As Sonchai himself notes at one point, "This isn't a whodunit, is it?" And, no, it isn't, but author John Burdett (A Personal History of Thirst, The Last Six Million Seconds) infuses the plot with enough suspense, detail, and dry Asian insight to keep readers rapt as the story careens about the bars and brothels of Thailand's flesh trade, through its cut-rate plastic surgery parlors, and ends in a climax with a fittingly Buddhist twist. Bangkok 8 is highly recommended for readers in the mood for Thai. --Benjamin Reese
Price=$11.16
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Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep of the Royal Thai Police returns in his riveting and smokily atmospheric new thriller.

A farang–a foreigner–has been murdered, his body horribly mutilated, at the Bangkok brothel co-owned by Sonchai’s mother and his boss. The dead man was a CIA agent. To make matters worse, the apparent culprit is sweet-natured Chanya, the brothel’s top earner and a woman whom the devoutly Buddhist sleuth has loved for several lifetimes.

How can Sonchai solve this crime without sending Chanya to prison? How can he engage in a cover-up without endangering his karma? And how will he ever get to the bottom of a case whose interested parties include American spooks, Muslim fundamentalists, and gangsters from three countries?

As addictive as opium, as hot as Sriracha chili sauce, and bursting with surprises, Bangkok Tattoo will leave its mark on you.
Price=$11.42
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Kong, a professional killer, has been mute since childhood. He plies the city's bitterest streets, with silence his only response to the killings and assassinations he performs. He is deadly. He is numb. He enacts his grisly tasks with a sociopathic coldness -his steady, impersonal revenge on the world. Ultimately, the chance for his transformation (and redemption) finally arrives in the form of a girl able to provide the only tenderness and warmth he's ever known. It could save him. It could kill him. A gritty story, the film is a powerful thriller, with strong emphasis on style, suave cutting techniques, effects, and urbane production values. Fast-paced, bloody and exciting, this film shows Bangkok's darker worlds, and the glimmer of hope possible in the dimmest of lives. It's a film about cities, a film about death. With its high-speed chases, its gunfire and action, its intensity, Bangkok Dangerous is a killer.
Price=$9.98
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25 MUST-SEE SIGHTS in Bangkok PLUS A FULL-COLOR FOLDOUT MAP and the best of the rest including:

Best remote rivers • Best late-night bars • Best ancient temples• Best wild festivals • Best royal mansions • Best tranquil spas

Everything you need to explore Bangkok.

• Top lodging and dining picks for every budget
• Stunning temples, from Wat Phra Kaeo, with its Emerald Buddha, to Wat Po, with it's giant reclining Buddha
• The best food - in espablished resturaunts, innovative eateries, lively food stalls, and Thai cooking classes
• What kids like: royal white elephants in Dusit Zoo, kite flying in Royal Field, boat rides on the Chao Phraya
• Life's pleasures, from Thai massage, to shopping for silk, to a night of bar-hopping
• Side trips to Ayutthaya, River Kwai, and Muang Boran