Jim Thompson is Alive!

[CheckInn99]

Wednesday 4Sep from 7pm at Checkinn99 Meet the author of "Jim Thompson is Alive" a Sam Collins Mystery Thriller..!! Thom Locke was able to pull together the voila moment of his latest Erotic Historical Thriller during his last visit to Checkinn99 when he met up with Mama Noi and partook some of our famous Crystal Head Vodka.

Now the novel is finished and Tom will come to Checkinn99 Wednesday night to celebrate the book launch... what Thom reveals in the novel is quite a revelation about Jim Thompson the wildly successful American Businessman and legendary World War II spy and his until now unsolved disappearance was taking holiday in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. The former OSS operative went for a leisurely afternoon walk. He never returned. The largest manhunt in Malaysian history turned up nothing.

Jim Thompson had vanished into the thin crisp mountain air. He would never be heard from again. In the novel Sam Collins is summoned from the halls of academia. His assignment is simple. Track down the missing Thai Silk King. Reluctantly, Collins accepts the challenge and heads down the treacherous path forged by the mysterious silk merchant. A host of Thompson’s enemies block Sam’s search - until he visits Checkinn99 and meets with his old friend Mama Noi....and the mystery is unlocked! Thom will have some pre-release copies of the novel and we will be organizing a special giveaway and limited book signing! for those on facebook - here is an excerpt from the novel.

https://www.facebook.com/thom.locke/posts/10201197982984817

[Darren McKenzie]

Great stuff. Look forward to reading more!

But Jim Thompson died years ago in the Cameron Highlands.

Just did a Google. JT was born in 1906. If he were still alive, he'd be 107!!!

PS. And what exactly is an "Erotic Historical Thriller"?

[Seismic]

Great stuff. Look forward to reading more!

But Jim Thompson died years ago in the Cameron Highlands.

Just did a Google. JT was born in 1906. If he were still alive, he'd be 107!!!

PS. And what exactly is an "Erotic Historical Thriller"?

No, Jim Thompson disappeared in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. His body was never found, the mystery remains to this day.

[MAJIC]

A novel way to sell a Book (pardon the pun) .Jim Thompsons disappearance and the subsequent capitalisation of his assets,into a highly popular Tourist attraction is much too serious a subject for an amateur novelist to make his mark through sensationialism! write thrillers if the author must,but leave Jim Thompson and his business acumen and promotion of the Thai Silk Cottage industry,into a wordwide thriving industry out of it. IMO he has been used enough!

And needless to say,I will not be rushing to buy it,or reading the book!

Edited September 3, 2013 by MAJIC

[CheckInn99]

Hi Darren.. I might get Thom to sign on to field some of the questions... but the novel is set in the past. As I understand - the plot assumes that Jim Thompson did not die (it was actually a disappearance - with no body or evidence of death and that he engineered this himself)... interesting twist. The historical erotic thriller come about as the novel is set in Thailand at the time of JT's disappearance and several decades later. Overlay a bit of the old Bangkok underbelly with an appropriate serve of slap and tickle.. the author was struggling with the final setting in which the mystery of the disappearance was unlocked (well after JT's expected lifetime) where the author spent a night at Checkinn99 interviewing Mama Noi about the Bangkok nightlife during the 60's... that is recounted in the facebook link above. anyway I am quite unqualified to discuss the plot any further - come tonight and meet Thom yourself.. Chris

Edited September 4, 2013 by CheckInn99

[itchybum]

Is Elvis with him ?

[harrry]

From what I hear of Jim Thomson a female would not have any special knowledge of what happened to him.

[CheckInn99]

Great stuff. Look forward to reading more!

But Jim Thompson died years ago in the Cameron Highlands.

Just did a Google. JT was born in 1906. If he were still alive, he'd be 107!!!

PS. And what exactly is an "Erotic Historical Thriller"?

Darren here is a link if you want to read more http://www.amazon.com/Thompson-Alive-Collins-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00E8I8GRY

Thom is driving down from Chiang Mai at the moment - so hard for him to respond to the questions.

Edited September 4, 2013 by CheckInn99

[T Hunt Locke]

Hi, I am T. Hunt Locke the author of the new Sam Collins Mystery Jim Thompson Is Alive! I'd like to thank Chris for such a wonderful night at the Check Inn 99. I'd also like to thank some of the people who took their time to comment on this thread. In response, I can assure you that my novel deals with Thompson's legacy with great care.Jim's story, in my opinion, has never been fully told. I try to fill in some of the blanks. One reviewer claimed to have gotten a much deeper understanding of Thompson beyond the usual Thai Silk King propaganda. I'm not trying to capitize off a name, rather I conducted extensive research into a man I greatly admire. His age did give me pause. One person commented he'd be 107 now. My novel is set in 2005 which would have put Jim at 98. Plausible. Another person commented that Jim Thompson perished in the jungles of the Cameron Highlands. He may well have. Though Richard Noone, the most respected jungle expert of his time, stated with certainty that Jim was not in the jungle dead or alive. The most extensive manhunt in Malaysian history, conducted over one week, revealed nothing. Many believe Jim Thompson walked off the Highlands. My research has led me to the same conclusion. Jim Thompson Is Alive! tries to answer the question of why he left and where he went. I hope, if you take the time to read the book, that you enjoy the story. Thanks!

[cattoc]

This first link is easy to find - but puts a good perspective on the mystery element of the disappearance.

http://www.cameron-highland-destination.com/cameron-highlands-jim-thompson.html

Edited September 6, 2013 by cattoc

[LondonBob]

Met the author at Check Inn 99. I was skeptical of his book to say the least. But a pretty nice guy over a beer who certainly knew the Jim Thompson story. Bought the book. It was a good read, not great but good. I never knew Thompson was a spy and I learnt a lot about the period.

[dru2]

Hi, I am T. Hunt Locke the author of the new Sam Collins Mystery Jim Thompson Is Alive! I'd like to thank Chris for such a wonderful night at the Check Inn 99. I'd also like to thank some of the people who took their time to comment on this thread. In response, I can assure you that my novel deals with Thompson's legacy with great care.Jim's story, in my opinion, has never been fully told. I try to fill in some of the blanks. One reviewer claimed to have gotten a much deeper understanding of Thompson beyond the usual Thai Silk King propaganda. I'm not trying to capitize off a name, rather I conducted extensive research into a man I greatly admire. His age did give me pause. One person commented he'd be 107 now. My novel is set in 2005 which would have put Jim at 98. Plausible. Another person commented that Jim Thompson perished in the jungles of the Cameron Highlands. He may well have. Though Richard Noone, the most respected jungle expert of his time, stated with certainty that Jim was not in the jungle dead or alive. The most extensive manhunt in Malaysian history, conducted over one week, revealed nothing. Many believe Jim Thompson walked off the Highlands. My research has led me to the same conclusion. Jim Thompson Is Alive! tries to answer the question of why he left and where he went. I hope, if you take the time to read the book, that you enjoy the story. Thanks!

I think you will find a far more extensive manhunt was made in the jungle over several years for Chin Peng, leader of the Communist Party of Malaya, who just recently died in Bangkok.