Sonchai starts the novel facing both his past and our uncertain future.
“Few crimes make us fear for the evolution of our species. I am watching
one right now.” It’s a snuff film, beautifully photographed, starring
Damrong, a well-known, high-flying prostitute who once worked for
Sonchai at The Old Man’s Club, the bar and brothel he helps his mother
run when he’s not solving crimes. Damrong was not just a former
employee. She was his lover, a woman who seemed to control his soul. It
was the kind of relationship that often ends in suicide or murder, and
Sonchai has never really left it behind. Nor will he be able to now that
she’s dead, since her ghost returns with sexual demands that she be
avenged.

‘Bangkok Haunts’ is Burdett’s best novel in the series. It’s funnier and
weirder, more imbued with ghosts than the previous works, which were
both quite funny and included far more ghosts than the average noir
thriller. But don’t let all this talk of ghosts lead you to believe that
Burdett is writing anything that remotely resembles familiar
supernatural horror. Burdett’s novel is written from the perspective of
a practicing Buddhist, who feels that ghosts are a part of everyday
life. This is the most natural supernatural novel you’ll ever read.

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