Cover image of "The Godfather of Kathmandu," a novel about a Buddhist detective
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Start with a devout Buddhist detective in Bangkok named Sonchai Jitpleecheep. He’s half-American, half-Thai, the son of a prostitute now retired to running a red light district bordello.

Add a rich and famous Hollywood director murdered in a perverted and mysterious manner. Then a Chinese-Thai high society lady with an Oxford doctorate in pharmacology who presides over the Thai branch of a centuries-old Chinese criminal society. Also, the police colonel and Army general who are (respectively) Thailand’s biggest and second-biggest heroin traffickers, and a powerful Tibetan Buddhist mystic who is leading the Tibetan resistance to China. Then pile on Sonchai’s sensitive transgender sidekick and assorted other uniquely complex characters.

Now, here’s what you’ve got:

(1) The fourth in John Burdett’s Bangkok cycle featuring Buddhist homicide detective Jitpleecheep and his criminal boss, Colonel Vikorn;

(2) a story so convoluted and perverse that your head will spin; and

(3) an over-the-top crime story unlike any other you will ever read.

The Godfather of Kathmandu (Sonchai Jitpleecheep #4) by John Burdett (2010) 321 pages ★★★☆☆

Aerial photo of downtown Bangkok, Thailand, the city where this series about a Buddhist detective is based
Bangkok today is a bustling modern city of 11 million at its core. But most of its people live in squalid quarters far from the soaring towers of its downtown. Image: Kittikorn

Not up to the level of Burdett’s earlier work

And in the list above, (3) is the problem. Burdett’s first book in the cycle, Bangkok 8, introducing Detective Jitpleecheep, was enthralling from start to finish. The detective’s struggle to remain honest in the midst of unbridled corruption, the complexities and contradictions of his life, the tug and pull of his Buddhist beliefs, and the extraordinary murder he set out to solve—all contributed to a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. The second book in the series, Bangkok Tattoo, was almost as good; the third, Bangkok Haunts, not so much. The Godfather of Kathmandu, unlike its predecessors, contained puzzles within puzzles and was much harder to follow. Still rewarding, and worth reading to the end. Just not up to the quality of Burdett’s earlier work.

About the author

Photo of John Burdett, author of this series of novels about a Buddhist detective
John Burdett. Image: YouTube

John Burdett is the author of the six novels in the bestselling Sonchai Jitpleecheep series (2003-15) and four other books, the most recent of which appeared in 2017. He was born in London, England, the son of a policeman, and became a lawyer with a practice in Hong Kong. For many years he split his time between southwestern France and Bangkok.

I’ve also reviewed Vulture Peak (Sonchai Jitpleecheep #5)—Organ trafficking, prostitution, and drugs in the underbelly of Asian society.

This series is included in The best mystery series set in Asia.

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