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    Bangkok 8
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    Bangkok 8
    Unavailable
    Bangkok 8
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    Bangkok 8

    Written by John Burdett

    Narrated by Paul Boehmer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Electrifying, darkly comic, razor-edged-a thriller unlike any other.

    Under a Bangkok bridge, inside a bolted-shut Mercedes: a murder by snake-a charismatic African American Marine sergeant killed by a methamphetamine-stoked python and a swarm of stoned cobras.

    Two cops-the only two in the city not on the take-arrive too late. Minutes later, only one is alive: Sonchai Jitpleecheep-a devout Buddhist, equally versed in the sacred and the profane-son of a long-gone Vietnam War G.I. and a Thai bar girl whose subsequent international clientele contributed richly to Sonchai's sophistication.

    Now, his partner dead, Sonchai is doubly compelled to find the murderer, to maneuver through the world he knows all to well-illicit drugs, prostitution, infinite corruption-and into a realm he has never before encountered: the moneyed underbelly of the city, where desire rules and the human body is no less custom-designable than a raw hunk of jade. And where Sonchai tracks the killer-and a predator of an even more sinister variety.

    Thick with the authentic-and hallucinogenic-atmosphere of Bangkok, crowded with astonishing characters, uniquely smart and skeptical, literary and wildly readable, Bangkok 8 is one of a kind.

    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 21, 2011
    ISBN9780739303887
    Unavailable
    Bangkok 8

