John Burdett

Jitpleecheep Rides Again

Readers who are looking for some good news to start the New Year need look no further than Kathmandu. You’ll find it proves to be a lot closer than you expected, since the newest novel by John Burdett, ‘The Godfather of Kathmandu’ (Alfred A. Knopf / Random House ; January 12, 2010 ; $25.95) should be available quite soon. It’s latest jape with Sonchai Jitpleecheep, who is facing a Buddhist apocalypse only slightly less pressing than the murder of an American film director. Sawed-off skull, end of the world, no reason to be down. Everything is equally unreal.

If the name Sonchai Jitpleecheep seems strange to you, then you definitely have something to look forward to. I actually, surprisingly, found myself able to type it without referring to the book, no small accomplishment. But then, we have had three previous novel featuring Sonchai from John Burdett, all top-notch mysteries that, in retrospect, all perfect candidates the noird genre recently explored by China Miéville and Jedediah Berry. ‘Bangkok 8‘, ‘Bangkok Tattoo‘, and ‘Bangkok Haunts‘ approach the noird from the mystery genre side of the equation but are weird enough to satisfy any fan of the noird.

Sonchai Jitpleecheep lives in a surreal, supernatural world, haunted by ghosts and visions and informed by the Buddhist religion. Burdett is a master of the world-blur. His exotic location is wonderfully evoked and so damn strange that the real and the unreal seem pretty much on the same plane. Moreover, he brings this all off with a giddy sense of humor that makes reading utterly delightful.

Pages: 1 2