Great Novel Set In Thailand

[i Phad]

If you like thrillers, I just finished a fantastic one and best of all, it's set in Thailand.

 

The author's bio says he lived in LOS for seven years. It shows in his writing, which, by the way, is very high quality with nary a wasted word. The story flows right up to a surprise (don't peek) ending.

 

It's about an LAPD homicide detective who retires to a quiet island in the Gulf, to get away from all the violence he's seen. Sounds like Koh Kood, but in the book it's called Koh Nok. He gets what he wants in the beginning, but of course that soon changes when he runs into a human trafficker, an arms dealer, and a beautiful woman. There's a ton of action of all description, and a very good and original premise.

 

I liked the protagonist a lot because, while he is possibly the calmest man in the world, he's also (possibly) its most dangerous (he has a hidden past). One minute he's making you laugh, the next he's taking care of business.

 

The Thai culture represented is accurate, and there are a number of factual events and locations fictionalized.

 

An all around great read. Don't know if I'm allowed to post a link, but it's on Amazon. Title is A SERENE VIOLENCE, by Robert Banacek.

[Johnny Bonds]

I downloaded this one from Amazon for about $5 and I wasn't expecting too much, just some light morning coffee reading.

I was totally wrong.

Ended up getting hooked in and binge reading in a few days, something i haven't done for years. 

Not sure why the author hasn't put a sequel or two up with the main character he created, i'd have bought them already.

Normally i don't bother to log in these days, but it deserved a reply.

Any other recommendations in this type of genre?  Set in Thailand please

I'm back in Bangkok next month and could use a couple of entertaining reads to fill in some time

[MaksimMislavsky]

7 minutes ago, Johnny Bonds said:

I downloaded this one from Amazon for about $5 and I wasn't expecting too much, just some light morning coffee reading.

I was totally wrong.

Ended up getting hooked in and binge reading in a few days, something i haven't done for years. 

Is this what we call SMM? Well, not sure...

[OneMoreFarang]

I am not sure if this thread is supposed to be only about above novel or any novel in Thailand.

My favorite is since a long time this one.

The picture on the cover is from a girl in Angelwitch...

 

 

[tifino]

 

 

set in the immediately Post WW2 Thailand.

The Chinese want to build a super highway, down into Thailand

 

But why? and who is going to do something about it?

 

 

 

https://issuu.com/googlemail936/docs/the_ugly_american

  downloadable as e-book.

usually only get exposure to this Title, when the movie gets played again on the telly

 

Edited December 23, 2018 by tifino

[bermondburi]

On 12/23/2018 at 1:10 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I am not sure if this thread is supposed to be only about above novel or any novel in Thailand.

My favorite is since a long time this one.

The picture on the cover is from a girl in Angelwitch...

 

 

I can't believe people still bring up Private Dancer. It's just a cheap thriller with not a lot to it. Not exactly intellectually stimulating. 

 

Try Letters From Thailand....now that's a page turner. Must be without doubt one of the best books ever written about assimilation into Thailand, the ways of Thai people, and done in such a brilliant way. Private Dancer is a load of rubbish in comparison really.

 

Or "Look Isaan", also great. A good insight into isaan in the past. 

[AbeSurd]

20 minutes ago, bermondburi said:

I can't believe people still bring up Private Dancer.

 

Try Letters From Thailand....now that's a page turner. Must be without doubt one of the best books ever written about assimilation into Thailand, the ways of Thai people, and done in such a brilliant way.

I agree about Private Dancer.

 

Is Letters From Thailand by Botan?

Is this it?...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Thailand-Novel-Botan/dp/9747551675/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545681694&sr=8-1&keywords=letters+from+thailand

Edited December 24, 2018 by AbeSurd
Activating the link.

[bermondburi]

Yeah, that's the one. 

[OneMoreFarang]

On ‎12‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 2:55 AM, bermondburi said:

I can't believe people still bring up Private Dancer. It's just a cheap thriller with not a lot to it. Not exactly intellectually stimulating. 

If I want "intellectually stimulating" then I read Stephen Hawking or something like that.

 

Private Dancer is full of real life characters and is fun to read. I downloaded it many years ago from Stephen Leather's website when he was unable to publish it. Since then I read it again and again every couple of years. I still enjoy it.

[Johnny Bonds]

On 12/23/2018 at 8:16 PM, tifino said:

 

 

set in the immediately Post WW2 Thailand.

The Chinese want to build a super highway, down into Thailand

 

But why? and who is going to do something about it?

 

 

 

https://issuu.com/googlemail936/docs/the_ugly_american

  downloadable as e-book.

usually only get exposure to this Title, when the movie gets played again on the telly

 

I was under a mistaken impression this was set in Cuba or the like ????
I'll check this out 

[Johnny Bonds]

Didn't mind Private Dancer
It has dated now, but there is still plenty of lessons for newcomers to take out of it

[tifino]

1 hour ago, Johnny Bonds said:

I was under a mistaken impression this was set in Cuba or the like ????
I'll check this out 

if your location's IP is okay for access to this web source, to watch? then here is the video of the novel:

and as you will see... it is set in the immediate post ww2 LOS.

Much of it is as if you have got a colour version of a British New Pathe newsreel documentary

Even contains a likeness of red shirt vs white shirt rebellions etc of the past...