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    Reviews for Bangkok 8

    4/5

    597 ratings45 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This noir detective story set in Bangkok took me to a far away place and messed with my head with its touches of magical realism. It was fun and surprising - even though the ending was weird and goofy. The narrator was fine, though a bit strained on the female parts.
    • 4/5
      In "Bangkok 8," what has John Burdett wrought? We witness Sonchai Jitpleecheep, one of the very few uncorrupted cops in Bangkok, use meditation, charm, and his own subtle use of Bangkok's culture of bribery to untangle the web of drug trafficking, prostitution, art fraud, and murder which has enveloped him. But, into the bargain, Burdett presents us with an insider's look at the drastic culture shock faced by Westerners when they encounter the Thai Buddhist mindset - here Europeans and Americans are the backward, the oafish, the arrogant boors who run roughshod over Thailand's natural resources. There is a deep metaphysical pool into which we are immersed in this book - that's its difference from other mysteries.The facts of the case are not especially remarkable on the surface. An American Marine who has bungled an attempt to join an international criminal syndicate is murdered in exotic style. All our detective's instincts and all the evidence point to a powerful, well-connected jade and jewelry dealer whom Sonchai feels he must kill to avenge the death of his partner. However, enter Fatima, the extremely sensual, beautiful result of a modern-day Pygmalion project - gone horribly wrong - and the heavy's demise is taken off our hero's hands. Or is it?Something else that distinguishes this intriguing piece from other mystery stories is the bifurcation of our detective's personality: Fatima is really Sonchnai's alter ego, his living, breathing dark side, who takes it upon herself to deliver a brutal justice in her own way. All along, we have the ethereal, not-quite-concrete meditations on Buddha, karma, and the irreconcilable conflict between Western and Eastern morality. Along the way we have the detective's delightful entrepreneur mother, the crooked police commander Sonchai nonetheless loves, and communication with the detective's dead partner, whom he describes as his soul brother. And the master-stroke which turns the tables karmically correct is orchestrated by a holy and far-off Buddhist monk.Read "Bangkok 8," and be transported by remarkable language and gritty similitude to another country, another morality, another state of mind. Recommended unreservedly.
    • 4/5
      this is an extremely unique novel.
    • 3/5
      A titillating orientalist hoodoo thriller with a big dose of Western materialism trashing, one slathered with sex, crime, off-hand Buddhism, whores, transexuals, and snakes.
    • 4/5
      Buddhist detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep's partner is killed at the same time as a US Marine in Bangkok and Jitpleecheep takes on his superiors and the FBI in order to find the killer so that he can avenge his partner's death. This was a decent read and I enjoyed reading about all the cultural aspects of Thailand and the denouement is clever and semi-surprising. The main character is engaging as well in that he does a lot of philosophizing (and is quite funny) while also trying to solve a murder mystery. There are a lot of side stories and local color, which is really nice, but on occasion, I did want the story to just get a move on as it gets a little too convoluted and chock-a-block with conspiracies. Glad I read it, but am not continuing the series.
    • 2/5
      Couldn't finish this because the author's portrayal of Thai people, language and culture seems off to me. I would be interested to hear from another Thai speaking person who have read this book.
    • 3/5
      Set in Thailand, this is a very different sort of whodunnit.
    • 4/5
      Burdett manages to play the social critic, western philosopher, metaphysical theologian, Buddhist, karmic card with the aid of his character Sonchai Jitpleecheap, a half cast Thai police officer. This book and this series is cultural phenomena. I am waiting for Hollywood to catch up! Like Hawaii 5-O and Miami Vice, Thailand and Sonchai would make for good TV. My favorite cop-detective-mystery series right now.
    • 3/5
      The novel was an uphill battle to grasp the plot, sort out who was actually alive or some form of spiritual conversation going on in Sonchai Jitpleecheep’s head (the main protagonist). I have doubts whether the Buddhism or the city of Bangkok were accurately portrayed. The city seemed too spiritually impoverished to engage my attention, although the author’s characterization of Sonchai was absorbing. The ending left a feeling of “is that all?”.
    • 5/5
      My brother raved about this book and then sent it to me. After the first 20 pages, I was worried about what I was going to tell him about why I didn't finish it. But, first I was going to finish the chapter to get to the foreshadowed 'death by bite'. Of course, by the time I got there (one of the creepiest scenes I have ever read), I was hooked. The story takes you to the center of modern Bangkok - all the sights and sounds and smells and tastes to solve the murder of a US Marine. It's amazing.
    • 4/5
      Sex, drugs, and murder in a disorienting mix which makes as much of a statement about the poisonous lack of western culture as it does about the growing flexibility of the east in confronting that vast vacuum. A frequently disorienting read but a relentlessly interesting one as conventional mystery tropes are melted and remodeled with Buddhist meditations.
    • 2/5
      An interesting, twisty turning mystery but somehow the determined juxtaposition of the selfishly decadent West with the serenely decadent East seems simplistic and naive. If I were Thai, I would be a bit insulted by this nasty little portrait of a country full of beautiful whores and crooked cops.
    • 5/5
      Captures the look and feel of Bangkok better than any other novel I've read. Also, a must read to learn of some of the culture shocks that will be faced by the typical "farang" (foreigner) who thinks they will actually be able to live there. The main character's brutally honest mother makes for great comic relief.
    • 4/5
      The weirdly beautiful thing about this book is that it weaves a decent bit of Thai social commentary into a guilty pleasure kind of detective pulp novel. I picked this up at a thrift store for 99 cents and got more than my money's worth.
    • 2/5
      Just couldn't get into the story. Too focused on Thailand cliches and not enough on the story. The writing style was a big turnoff for me as well.
    • 5/5
      This is the fourth of this series that I've read. It is the first of the series. It is just as enjoyable to read as the others have been. It is funny, well written, with an interesting well-constructed plot. It is more than just plot oriented though; there is a lot of character development, philosophical discourse, and commentary on contemporary society.
    • 3/5
      A sordid tale of prostitution, violence, and murder. It stared out as a fascinating read, but I packed it in, about 50 pages from the end; it just continued to become more and more scummy.
    • 3/5
      A lot of the exposition seemed to be the author's point of view on topics ranging from gender and sexuality to the Buddha and the impact of the West. All in all, it was slightly predictable, slightly unpredictable, and a bit slow-going.
    • 4/5
      Hard to classify this one, part mystery, part police procedural, part underground travelogue. Good wild ride.
    • 4/5
