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After we murdered the yaa baa dealer our mothers secured us an interview with the abbot of a forest monastery in the far north, who told us we were the lowest form life in the ten thousand universes. Pichai had thrust the broken bottle into the jugular of humanity, and therefore of the Buddha himself, while I giggled. After six months of mosquitoes and meditation, remorse hat gouged our hearts. Six months after that the abbot told us we were going to mend our karma by becoming cops. His youngest brother was a police colonel named Vicorn, chief of District 8. Corruption was forbidden to us, however. If we wanted to escape the murderer’s hell we would haven to be honest cops. More, we would have to be arhat cops. The abbot is undoubtedly an arhat himself, a fully realized man who voluntarily pauses on the shore of nirvana, postponing his total release in order to teach his wisdom to wretches like us. He knows everything. Pichai is with him now, while I am stranded here in the pollution called life on earth. I must try harder with my meditation.
from: Bangkok 8
The Mysteries of Bangkok
The story of Sonchai Jitplecheep’s cases and adventures starts with the death of his friend Pichai – it’s murder or better: he’s collateral damage of a bestial murder. Based on their past in the monastery and their vows Sonchai resolves to take revenge and to kill the culprit. This is totally in line with his Bhuddist life and his set of beliefs.
Rather soon it’s obvious that the Thai world differs from the Western world in principle. Buddhism and the belief in personal events and – mainly bad – acts in former life as well as reincarnation and … whatever … rule the daily life, especially Sonchai’s life. Sometimes this fog of faith and destiny amuses people from the Western world like members of FBI or CIA …, however, at the end Sonchai knows his fellow men and women in Thailand and knows how to deal with them. In short: he solves his cases.
Sonchai’s mother worked as a prostitute in Bangkok’s red-light district after her American lover left her with her baby and tried successfully to make ends meet – Sonchai was always at her side. She met some well-off men whom she accompanied when travelling – Sonchai was always in on it. He learnt English – and although as a half-caste not so well respected by Thai people he became a detective and is now well known for his ability to deal with English speaking foreigners having got into trouble with the law.
Sonchai is in the mid of all Bangkok life when to have to investigate the murder of an American marine working in the US embassy – a rather sophisticated and cruel murder that also claimed the life of his soulmate Pichai. At once the US administration is alert and the FBI sends a special agent to investigate. Sonchai becomes the link between Royal Thai Police and FBI.
It results in revealing lots of secrets concerning the dead American as well as his business affairs beyond his work in the embassy. Well, he wasn’t a nice man … Sonchai gets deep into art business, bootlegging, art forgery and drug trafficking ending up in Bangkok’s red-light district. He is familiar with this part of Bangkok – especially because his mother decided to leave her retirement in the countryside and start a new sex business aka a club for elderly gentlemen. Her partner is Colonel Vikorn, Sonchai’s boss. Vicorn is a mighty person ruling his own empire of bribery, blackmail … and whatever … even drug trafficking since decades. Somewhere in between this mess there is also a lead of the murdered marine.
Of course there is an influential American art dealer, who is also involved – the FBI isn’t amused about him a suspect of any kind of crime. There are prostitutes after anybody’s fancies. There are transgenders … There are surgeries … There are more murders and evidence as video clips … Sonchai and his FBI agent solve the case aka the mess – after having worked things out between them. There are winners like Vikorn, Sonchai’s mother … and the culprit is punished in a very special way.
… and the story continues … Sonchai will be confronted with more bizarre murder cases during the next years and always will meet his investigation targets with help of his Buddhist background. He is deep-rooted in this glamorous Bangkok life of sex and drugs and … Excitement assured whenever he starts dealing with another case in this exotic universe from the viewpoint of a Westerner.