Starred review from April 9, 2007
At the start of Burdett's superb third mystery-thriller to feature Thai police detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep (after Bangkok 8
and Bangkok Tattoo
), 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. Jitpleecheep and Jones maintain their complex platonic relationship as, helped by Jitpleecheep's assistant Lek, they pursue Damrong's killers. The trail leads them to an important banker, an American teacher, a Buddhist and an exclusive men's club called the Parthenon. Jitpleecheep, who now lives with Chanya, a former prostitute pregnant with his child, is visited in an erotic way by Damrong's ghost, while his corrupt superior, police colonel Vikorn, orders Jitpleecheep to help start a porn film business. Expertly juggling elements that in lesser hands would become confused or hackneyed, Burdett has created a haunting, powerful story that transcends genre. 75,000 first printing; 6-city author tour.
June 1, 2007
Burdett ("Bangkok 8; Bangkok Tattoo") brings back Det. Sonchai Jitplecheep for a third look at the seamy underbelly of Thailand. Someone sends Sonchai the DVD of a snuff film starring his former lover, a high-class prostitute who had an almost magical ability to leave men desperate for her attentions. When more murder victims surface and Sonchai's corrupt department is uninterested in investigating, the complex detective (his pregnant girlfriend is a former employee of his brothel-owning mother) soon finds himself literally haunted by the ghost of his former lover. Setting out on a complicated trail through the Thai sex trade, he comes across all manner of powerful, high-ranking men; prostitutes aplenty; and even a Buddhist monk. Despite the gruesome plotline, Burdett's spare storytelling style leaves readers fascinated, albeit with a bad taste in their mouths, for although the sex talk is almost clinical, its sheer volume means that this work is not for the squeamish. For most public libraries, particularly where atmospheric mysteries are popular. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 2/1/07; BOMC featured selection.]Rebecca Vnuk, Glenside P.L. Dist., Glendale Heights, IL
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