An uncorruptable Thai cop, following his own rather bent Buddhist code, goes on a quest for vengeance through the ultra-seedy underbelly of Bangkok after the death of his partner.
John Burdett's edgy police thriller Bangkok 8 is an uneasy mix of philosophy and cold-hearted violence, veined with dark whimsy (if there is such a thing) and brought to an absolutely chilling denouement. I found the millieu Burdett created fascinating and his lead character's outlook unique. Although obviously not Thai, Burdett has spent time there and I felt (having traveled some in Asia myself) that he seemed to have a good eye for the details.
I bought this one at a used booksale for a quarter and it was a pretty raggedy-looking copy, but I was compelled to read it and scare myself to death while my own daughter was on an exchange program in Thailand. Basically I picked it up on a whim, and later learned this is the first of a series featuring the same Thai cop. I will keep looking for more of Burdett's work.
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