Bangkok Tattoo

Bangkok Tattoo (2005) John Burdett

The sequel to Bangkok 8 returns us to Krung Thep, where Sonchai is now part owner of the Old Mans Club, in addition to remaining a detective in the Royal Thai Police Force. It is because they are in Bangkok that a devout Buddhist and policeman can also be part owner in a brothel–the remainder of the 90% of the business is split by Sonchai’s mother and his boss, Colonel Vikorn.

When Chanya returns from a job dripping with blood and blankly stating that she’s killed her customer, it is up to Sonchai to determine what has happened–and to take care of any cover-ups necessary to keep Chany safe.

This story is just as complex as the previous, although I had problems with this story that I didn’t with the first. My major problem was that it looked as though there was a major revision at some point, but one chapter remained wholly unrevised, which threw me off entirely. Now I could have misread, but that chapter seemed shifted in time from the previous paragraph.

The second issue was that I had a clear idea as to the cause of the mutilation relatively early, but Sonchai doesn’t get to it until much later. However, guessing that didn’t help me any in understanding what was really going on. And as with the previous book, the resolution was a complete surprise.

I also was frustrated by the minimal attention paid to the two subplots: Lek and the changes he was going through, and Sonchai’s father. Both of these plot lines were left open for a sequel, which is never my favorite.

There were so many twists and turns in the story, it was hard to know who to believe, and often when you decided to believe someone, you were wrong to have done so. And even when you learn the truth, you sometimes discover it wasn’t the whole truth.

As with Bangkok 8 this book is not for the faint of heart. Much of the story takes place in a brothel, and the Thai characters are quite open about what happens there. Unlike the first story, much of the story takes place outside of Bangkok. We eventually learn of Chanya’s time in the United States, and what happened to her there. And Sonchai travels to Songai Kolok in an attempt to discover what happened.

Again throughout the story we see Krung Thep through Sonchai’s eyes, and despite the prostitution, drug use, and total corruption of both the military and the police, he loves the place, and strangely these things sometimes start to make sense. However, for a change, we also see the United States through Chanya’s eyes, and what she has to say isn’t always positive. In fact, both Sonchai and Chanya at times see hubris more than anything to respect when they consider the US.
Despite the fact that I got very confused in the middle of the book, when things seemed to shift in time, I still enjoyed this book, and even knowing the levels of corruption that surround Sonchai, found myself again shocked by the conclusion, and by what upsets Sonchai and what he is calmly willing to accept.

If you enjoyed Bankgok 8 then you will want to read Bangkok Tattoo, however, I’d recommend starting and Bangkok 8 and not here, simply because I liked the first book a bit better, and the first book allows you to become accustomed to the corruption that this story begins with.
Rating: 7/10

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