The Godfather of Kathmandu (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) [Paperback]

John Burdett (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 19, 2011 | Series: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard

John Burdett's famed Royal Thai detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is put to the test both as a Buddhist and as a cop as he confronts the most shocking crime of his career.
 
A rich American film director has been murdered. It is an intriguing case, and solving it could lead to a promotion for Sonchai, but, as always, he is far more concerned with the state of his karma than he is with his status in the earthly realm. To complicate matters his boss, Colonel Vikorn, has decided to make Sonchai his consigliere in a heroin smuggling operation. Sonchai travels to Kathmandu to meet Vikorn's connection Tietsin, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and falls under the sway of this dark and charismatic guru.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The vivid portrait of 21st-century Thailand in part redeems the meandering plot of Burdett's fourth thriller to feature corrupt Bangkok police detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep (after Bangkok Haunts). Jitpleecheep, a marijuana-smoking Buddhist whose marriage collapsed after his young son's death, investigates the peculiar murder of Frank Charles, a Hollywood director who regularly visited Thailand to sample the sexual delights offered by its young women. Someone disemboweled Charles, then cut his skull open and dined on his brains. Among the victim's books at the crime scene are The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Too much musing on spiritual awakenings and Tibetan philosophy as well as commentary on mundane details of daily life distract from the search for Charles's killer and a related subplot involving the heroin-smuggling operation controlled by Jitpleecheep's boss, Colonel Vikorn. Hopefully, Burdett will regain his usual narrative snap next time. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Burdett's fever-dream mysteries recast the police procedural as psychedelic peep show."--The New Yorker
 
"John Burdett is writing the most exciting set of crime novels in the world."--The Oregonian
 
"Godfather is written with Burdett's characteristic zest, serving up pungent slices of Bangkok's bazaars and waterways."--The Boston Globe
 
"A Thai tale of corruption, mayhem and intrigue."--San Francisco Chronicle

“It is the mordant wit of his exhaustively observant ‘monk manqué’ hero that fuels this blissful and dexterous book.”—Houston Chronicle
 
“This is a novel brimming with observations and arguments, with absurdity and jokes . . . Witty, learned, and wild.”—The Washington Post Book World
 
“The spiciest yet of Burdett’s exotic dishes.”—The Times (London)
 
“Burdett’s latest mystery is delightfully ambiguous, like life itself.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
“Block out several hours to read it in one sitting. Once you start, you won’t get anything else done until you finish it.”—Bookpage (Mystery of the Month)
 
“A dizzying array of multifaceted storylines. . . . Burdett juggles the various plots with great dexterity . . . A whirlwind of a novel.”—Booklist (starred)
 
“A blissfully nutty caper that brings back fond memories of the late lamented Ross Thomas’s crazy-quilt crime fiction . . . Distinguishing crooks from good guys is only one of the pleasures [here] . . . Sonchai’s wry narrative voice (think: exotic Philip Marlowe) keeps us hooked.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (April 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140009707X
• ISBN-13: 978-1400097074
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #345,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Burdett is the author of A Personal History of Thirst, The Last Six Million Seconds, Bangkok 8, and Bangkok Tattoo.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About Murder, Not Enlightenment January 31, 2010

By Ralph White

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Below the whimsical and irreverent surface of John Burdett's new novel lies the very lifelike real world of a Thai cop. We have met his protagonist, Sonchai, before and if you liked him in his last incarnations, you will love him in this one. We see Sonchai at street level, bereaved over the death of his son, whacked out on pot, and trying to get his boss, Colonel Vikorn, to make this last huge heroin shipment the last one so his spirit can find peace. Sonchai sees himself as his boss' consigliore, the counterpart to Hagen in the Godfather films. But where Don Corleone stopped short of dealing drugs on principle, Colonel Vikorn sees it as a competitive necessity. For womenfolk we have the usual slutty detritus of Soi Nana, to which Burdett adds Rosie, the Australian mule. We might as well add Sonchai's transsexual partner, Lek, to the female dramatis personae. This latest version of the Sonchai chronicles veers slightly off the path of the earlier versions with the addition of the Tibetian freedom-fighting, drug kingpin Tietsin.

Burdett's depiction of the seamy Thai underworld is spot on, as is his description of the street scene in Kathmandu. He has Norman Mailer's knack of understanding what's truly happening amidst the bustle of normal daily life, and he has Joseph Wambaugh's capacity to capture the humor amidst the violence. Some armchair Buddhists will find Burdett's irreverence grating, but the life of a cop in a freak show like Bangkok is not about achieving higher levels of understanding. It's about finding out who cut the fat Hollywood mogul's stomach open, leaving his guts spilling out over his hotel sheets. And you must be patient, Farang, to give the story time to unfold.

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another complex Bangkok Sonchai Jitpleecheep of the Royal Thai Police mystery January 19, 2010

By Deborah Verlen TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Having spent considerable time in Bangkok in 2008, I became an instant fan of John Burdett's Sonchai Jitpleecheep mysteries due to their intricate plots, fascinating characters, and references to buildings, landmarks, streets, and parks in Bangkok, Thailand. Reading his books makes me feel as though I'm back on the crowded, bustling streets that make up this city.

In this book, Sonchai is involved in a murder concerning a famous Hollywood director who would come to Bangkok to partake in the the "delights" of the young women of the street. His death was somewhat patterned after the book The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lector) which happens to also be in possession.

Sonchai Jitpleecheep is a complex indivdual who has a hard bitten approach to his job, but is also inside a gentle follower of Buddha. He is the half-caste son of a prostitute and an American GI. His boss on the force is Colonel Vikorn who is also a drug dealer. In Bangkok, where everything is for sale, Sonchai tracks the killer, navigates his promotion by Col. Vikorn to his consigliere (the Colonel has been studying the Godfather DVD's), and does what he needs to do with Colonel Vikorn's ongoing battle with General Zinna over who heads the illegal trades.

If you have read the prior three books, Bangkok 8: A Novel, Bangkok Tattoo, and Bangkok Haunts, you will enjoy once again being immersed into the conflicted world of Sonchai Jitpleecheep as he tries to please Vikorn, his mother, his wife, his Buddhist leanings and do his job. If you haven't read the prior three books, this book is fine as a stand alone!

Although this is first and foremost a mystery, if you have been to Bangkok or are planning to go, you will find the book rich with the details that separates an author who researches through books versus an author who actually has walked the walk. The book is laced heavily with humor as well as a realistic look at the culture. Reading them, as I said in the first paragraph, takes me back to the streets of Bangkok!

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Much Author March 20, 2010

By James Speck

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been more than favorably impressed with Burdetts' previous three books. They were rich in everything I seek in a detective thriller. I'd give five stars to all of them, recommended them to friends and purchased gift copies. This one has too many arch comment 4th wall breakins, a wandering plot, unexciting characters and an uninspired, barely believable finish. It feels like the outline of what could have been an interesting and exciting story.