This crazy mystery focuses on Sonchai, a police detective in Bangkok, Thailand. Sonchai's partner is killed when the pair are investigating the gruesome murder of a U.S. Marine. Sonchai vows to track down and kill the person responsible. At the same time he has to work with FBI investigators who come to work on the case.

There was a lot to like about Bangkok 8 (though I never understood the title). The author did a great job of depicting the city of Bangkok and the Thai people, especially the seamy world of the sex trade where East and West meet. Sonchai himself is the son of a long-gone American and a prostitute mom (who now runs a special brothel catering to the Viagra age group). He's also a devout Buddhist, and there is a lot of witty and quite insightful banter between him and the FBI agent about the differences between East and West, as they are drawn deeper into the surprising life and death of the Marine.

The plot ultimately takes a far-fetched turn involving transsexuals and an elaborate conspiracy. The ending was outlandish and to me, disappointing and dumb, though some may find it hilarious. From what I've read in other reviews, this type of plot twist is a hallmark of the author's work, so obviously it works better for some readers than it did for me.

P.S. If you are afraid of snakes, this may not be the book for you!!

Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel "To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis & Clark"

The majority of the book was a serious, taut, thriller. At a certain point, a weak feeling snuck up in the text and it went downhill from there to the ending, which was fluffy and disapointing. Not that it would stop me from re-reading the beginning, but I was disappointed.

I read Bangkok Tattoo first so this was "catch" up. Thought Tattoo was hilarious in places. This one was not as funny but so many twists and turns my head was spinning.

Forget about whether or not this book accurately depicts Bangkok life, or is slanted by the misconstrued vision of the author. After all, it is not a travelogue, it is a work of fiction first and foremost. And it is a work of fiction of extreme ingenuity. The writer is highly talented. He is also highly complex, and so is his story.

And he is funny as all get out. I can't count the many times this book got a laugh out of me, either for its outright humor, or its subtle, more hidden ironic meanings.

Yes, I agree with some other reviewers that there is a tendency to bash "farangs" in black and white terms. They are facilely pigeonholed. Although this view is seen through the eyes of his fascinating main character (fascinating because it is impossible to guess what he is going to say or do next - the unexpected is always forthcoming), the reader senses (correctly or incorrectly) that the main character expresses the views of his creator. Only Mr. Burdett himself can confirm or deny the truth of this impression.

This book is about divides and contradictions; finding, losing and searching again. Confusion? Yes. But always in the cloak of ingenuity.

The only weakness that I can point out is that the male characters are drawn very three dimensionally, while the female characters always remain somewhat in the mist. None are clearly wholly defined. They don't come out into the sunlight as do the males. In fact, one can almost say they are drawn stereotypically. Almost, but not quite.

As the writer is exceptionally gifted, he has created an exceptional book. Its uniqueness ensures that this novel has no predecessor, and it is not likely there will ever be another one even resembling it. For its complexity, its genius, and for just a plain old-fashioned fascinating read, I would highly recommend it. It is full of contradictions that have yet to be resolved. And it leaves it's reader (and perhaps the author as well) with the responsibility of doing so.

This cleverly written series debut pushes the envelope in all ways, especially character and setting. Sonchai is an engaging biracial, polycultural detective; Bangkok a locale of vast exoticism, where the protagonist is intimately familiar with every nook and cranny, however dark or sleazy, and yet for evident reasons never in face feels at home at all. Over the top in premise and plot it may be, but intentionally so; and the everyday and not-so-everyday sharp details, East and West, make it work and enchant, and then some.