John Burdett's Bangkok series

[Johnny Ostentatious]

I'm listening to the unabridged audiobook of the third entry, Bangkok Haunts. Pretty good so far, though, I don't think it'll surpass the previous entry, Bangkok Tattoo -- probably because that's the first book I read by him. I love Burdett's writing voice! Anybody else love him, hate him, indifferent? (I have heard some people are turned off by his Bangkok books because they read like travelogues.)

[I. J. Parker]

Fairly indifferent, but I dislike supernatural elements in murder mysteries. I also thought there were some grammar problems.

[Eric Christopherson]

I loved Bangkok 8! Particularly for the voice. Also for the glimpse in to the exotic locale, but "travelogue" is quite a stretch, IMO, it's all perfectly integrated. Haven't tried Tattoo yet.

[Ali]

Hi -

I love Burdett's work and if you are interested, Burdett was interviewed by Rick Keffel at the Agony Column - to listen via Real Player :-

http://trashotron.com/agony/audio/john_burdett.ra

Or you can download as an MP3 podcast from Ricks archives [has a load of great interviews and podcast] here :-

http://trashotron.com/agony/indexes/audio_interview_index.htm

You'll need to scroll down a little - as Rick has plenty of downloads, tend to be more Horror / SF

Best

Ali

[John McFetridge]

I really liked Bangkok 8. I don't mind grammar problems (that's funny if you know me ;) but I'm not interested in supernatural stuff, so I gave Bangkon Haunts a pass. Maybe I should check it out.

[Dana King]

I loved Bangkok Tattoo, and liked Bangkok Haunts a lot, though not as much. Burdett's fun to read, and his - or should I say Sontchai's - perspective is just off-kilter enough to keep things interesting, no matter what the subject matter. I don't care much for supernatural mysteries, either, but I attributed much of the supernatural in Haunts to Thai superstition, and that's what the book is largely about.

As for the grammar, the narrator is not a native English speaker. The narration, including the grammar, is part of Sontchai's character.

Travelogue? I think Burdett makes Bangkok, and, in Haunts, much of Thailand, as much a character as any of his fictional people. I highly recommend him.

[I. J. Parker]

Nah. I'm referring the authorial glitches. :) Not many, but they turned me off. But then, I get bent out of shape at the confusion of "lay" and "lie" and the incorrect use of "who" clauses. :)

[John Dishon]

I understand that. I can't stand it when people write "alright" instead of "all right", especially when it's from a news source.

[John Dishon]

Bangkok 8 is really good. bangkok Tattoo is okay, but not near as good as Bangkok 8.

Timothy Hallinan has a book out set in Bangkok, A NAIL THROUGH THE HEART. I haven't read it yet, so I can't say whether it's good or not, but I've heard good things.

[Dana King]

Hallinan's book is excellent. Completely different from Burdett's books, but at least as good. Highly recommended.

[Barbara Fister]

Love his voice. The first time I read a page, it was a little too highly flavored for me, a little too eccentric and elaborate. But I picked it up again and it worked. That rarely happens to me.

I also liked Hallinan's Nail Through the Heart a lot. Excellent writing. Burdett, I think, is a bit more original in his subjects and his insight into a non-western perspective.