Series Review
Raucous Romps with Thai Cop who Meditates, Self-Medicates
Royal Thai Police Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep's adventures in this series of five mystery novels are more frenetic than most because his boss--the guy who runs the police department--is a corrupt crime-lord who keeps giving Sonchai confusing and life-threatening assignments.
With a little help from illicit substances, Sonchai copes, or at least keeps ahead of the bad guys, who are very bad indeed. All the while, with tongue firmly in cheek, Sonchai explains Thai morals, mores and cuisine (he's a foodie) to farang (Western/ clueless) readers.
A witty cross-cultural walk on the wild side. These books will turn your assumptions about the "third world" upside down and inside out.
What can I say? I love these books. There's something here to offend everyone, and not just because these hallucinogenic crime novels are set in an infamous red-light district in Bangkok, Thailand. They're lurid, over-the-top, outrageous and laugh-out-loud funny. They turned me into an aficionado of everything Thai.
Series Guide
I don't know how to rate these books. I love 'em all. I'm giving Vulture Peak ( #5) 4 hearts instead of 5 because it has fewer LOL moments and isn't quite as frenetic and hallucinogenic as the others. As for where to start? Begin at the beginning with Bangkok 8 (#1).
Book Summaries
Below, the Sonchai Jitpleecheep crime novels in chronological order:
Bangkok 8 (2003, Royal Thai Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep Mystery Books #1)
Death by snake in the red-light district
Bangkok Tattoo (2005, Royal Thai Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep Mystery Books #2)
Snuff films and tattoo fetishes
Bangkok Haunts (2007, Royal Thai Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep Mystery Books #3)
Vengeance, Thai style
Tibetan guru with double-life
Vulture Peak (2012, Royal Thai Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep Mystery Books #5)
Scary twin supercriminals with a gruesome hobby