Vulture Peak

October 10, 2011
Burdett’s fifth Bangkok novel (after 2010’s The Godfather of Kathmandu) opens with a memorable tableau—three corpses, laid neatly on a bed in a Phuket mansion and missing all commercially viable body parts, including their faces. It’s clearly a case for the quirky, pot-smoking police detective, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, whose investigations are often stymied by the double whammy of his country’s corruption and his own personal problems. When Jitpleecheep is on task, he’s doggedly pursuing traffickers in human organs, led by a beautiful but ruthless set of twins, Lilly and Polly Yip. The criminal ring uses as its source material executed Chinese prisoners, while its customers are wealthy Westerners whose internal organs have worn out. All too often, though, the story veers off into side issues concerning drug use, Jitpleecheep’s marital difficulties, and gender change. Burdett’s writing remains fresh, humorous, and full of insights into Thailand, but readers who prefer focus and suspense should look elsewhere. Author tour.

Stephen Hogan cleverly narrates this intriguing thriller, which takes place in the bizarre underworld of Bangkok. As Royal Thai Police Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep untangles the mysterious events at the breathtaking ocean view mansion called Vulture Peak, he describes the charms of Thailand and the splendors of Buddhism with serenity and a touch of sarcasm. Hogan employs disdainful yet articulate patience as Jitpleecheep explains Eastern perspectives to the Western listener. The detective's eccentric intelligence becomes increasingly evident as he explores the twisted black market for human organs. Hogan adds a touch of admiration when voicing Jitpleecheep's description of the stunningly beautiful but astonishingly self-indulgent Chinese twins who are at the center of the body-parts industry. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine