Sunday, January 1, 2012

Vulture Peak-John Burdett

Vulture Peak


John Burdett

Knopf, Jan 10 2012, $25.95

ISBN: 9780307272676



In Bangkok, the brass assigns Royal Thai Police Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep to end the illegal trafficking in human organs. Sonchai the Buddhist understands that the harvesting and selling of organs is a lucrative cash crop as classic economics 101 includes a very high demand by desperate customers and suppliers, and ruthlessly avaricious sellers.



Sonchai knows his leadership watches his every action as this case will end up with international media scrutiny. To achieve his objective, Sonchai sets up a sting to capture the major commodity sellers. As he travels to the world’s most luxurious locales, his effort focuses on the queenpins of the lucrative market: the Vultures Chinese twins. As Sonchai baits his trap, he becomes distracted when he learns his wife former prostitute Chanya is having an affair.



This is a terrific entry in what is consistently a great Thailand police procedural (see The Godfather of Kathmandu, Bangkok 8, Bangkok Haunts and Bangkok Tattoo) is a superb thriller that puts faces on the suppliers, sellers and buyers in a nefarious free capitalist venture. Fast-paced and filled with action, reader will enjoy Sonchai’s sting operation and his fall from Buddhist enlightenment due to jealousy and betrayal.



Harriet Klausner

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