A
black cover is appropriate for an anthology of ‘dark’ writings from 12
authors and edited by Christopher G Moore. bangkok noir (ISBN
978-616-7503-04-2, Heaven Lake Press, 2011) has items from nearly all the
writers of ‘noir’ novels, based in Thailand.
In his introduction, Christopher G Moore opens with
“Behind the Thai smile and the gracefully executed wai, in the near distance
is another realm: the geography of conflict, personal grudges, anger,
revenge, disappearances and violence. Where loss of face, personal rivalry
and competition for power often have fatal consequences.” This is somewhat
different from the travel guide images of Bangkok in every backpacker’s
knapsack.
The collection of stories have been written by John
Burdett (Bangkok 8, the Godfather of Kathmandu), Stephen Leather (prolific
thriller writer), Pico Iyer (Video Night in Kathmandu), Colin Cotterill (The
Night Bastard), Christopher G Moore (another prolific writer including the
Vincent Calvino series), Tew Bunnag (writes on the contradictions in modern
Thai society), Timothy Hallinan (Crashed), Alex Kerr (Bangkok Found), Dean
Barrett (another very busy writer with recent titles Skytrain to Murder and
Permanent Damage), Pol Gen Vasit Dejkunjorn (more than 20 books, but mainly
Thai language), Eric Stone (the Ray Sharp PI series) and Collin Piprell
(four novels and many articles).
One with a very deep understanding of the Thai psyche is
The Mistress Wants Her Freedom by Tew Bunnag, with much subtle
manoeuvring as the Thai characters skirt around each other staying within
Thai cultural mores, but only one holds the ace.
Another which has the reader guessing up to the final
paragraph is Dean Barrett’s Death of a Legend. A brilliant thriller,
set in Bangkok. Where else would you find a surfeit of hired killers?
Stephen Leather’s Inspector Zhang and the Dead Thai
Gangster was almost an Inspector Clouseau as the inscrutable Oriental
Inspector solved the riddle of how the man dies and who did it, before they
had even disembarked from the plane. A very clever deduction.
Timothy Hallinan’s Hansum Man demonstrates just
why you should never retrace your steps in relationships, particularly when
you are a senior citizen, and never believe everyone from your past. They
may not be!
John Burdett’s Gone East contains an expose of the
HiSo includes and “… have a feel for just how low, dirty, petty, vindictive,
fascist, sociopathic, paranoid and sick the fabulously rich really are.”
If you enjoy thrillers, especially ‘noir’ thrillers, this
is the book for you. A dozen of the best authors of the genre all in one
book. Wonderful value at B. 450. I honestly enjoyed every one. It would have
to be the ideal airport novel with each item around 25-50 pages, so can be
picked up and put down at will.
Christopher G Moore concludes the introduction with,
“This anthology of contemporary stories weaves a pattern of intrigue and
mystery where the living and the dead occupy the same space. Crooked
lawyers, crooked cops, transsexuals, minor wives, killers and ghosts take
you along for a tour that unlocks the secret doors and invites you to enter
the space where Thais and foreigners work, live, play and die together.”
