reading tastes when it comes to non fiction. While I'm riveted by stories of people escaping Auschwitz for example, reading about drug smugglers that deserve to be in prison but escape it is not a great reading experience for me.

I also realised that I should check the author is innocent before purchasing a book like this and that just because someone can escape a prison doesnt mean that they will have a decent sentance structure.

[Carene Muller · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I've given up on this one. I found that I couldn't get into it and it made me not wanna read. I'm not sure what it was, not a bad story and still curious how he escapes but I don't know if I'll ever find out, plain and simple I found it quite boring. Maybe one day I'll try and pick it up but for the moment on to better books.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well in the beginning I did like the book cause he told us about how he was caught and the first months in the prison. Even then I did not like the narrator that much but he got worse further in the book.
Then I also got confused with all the names and I cannot count the times I had to do a search for a name. Glad you can search with a kindle)

When the book got downhill was when he started to tell about what happened before he was caught. OMG very badly writing, very confusing. Apparently he thought we readers should understand his life, hiding from everybody. Why he was hiding was not told.

I ended up not finishing but I did read quite a lot. about 3/4th which was such a waste of my time.

Do not recommend! There are so much better books about being a prisoner in Thailand.

[Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The way it is written is very hard to get into and sometimes hard to follow, which can be frustrating. It's taking me longer to read than it would usually because of this. I want to find out the full story though so I am still reading it.

[Huw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was well and truly disappointed with this book. I think he wrote it himself and did not pay someone to edit it or rather should have paid somebody to either proof read it or write it for him in a more engaging way. Maybe he was hard up, not sure.
The first 250 pages is a mish mash of little stories about his friends and how they ended up in prison but written in a way that is disorganised and messy so leaving the reader unengaged and bored. It wasn't until page 250 were he actually escapes and then it was sprung on the reader all of a sudden. The escape lasts for about 12 pages and then we're back to a type of disjointed story.
Not impressed.

[Danial Tanvir · Rating 5 out of 5]

i picked this book from a book shop in Bangkok and i read it twice in one sitting ,its is about a man who gets arrested for drugs in bangkok and then he is thrown into thailands worst and most notorious prison and then it is the true story of he escaped from the prison , being the only westener to escape from this prison , i enjoyed reading this book alot,.

[Eric · Rating 1 out of 5]

A potentially brilliant story which was ruined by the poorest standard of writing. It was a constant struggle to follow what was going on. A 10 year old child whose native language isn't English could have written better.

The whole book was like a strange dream. You had a feeling of what was going on through little snippets here and there then all if a sudden there would be an incomprehensible transition to a seemingly unrelated topic. After awakening (finishing the book) I kind of had an idea of what happened but wasn't really all too sure. Just as well because it's not a book worth remembering.

It's a shame that the book was so poorly written because it could have easily become a best-seller.

[James Cridland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read on the Kindle, this book suffered from some layout bugs which meant it was difficult sometimes to quite follow what was going on: scene changes flowed on from previous paragraphs without a single break, jumping from the present to past in a very confusing manner.

The book itself is fascinating, giving a peek inside a Thai prison from someone who has, indeed, been there. You get a feeling of the atmosphere inside the jail: probably not as clear as I'd have liked, but interesting nonetheless. The actual breakout is nicely obfuscated until it actually happens, so you don't quite know how he will do it.

A good, mostly gripping, yarn.

[Jessica Lubbers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. I expected to read more about his struggles in prison, what it was like, the reasons he needed to leave, and then I also wanted to read more about the escape and what he did with himself afterwards. But the majority of the book was reading about his past and the past of his friends and cell mates. And I have no idea what happened even the day after his escape. He doesn’t say. It simply ends. I only found the last 40 pages or so to be interesting.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not fantastically written but interesting to learn about life in Bangkok Hilton and how the guy managed to escape. Wished I'd never bought it though as I didn't realise that the guy was actually a drug dealer; I thought he was innocent. This coloured my reading and I was on the side of the authorities rather than the author - obviously not condoning the appalling treatment of prisoners though!

[Shaun Attwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you watched David's movie, his Danny Dyer episode or seen his true crime podcasts on youtube, you will love this book, as it expands in great detail with many colourful descriptions and literary flourishes, all in David's warm articulate voice, as well as being a cautionary tale there are many other lessons David imparts in this masterpiece

[Mandrake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Interesting reading about the life in Bangkok Hilton.

Even with a prison sentence, if you have the money, you can still live relatively in a good condition.

[Ciaran · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as good as a damage done by warren fellows

[James Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true story of David McMillan, the only foreigner to escape from Bangkok's notorious Klong Prem prison. Klong Prem, the 'Bangkok Hilton' as it is well known, holding 12,000 inmates, roughly 600 being foreigners, or British, American, Australian and other Western prisoners. From McMillan's arrest at Don Muang airport to awaiting trial at Klong Prem, he provides a fascinating insight into lives of fellow western prisoners as they are destroyed by sheer neglect, despair and disease, it seems that death is the only way out. Barely a fortnight before a certain death sentence, McMillan escapes never to be seen in Thailand again.

