Rating: 
Summary: Hard boiled Buddism
Review: First the caveats, which are minor: the jacket photo of the author gets the "Sebastian-Junger-school" award. Second, I'm not so sure that Buddhist talk anymore about their faith in the day to day than people of other faiths in other countries, but these characters are drenched in the thoughts, esp. the karma/reincarnation aspect of the faith. That's part of the appeal: western mystery meets Asian/Buddhist ambiguity.Having said that, I find this novel to be really, really fresh--like the Patricia Cornwell novels before forensic doctor-detectives started taking over popular culture. Other reviews capture the plot; I'd claim that the tone, the swept-up feeling of reading, and wondering "what's next?" I haven't experienced in a mystery in a long time. I'm not sure the author wrote himself into a position of being able to bring back Sonchai for another book/appearance: he seems to have lost his way, the integrity that put him against the system, by the end. Or has he? The end of this mystery is kind of a mystery itself. I read voraciously in many genres and always have in mind what I've found to be the strongest of the particular season--this novel is one of those you put in other's hands.
Rating: 
Summary: refreshing police procedural
Review: In Bangkok the corpse of African-American US Marine William Bradley is found in his Mercedes along with cobras and a giant python. Not long afterward, the partner of Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is also found dead in a similar manner. Because he speaks English, "half-caste Third World" Detective Sonchai is assigned to investigate primarily the marine murder. However, he knows the hidden message that he must work closely with the Americans, which means don't let the facts interfere with the prime objective not to annoy the Yankee authorities. Sonchai escorts FBI agent Kimberley Jones through the nastiest part of town in quest of Bradley's female companion. As they inch closer to locating the missing woman, the half American Sonchai (unknown Yankee father) finds the Fed he is working with quite attractive, but his Buddhist beliefs keep him from crossing a line more dangerous than being stuck inside a car with deadly snakes as companions. BANGKOK 8 is a refreshing police procedural due to the unique lead protagonist. The who-done-it is well written though the climax seems a bit forced and rushed. The insight into Buddhism is brilliantly interwoven into the tale so that the audience gains depths of knowledge that never slows down the story line. Also cleverly interlaced inside the investigation is a deep look at sex practices. The tale belongs to Sonchai, a vulnerable fatalist with an inner strength and self-deprecating humor that makes him an incredible character that hopefully has many future lives. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A daring and inventive ride
Review: Sonchai Jitplecheep might have become a Buddhist monk, but instead his abbot sent him and his friend Pichai to become incorruptible members of the Bangkok police force. This is quite a challenge because the Bangkok police force is shockingly corrupt even by Asian standards. Pichai is about to return to the monastery for his vows when he is killed by a snake bite to the eye, and Sonchai must avenge him. It's not a new plot device, but it certainly gets a fresh coat of paint in this wild and eye-popping trip through the Thai take on sex, religion, traffic, drugs, and past lives (Sonchai can see what people have been and what life they're in for next). It is Thai noir in a saffron robe. An African-American Marine is murdered in a Mercedes-full of hopped-up cobras. Sonchai, who speaks excellent English and whose father obviously was a foreigner of some sort, would be just the man to work with the FBI on this one. The agent is a sexy young woman, and together they uncover some really weird and fascinating stuff which will not be revealed in this review. Readers will want to find out for themselves. "Bangkok 8" is original and thrilling, but for some reason John Burdette still felt that he had to make standard choices to appeal to Western readers. Why does Sonchai have to be half white? It seems likely given his mother's profession that he wouldn't be pure Thai, but readers would be able to empathize with him no matter what his racial makeup. Of course the FBI agent is an attractive woman and of course there is sexual tension. Perhaps Burdette thinks he must use stock situations to help readers relate this exotic world, but it really isn't necessary. His characters are so immediately empathetic and so fully rooted that you would find life on the planet Splok comprehensible through their eyes. "Bangkok 8" is like a motor-taxi ride at full speed through a neon jungle. The colors blur and your heart's in your throat, but you wouldn't have missed the trip for the world.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating.
Review: I very much agree with the "Editorial reviews" above. This mystery has genuine surprises and a good sense of humor. But the most striking quality is the setting, and how seriously Burdett takes the protagonist's Buddhism. This is not one of those books that takes a run-of-the-mill story and plops it in an exotic location--Burdett really makes the most of Bangkok, essentially making it a character in the story. I give it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the relatively weak ending.