      I was expecting a kind of travelogue, light reading mystery set in Bangkok, but what I got was a very complex and sometimes profound consideration of the meaning of life, the differences between Thai and Western culture, the importance of tolerance and the cost of exploiting human beings. Much more than I bargained for!
    • 4/5
      I don't read many thrillers or mysteries, but this one was a delight. A gory, gritty and weird delight, admittedly. The protagonist's Buddhism plays a central part in his detective work, his mother's a retired whore, and the corruption in Bangkok's legal system is epic. It was fun to read about the Thai culture- I learned some things about art and jade along the way. The twists and turns to the plot were satisfying, the pacing was lovely (leisurely at the beginning, positively frantic by the end) and the whole was laced with humor. I enjoyed this book mightily.
    • 4/5
      > The story itself is fraught with Buddhist mysticism and great descriptive passages. Exposition comes from some unlikely sources however (i.e. when the fellow prostitute of Sonchai’s mother elucidates on some aspects of prostitution to Sonchai. As Sonchai grew up in the red light district, with a sex worker for a mother and, in fact had helped the mother’s friend rehearse her act, wouldn’t he already know about his own sub-culture?) Paul Boehmer does a great job of conveying the alien culture and differentiating most voices (the exception being the voice of FBI agent, Kimberly Jones. At times, it was difficult to ascertain who was speaking when the dialogue was written for Jones and Sonchai.) It was an interesting book, feeling overly long only after the story was over.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this novel set in Thailand. Its an interesting mix of eastern Buddhism with an American pace. I think it manages to catch the Thailand attitude that is really a different way of thinking. Sonchai is a very resigned character - because of his Buddhists beliefs, doesn't take money. So he doesn't rise among the Bangkok police. This book held my attention for the first half, but than I lost interest. I think there were too many plot lines and many of the characters jumbled together. Its a good book, the mystery with the snakes is quite creative. Sonchai is a very likeable character. But, with a bit of editing, this book is only good when it could have been great.
    • 3/5
      Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is the son of a Bangkok prostitute (insert your own inappropriate joke regarding the juxtaposition of the words "Bangkok" and "prostitute" here) and a Vietnam soldier. As a result, Sonchai is able to walk in both cultures, but belong to neither, and to understand the differences between the farang (a term used for foreigners) and the Thai mindset. He's also a devout Buddhist, which prevents him from taking part in the openly corrupt practices of the Thai police force. He knows far more about his mother's sex life than anyone should (probably "your mom" jokes have no affect on him since his mom has probably done everyone he knows) and is fixated on Western high fashion (to the point he can see a woman's shirt and tell you from which collection and season it's from). Clearly, he's a complex guy. And now, after the death of his partner, he's seeking karmic revenge against the person responsible for the murder. If he gets high on yaa-baa (meth) along the way and pole dances in a strip club, then so be it. Karma's a bitch, but even it must yield when Tina Turner's Simply the Best comes on the jukebox and demands a pole grind.The murder mystery genre is not one that I usually enjoy, but I couldn't resist the setting--Thailand. Unfortunately, the setting was not enough to really hook me and consisted of what I (in stereotypical fashion, which apparently exists for a reason) imagined a white author writing about the underbelly of the "exotic Orient" would focus on: the sex trade. And it's not that I'm a prude about such things. Instead, it was just that this book contained so much of what I expected that I was, well, kind of bored by it. Everything meant to shock failed: interrogating an erotic performance artist while she shoots darts out of her va-jay-jay, a murder committed by locking the victim in a car full of cobras (cobras who have been hopped up on meth, by the way), the details of a sex change operation, a sadomasochist who comes to Thailand to indulge his darker fantasies, a sex starved blonde FBI agent who just can't keep her hands of Sonchai. Yawn. All of this is fairly predictable and the mystery itself has such a ridiculously laughable denouement that I couldn't feel satisfied with the ending. However, despite its faults, I can't honestly say that I didn't like it. The chapters were short and there were some interesting glimpses into Buddhist thinking (however, I do question how accurate they are) and the Thai response to sex and prostitution as a means of empowering women. I'm sure there are better fictional sources for learning about contemporary Thai culture and, for that reason, I won't be continuing with the other books in the series.
    • 3/5
      One of the promotional blurbs for Bangkok 8 referred to the book's comic relief. Any humor in this novel escaped me. I found the description of the corruption and sex market in Thailand as very sad. And, these descriptions went on and on and on . . . The plot seemed weak, to me, and the story just tailed of. I was not engaged in the tale and felt nothing for the characters. The appeal of this novel was a mystery to me.
    • 4/5
      Burdett manages to play the social critic, western philosopher, metaphysical theologian, Buddhist, karmic card with the aid of his character Sonchai Jitpleecheap, a half cast Thai police officer. This book and this series is cultural phenomena. I am waiting for Hollywood to catch up! Like Hawaii 5-O and Miami Vice, Thailand and Sonchai would make for good TV. My favorite cop-detective-mystery series right now.
    • 4/5
      Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is the son of whore, the only honest cop in Thailand, and a Buddhist saint in this lifetime. A police procedural unlike any I have read before, Bangkok 8 begins when Jitpleecheep's partner is bitten in the eye by a meth-crazed python. The search for those responsible leads the reader through an atmospheric portrayal of Bangkok, Buddhist philosophy, and a biting social critique of the impact of globalization on Eastern culture. I rate this New York Times Notable Book of 2003 at 7 out of 10 stars: it isn't a great book, but I found it transporting and very entertaining.
    • 4/5
      Palpable immersion in Thai culture. Adding to the sense of immersion is the author's use of first person present tense. Burdett employs a 19th-century technique, occasionally addressing the reader directly with asides and commentary prefaced by the salutation "farang."
    • 4/5
      Gritty, ironic, mystical and lewd....Bangkok 8 is engrossing.Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is on the Eightfold Path to enlightenment but first he has to annihilate his partner's murderer, a bit of a spiritual conflict but justifiable under the circumstances.Western and Eastern morality and concepts of justice collide in Burdett's fast paced, hard boiled, crime novel that explores the seamier side of Thailand's Bangkok.Transcend into another state of mystery and follow Sonchai as he examines suspects' past lives, investigates their karma and clashes with the FBI while following a trail of drug traffickers, flesh-peddlers, and forgers. The perfect yin and yang of Eastern mysticism and Western capitalism.
    • 3/5
      Captures the 'feel' of Bangkok. You can practically see the neon, smell the food and feel the pollution of that city. Meant in the best way possible. Fast paced mystery.