I thought that the book was very detailed, especially in the chapters where he is describing the life he is living, along with his fellow prisoners. McMillan is equally informative in describing his planning and his eventual escape from the notorious Bangkok Hilton, the Klong Prem.

[Yee]

For me, I just couldn't dive into his prison world. I wasn't expecting brilliant writing like investigative journalism or experienced writing with bold words and scene settings. I don't mind the simple writing, but it couldn't bring me into his world to understand the struggles and hardships in prison.

Most of the time, I felt confused because there were so many things in his mind, and the story wasn't properly structured. He was telling the background story of some of the prisoners that he knew. Then, as the story progresses, the reader realises that those people he mentioned earlier weren't related to his escape plan or maybe just passengers in his life. I assumed the writer included those in the story because he knew someone probably had an interesting background. When the reader moves on from that, the writer offers some details about the escape, but after a few sentences, he probably bumps into someone, and the reader has to read another prisoner's story.

[Laura Hawes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of this book is exciting and I was looking forward to reading it but I found it such hard going as if goes between him in the prison and him not in the prison. I found it hard to keep up with what was happening and had to take a break from it for a while. Him actually escaping the prison was in the last 20 pages which I also found disappointing

[Cassie Forsythe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too draggy. I did the first five chapters or so then skipped to the end to read the escape which was that great either.

Also i probably wouldn't want to buy these sort of books anymore. You consciously knew the trouble you'd get into yet gambled it and feel so proud to cheat the system.

[123abc · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a slow burn and is really more of an account of the author’s time in Klong Prem, a famous Thai prison nicknamed the Bangkok Hilton. Still a lot of interesting bits and somewhat unorthodox writing style! Reminded me a little of a (slightly worse) version of Marching Powder.

[Tricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really glad to finish this book. It was hard going and took me ages to finish. Most of it is about his life that led to him being in prison and also life in the prison. The escape is right at the end.

I found it boring. It wasn't for me.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book, a well-written and honest account of life in a foreign prison

[kimm_ii · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't get into it. But was keen to know how he escaped. Based on other reviews I won't be spending anymore time on this one

[Celesthe Story · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ripper. Good storyline and artfully told.

Well worth sitting down for a few hours and knocking it over with a beer. I liked the perspective. 5 stars

[Jp Sordan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but hard to read.

Did this even go through an editor?

Maybe it's because I'm not Australian but I couldn't understand half the metaphors the author used.

[Rebekah · Rating 1 out of 5]

He sounds really interesting on the podcast wanted but once I started to read the book I found it really boring

[Frank A3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written account of a true nightmare.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nah, i only liked the last chapter. Missing so much background information

[James Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you first pick up Escape you know that you are going to be in for a literary treat. David McMillan skilfully guides his reader through the arduous realities of a pan-continent drug smuggler who suddenly finds himself looking at a death sentence in Thailand's notorious Klong Prem prison.
Escape is, refreshingly, not a diatribe against the harsh Thai justice system. Instead the author offers an incomparable insight into the relationships, wit and fights for survival that occurs day in, day out in such hell holes. The truly amazing thing however is that amongst all of the hopelessness, despair and madness going on within the prison walls, McMillan manages to prepare, plan and execute an audacious escape which, against all odds, he gets away with.
Having read many other books in this genre I have no hesitation in recommending Escape to other readers who will find this authors style to be both hugely amusing and non-egocentric.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very interesting, and exciting even. it tells the story of a Western man who is convicted of drug trafficking (heroin) through the Bangkok airport, and is captured, sent to Klong Prem; The notorious prison of Thailand commonly referred to as the Bangkok Hilton. McMillan takes the reader along his journey and experiences through prison life in Thailand, ranging from the everyday social activity with the inmates, to the abuse suffered from the prison patrol. The Story focuses greatly on the planned escape of McMillan, and it almost seems as if you are viewing a movie as you read through the plans made by McMillan and his fellow inmates, leading up to the daring escape made; earning him the title of the only Westerner ever to escape from Klong Prem. This is an exceptional book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys excitement throughout their reading.

[Trent Munger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started 9/5/2012
This book wasn't what I expected. LOTS of characters (unnecessary characters) that each had their own background story (unnecessary again) and it got really confusing. I found myself lost quite a bit. I felt there was A LOT of filler. So much background...not enough desciption of the horrors of Klong Prem. Maybe part of it was his style of writing...perhaps it wasn't necessarily 'bad' writing, just different. Even when he was describing the actual escape at the end, I was having a hard time picturing what he was doing. I dunno. I won't read it again.

[Speedstar25 · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice story but poorly written.I find it extremely difficult to enter the story and the sequence was jumping up and down. I have read other jail stories like Hotel k, cocaine diaries and send them to hell. These books were much more well structured than this one. This book is just to hard to read for me.

Nevertheless, it's has still it's merit-An interesting story.