Rating:
Summary: A Buddhist Sort of Mystery
Review: First the bad: I found the book to be less than gracefully written. At times the language is painfully stilted. I know that I am not used to the "hard-boiled" style that many detective stories employ, but too often the prose caused me to lurch to a standstill while my brain rotated the offensive sentence around in my head, unwilling to go on. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised by how well Burdett used Thai Buddhism to add fascinating depth and nuance to the story. I have often been wary of Buddhism in general, mostly because my only experience with it is as a trendy religion, the accessory of Beastie Boys fans and cause-hungry hippies for whom the Free Tibet bumper sticker perfectly conceals the country club parking permit on the bumper of the Volvo. Burdett's Thai Buddhism, however, is both unassuming and universal. He presents it as inseparable from Thai culture, and naturally the Buddhist way of thinking, so different from our cold Western logic, becomes integral to solving the mystery (we are investigating the gruesome death by multiple snakes of an American marine, by the way.) It's not so tidy as most detective stories, but then that too, follows the Buddhist way of thinking and is the strongpoint of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Hype, but not a good story
Review: I wanted to love this book, but I could recommend 1,000 mysteries/thrillers that are more fun and better written. The Bangkok sex industry is exotic, and the main character might be unusual. But I never believed that he existed because every other character was pasted together with cardboard and cliche: the incorruptible female FBI agent, the psychotic sadist, the corrupt Thai cop. Every character seems to have super powers -- the agent can get endless information, the sadist had endless connections to the US government and gangsters, another character has convinced ruthless Khmer to be enlessly loyal. No one seems motived by normal life like loyalty, fear, greed, etc. In the end, nothing happens on stage. It's just a book where people talk about things that have happened (and where the hero figures things out by just walking up to people who spill the entire truth for no apparent reason). That is boring. In the end, I decided that Burdett spent 90% of his time thinking about cool concepts that he could use to pitch the movie script -- and no time actually putting together a book. Go read Elmore Leonard instead.
Rating:
Summary: A must read... highly recommended.
Review: If you are going to Bangkok there are two things that you should have for your flight: a seat cushion for the 23-hour flight and `Bangkok 8'. This is one of most gripping detective thrillers I have read in years. Not only is it a startling exoticum, but Burdett sheds cultural insight regarding the seamy streets of Bangkok better that any guide I took with me. When I arrived in the city of 10 million, Bangkok was more than a grid locked, sprawling Asian city, as much as it was the setting for this story. Strange but true.
John Burdett delivers characters like that of Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, son of a prostitute, and one of the few honest cops in Bangkok, that are fantastically unique. So much that you may want to look him up while you're there. Good luck. His writing mixes Buddhism and brothels, incarnations and transvestites, all of these, and a very attractive FBI agent (Kimberly Jones), stay with you to the end.
Within a few pages you will be thick into the mire and mystery. Burdett throws you a murder so macabre, so bazaar, that you wonder how did he ever think this up. The last chapter is anti-climatic, but the novel's integrity is solid. He is a master tale-spinner and I am looking forward to his next intriguing novel. Highly recommended
Rating: 
Summary: Good start, weak finish
Review: This work begins with a great setting and an intriguing plot. Burdett does an excellent job of describing the world's most pungent city. The bizarre murder of a US embassy marine guard is creative and captivating. The relationships between the characters are well crafted at least for the first half of the book.
The major flaw with the book is the ending. Burdett creates a splash at the end using shock value but with events that don't occur as a natural extension of the plot. In this case Burdett almost seems like he couldn't decide what to put at the end so he picked a series of wild events to tie it all off, when really it just ends up being laughable.
Without ruining it for people who want to read it anyway, would warren have really reacted in such a submissive fashion to the tape? And what does he/she have that could "destroy" him? He has his wealth already. His position isn't dependent on image and he is basically untouchable as far as prosecution. And what's with the exorcist thing? Come on.
To summarize, Buddha says for much happiness, read the front half and skim the last half, quickly.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner that leaves you feeling dirty afterwards
Review: This book was a gift to me from friends who had spent time in Thailand. They thought it was terrific. My expectations were high. The story moves with insightful commentary that explains cultural differences between the West and East, with a peculiar Thai twist. If you are obsessed with sex and see it as the all-consuming passion of life, you'll like this book. If you don't you'll get bored and depressed at the thought of how preoccupied Western men are with their own libido, and how superior the author believes the eastern approach to sex is to our own egalitarian and platonic ideals. At the end I felt terribly sad and a little disgusted with myself for having devoted the time to reading this voyeuristic and pandering work under the guise of Buddhist thought.
Rating:
Summary: An Honest Book about an Honest Cop
Review: Corruption is the order of the day in the Bangkok Police Department District 8 and it makes things run rather smoothly. However, the department boasts two honest cops. Sonchai Jipleecheep and his partner and Buddist soul-mate, Pichai. Sadly, honest cops in Bangkok are outcasts, but no matter, Sonchai and Pichai have each other to get on with.
Sonchai and Pichai are the first police on the scene when an American Marine is killed by snakes on speed in the back seat of a Mercedes, sadly Pichai is killed by the snakes as well and Sonchai swears vengence on those responsible for his friend's murder. However to get even, he will have to solve an almost impossible case.
Mr. Burdett captured me heart and soul with this wonderful novel. It's even better than his "The Last Six Million Seconds" which was just about one of the best books that I have ever read. Why John Burdett isn't as popular as John Grisham is beyond me. Burdett's characters are so real, plus he pulls his readers into strange and fascinating lands. I just can not convey in words how much I liked this book. Read "Bangkok 8" and you will not be disappointed. Well, I suppose you will be when you finish and the story is over, you'll disappointed and saddened that there isn't more.
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