 

Synopsis:

An intelligent, articulate scholar, Harrison MacWhite, survives a hostile Senate confirmation hearing at the hands of conservatives to become ambassador to Sarkan, a southeast Asian country where civil war threatens a tense peace. Despite his knowledge, once he's there, MacWhite sees only a dichotomy between the U.S. and Communism. He can't accept that anti-American sentiment might be a longing for self-determination and nationalism. So, he breaks from his friend Deong, a local opposition leader, ignores a foreman's advice about slowing the building of a road, and tries to muscle ahead. What price must the country and his friends pay for him to get some sense?

The Trailer: 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by tifino

[owl sees all]

My favourite book about Thailand is called 'Love letters."

 

It has 100 'love letters' written in Thai on the left page with an English translation on the right.

 

Most, have a tale of woe in the third paragraph down, and the 4th invariably hints at sending money. The letters all have a loving last sentence.

 

Pulls on the heart strings.

 

 

 

[steve73]

I've enjoyed all the John Burdett "Bangkok" crime novels...  Main characters are caricature examples of many of Thailand's finest, and worst..!

They're easy reads and, like Private Dancer although with better storylines, there are good lessons to be learned for anyone living here. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Burdett

[cornishcarlos]

Ok... This one is not set in Thailand but is written by a guy who lives in Phuket..

This is his first book and whilst it does need a good edit (its self published), I rate it up there with the better thriller writers.

Be warned that it's 800+ pages long but you get sucked straight into the characters and plot.

 

 https://www.amazon.com/Rare-Earth-Reid-Ridgway-ebook/dp/B012H6LHCO

[OneMoreFarang]

6 hours ago, owl sees all said:

My favourite book about Thailand is called 'Love letters."

 

It has 100 'love letters' written in Thai on the left page with an English translation on the right.

 

Most, have a tale of woe in the third paragraph down, and the 4th invariably hints at sending money. The letters all have a loving last sentence.

 

Pulls on the heart strings.

After my first holiday in Thailand more than 20 years ago I received such a letter.

Or to be precise I received the template like:

Dear _____________

I miss you so much.

bla bla bla

Please send money to my account _______________________

My holiday tilac forgot to fill in the blanks ...

Ok, she wasn't the smartest, but she was fun ????

[richard_smith237]

On 12/24/2018 at 7:55 PM, bermondburi said:

I can't believe people still bring up Private Dancer. It's just a cheap thriller with not a lot to it. Not exactly intellectually stimulating. 

 

 

It’s just like ThaiVisa then.... are you here for the intellectual stimulation ????

 

 

 

[bermondburi]

18 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If I want "intellectually stimulating" then I read Stephen Hawking or something like that.

 

Private Dancer is full of real life characters and is fun to read. I downloaded it many years ago from Stephen Leather's website when he was unable to publish it. Since then I read it again and again every couple of years. I still enjoy it.

That says more about you, than it does me pal. Sometimes you just want a bit more from a book you know, or maybe you don't....It's a fairly basic story at the end of the day.

14 hours ago, Johnny Bonds said:

Didn't mind Private Dancer
It has dated now, but there is still plenty of lessons for newcomers to take out of it

Newcomers to the bars, yes. Are they still coming?

12 hours ago, owl sees all said:

My favourite book about Thailand is called 'Love letters."

 

It has 100 'love letters' written in Thai on the left page with an English translation on the right.

 

Most, have a tale of woe in the third paragraph down, and the 4th invariably hints at sending money. The letters all have a loving last sentence.

 

Pulls on the heart strings.

 

 

 

There was a good book that explained all the many Thai words that were a compound noun with the word heart in them. And there are a lot.

11 hours ago, steve73 said:

I've enjoyed all the John Burdett "Bangkok" crime novels...  Main characters are caricature examples of many of Thailand's finest, and worst..!

They're easy reads and, like Private Dancer although with better storylines, there are good lessons to be learned for anyone living here. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Burdett

Yeah, not bad. Definitely had a lot more too him then the private dancer ilk, which are very one-dimensional.

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

It’s just like ThaiVisa then.... are you here for the intellectual stimulation ????

 

 

 

No. I speak to my rabbit for that.

[Johnny Bonds]

16 hours ago, steve73 said:

I've enjoyed all the John Burdett "Bangkok" crime novels...  Main characters are caricature examples of many of Thailand's finest, and worst..!

They're easy reads and, like Private Dancer although with better storylines, there are good lessons to be learned for anyone living here. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Burdett

 

I read 2 of his though yet to read his latest one  (2015 according to wiki).

Copied this from wiki

 

A series of crime novels mainly set in Bangkok, they consist of six books: Bangkok 8, Bangkok Tattoo, Bangkok Haunts, The Godfather of Kathmandu, Vulture Peak, and The Bangkok Asset. They centre on the philosophical Thai Buddhist detective, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, and his meditative internal dialogues. Sonchai is a "leuk krung" or half-caste. He is the son of a former "rented-wife" (a type of prostitute) and a "farang." His father was a U.S. military officer whom he never knew. Sonchai has spent much of his childhood in Europe and the U.S.. A born "outsider", he is also seemingly unbribeable, which increases his alienation from his colleagues.