Bangkok Haunts

Sonchai Jitpleecheep, Book 3

By: John Burdett

Narrated by: Glen McCready

Sonchai Jitpleecheep, the devout Buddhist Royal Thai Police detective who led us through the best sellers Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo, returns in this blistering novel. Sonchai has seen virtually everything on his beat in Bangkok's District 8, but nothing like the snuff film he's just been sent anonymously. Furiously fast-paced and laced through with an erotic ghost story that gives a new dark twist to the life of our hero, Bangkok Haunts more than lives up to the smart and darkly funny originality of its predecessors.

©2019 John Burdett (P)2019-2100 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Burdett’s first two Sonchai Jitpleecheep novels heralded the arrival of a distinctive new voice in crime fiction. His third effort goes further, building on the exquisite moral ambiguity implicit in both setting and hero with tighter plotting and, if possible, an even more potent mix of underworld seaminess, startling tenderness, and Buddhist wisdom...Burdett’s Bangkok may be the most vibrant landscape of any in current crime fiction, and Sonchai - an improbable mix of West and East, the fact-seeking investigator meets the tranquil Buddhist, at ease with contrary realities - –is certainly the genre’s most intriguing sleuth." (Booklist, starred)

“Not for your Agatha Christie-loving maiden aunt, but good grisly fun for those who like their noir rated NC-17...Vice spins the wheels of this third gritty procedural...Burdett conduct[s] another mordant whirlwind tour of Bangkok’s darkest places...The story, narrated in Sonchai’s urbane voice is filled with intriguing nuggets of Buddhist wisdom and custom and graced by brief but telling appearances of recurring characters...Burdett holds our attention throughout a breezy tale reminiscent of the late, great Ross Thomas’s byzantine Asian-inflected capers.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“At the start of Burdett’s superb third mystery-thriller to feature Thai police detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, Jitpleecheep shows old friend Kimberley Jones, an American FBI agent, a vicious snuff film he’s received depicting the murder of an ex-lover of his named Damrong...Expertly juggling elements that in lesser hands would become confused or hackneyed, Burdett has created a haunting, powerful story that transcends genre.” (Publishers Weekly, starred)

"Haunted" is a better title

As always, Burdett's prose landed me in Bangkok and immersed me in his Thai world so that I could almost smell it. But each character is "haunted" by something so big that it bleeds into every aspect of their lives. it's not tangible, but all of the analysis and philosophical discussion of their actions, based on what haunts them, gets tedious. The story seemed to wander.

Excelant

this is my favorite book of the detective series so far. Just purchased Book 4of the series.

Outstanding

I have purchased all of Mr. Burdett’s books in this series and all of them are outstanding! I have given these books as gifts—so, my friends will get this latest book this year. We all love this series—and can hardly wait for the next book!

this series should have ended on a better note

The characters are no longer interesting.. somehow, the thrill that I used to get with this series is gone.. this book killed it.. too bad. I recommend the first 5 books.. and skip this.. leaving a better memory of this colorful series before this last book tried to milk out just one more.. boring... really boring.. could not finish..

Every stereotype

I quit after 9 chapters. Every overworked stereotype about Bangkok is included, and then repeated and repeated In case you missed it the first time. Save your time and your money.