Bangkok Tattoo (Sonchai Jitpleecheep) by John BurdettRead about another book on the list.
My first exposure to John Burdett and still my favourite. There is many other classics, however this is the read that holds the most special place in my heart. I love the mix of buddhism balancing corruption, crime and the madness that is the infamous Soi Cowboy. I truly love how the fourth wall is broken & the narrator Sonchai speaks to you as ‘farang’.
To date, I’ve read (and reread) the first four of Burdett’s Bangkok novels, and found them all fun, diverting, and at times, fascinating reads – primarily for the protagonist’s semi-comic philosophical musings about the differences of view between East & West, North & South on everything from love, sex, violence, corruption, prostitution, etc.
Of the first four, the second, “Tattoo,” remains my favorite – it’s certainly the funniest of the first four – though I’d still recommend that the curious reader start with “Bangkok 8,” before jumping into the fun of “Tattoo.”
Looking forward to reading the fifth…
The Page 69 Test: The Godfather of Kathmandu.
The Page 69 Test: Vulture Peak.
My Book, The Movie: Vulture Peak.
--Marshal Zeringue
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