Bangkok 8

By: John Burdett

Narrated by: B.D. Wong

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.

Please note: This is the abridged edition. An unabridged version is also available.

©2003 John Burdett; 2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A stunning thriller! Bangkok 8 is suspense at its best: a masterfully written tale set in a world that's perfectly evoked and populated with compelling, flesh-and-blood characters." (Jeffery Deaver, author of The Vanished Man and The Stone Monkey)

"Bangkok 8 is one of the most startling and provocative mysteries that I've read in years. The characters are marvelously unique, the setting is intoxicating and the plot unwinds in dark illusory strands, reminiscent of Gorky Park. Once I started, I didn't want to put it down." (Carl Hiaasen)

“The wildest ride in modern crime novel exoticum. A novel so steeped in milieu that it feels as if you’ve blasted to mars in the grip of a demon who won’t let you go. Read this book, savor the language - it’s the last and the most compelling word in thrillers.” (James Ellroy)

Up Country meets Raymond Chandler

An excellent unusual mystery with hints of Traditional Noir and Oriental Mysticism. Read It!!

Great book

I listen in my car, and could not wait for the next commute. You really get into the story, and the narrator does a great job. I immediately went to the next one (Bangkok Tattoo) after finishing this one.

Bangkok 8 worth the listen

John Burdett presents an engrossing cast of characters in an intriguing city. The plot is somewhat outlandish, and the conclusion quite a bit less than satisfying, but these weaknesses are offset both by the excellent reading by B.D. Wong and the insights into the police force, racial influences, philosophy and sexual attitudes of modern Thailand.

Unfortunately abridged

The reader is excellent, really creating a compelling atmosphere for the story. The characters are well-developed, the plot a bit outlandish, but interesting, however...it's abridged. I found the gaps in the story to be very apparent. Having read "Bangkok Tattoo" I was aware of this author's voice, and it was extremely obvious that there were gaps, large gaps, in the pace and flow of the story. I would be enjoying the book on my commute, and then WHAM! there would be glitch in story flow, tossing me out of that engrossing world and back to reality. I will never buy an abridged copy of anything again.

OK story, interesting setting

This is an OK story; nothing special. The thing that sets it a off and raises the level of interest is the setting of Thailand, the religion, and the culture.

good narrator, good story

I found this book entirely enjoyable, in part because I know nothing about Thailand and found the cultural musings of the protagonist fascinating (especially in comparison with the western characters), and in part because of the virtuosity of its narrator, B.D. Wong. Wong not only reads with astute, perceptive inflection, but he also manages to carry off a variety of voices and accents without ever going over the top or sounding like he's trying to hard. At times, I was skeptical as to whether it was really the same person, particularly when he did the voice of a large, gregarious African-American character juxtaposed with a female Thai seductress. I'd listen to anything read by him--or by Campbell Scott, but that's another review. Highly recommended.

One Mind-Blowing Roman Noir

It's no secret that John Burdett wrote Bangkok 8 for a Western audience. Detective Jitpleecheep explains his every move, as if to a foreign observer, so that none of the Thai subtleties are lost. This is characteristic of genre fiction -- an insider describes exotic places and habits for the benefit of an outsider. When Jitpleecheep brings up his Buddhism, he explains it in very expository terms, like a professor pausing a movie to describe the director's intent.

But Burdett does it so *well*. Unlike Burdett's later Bangkok novels, Bangkok 8 is a perfect mix of noir, politics, and gallows humor. For all his Western sensibilities, Burdett describes Thailand with a lover's empathy. It is impossible for an American reader to distinguish his fiction from the Thai reality. He writes with seeming authority about clubs, bar-girls, poisonous snakes, machine guns, Khmer guerillas, cosmetic surgery and the jade trade. Given the black market nature of modern Bangkok, learning these things is no small task, and it's no wonder that Burdett lived a previous life (no pun intended) as an attorney in Hong Kong. The man knows how to research, and he knows how to build a credible world.

What's more, Burdett is a master of dialect, and this is where narrator B.D. Wong excels. He imitates Texan, African-American and Southeast Asian accents, but they are sophisticated vocalizations. His characters are rich and unselfconscious. East Asian and African-American dialects are sensitive topics; they have been parroted and parodied so nastily over the years, both in propaganda and minstrel shows, that it takes a certain level of courage to master and record them. B.D. Wong excels. Meanwhile, he plays Jitpleecheep with a even frankness. His dialogue *sounds* hardboiled and Buddhist at the same time, a balance so delicate that I wonder whether Wong would consider playing Jitpleecheep in a movie.

Finally, Bangkok 8 is a brilliant story, a dark exploration of Bangkok's underbelly, yet a dry celebration of its survivors. Burdett offers plot-twists like narrative booby-traps, and he reveals them with aplomb. Compared with Burdett's later novels, Bangkok 8 is dark and pure; the characters are less overrun by magic or satire. Every snatch of dialogue makes sense and fits together, and when the denouement arrives, it's bittersweet and beautiful. If Burdett ever becomes a household name -- as he deserves -- I won't be surprised when he's compared to Stieg Larsson. The man walks a fine line between sociopathy and heart. Larsson was extremely critical of his native Sweden. Burdett is critical of the West, but he uses the lens of the East. This lens catches light, and, slowly, it burns.

So Outside of My Comfort Zone, I LOVE IT

I have been an audible listener for a long time with over 300 books in my library. This is one of my favorite book series. If you told me that the story was about the only honest cop in Thailand who is a Budist Monk with a transvestite partner, a corrupt General boss, and a mother who owns a house of prostitution. I would most likely put the book back on the shelf and say, "No Thank You"

Amazingly this crazy combination of personalities, and international political mysteries works extremely well. I have read every book in the series and found each one to be wonderfully written. I have learned a lot about the underbelly of society and people who are amazingly good from these books. I also have learned a lot about Thai culture and I am planning a visit in the near future.

If you are looking for something new, something this 50 ish man has never read before, take a chance. If you don't like it AUDIBLE will give you your credit back. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE and a lot to learn.

This material is best for mature readers.

Enjoy.

Better Than Expected

I've never given Thailand much thought but at the end of this book I found myself interested in visiting Bangkok. Enjoyed the narrater very much. Only wish it had been unabridged.

BAngkok 8

I was unaware that this was the abridged version, so I feel I missed out on much of the daily life details and customs that elevate this series from mere whodunit to cultural history. Never listen to an abridged novel.