The body an American acquaintance of Calvino's is fished out of the lake in Lumpini Park. Around his neck is a string of wooden amulets, the kind upcountry Thais wear to protect themselves from evil spirits. Only, rather than saving the man, these have killed him.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The Globe & Mail have called Christopher G. Moore the Hemingway of Bangkok. One of Canada's most successful novelists is almost unknown inside Canada or the United States. But in Bangkok and other Asian cities he has become something of a folk hero among foreign workers and travelers. His 13 English language novels have sold more that 20,000 copies in Bangkok alone. His books have been translated in Japanese, Chinese, German and Thai.
First published in 1993 in Thailand in a small English-language edition, Moore's stylish second Bangkok thriller featuring disbarred American lawyer Vincent Calvino (after Spirit House) finds Calvino and his best friend, Col. Prachai "Pratt" Chongwatana of the Thai police, investigating the death of U.S. ex-pat Jerry Hutton, a freelance cameraman. Hutton drowned in a lake while wearing "a necklace of small wooden penises," amulets worn by upcountry farmers, not foreigners. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder? The trail leads to a mysterious American colonel involved with a movie being filmed in Bangkok, Lucky Charms, whose purpose has more to do with spies and murder than entertainment. Calvino and Pratt quote a lot of Shakespeare as the author explores the dark side of both Bangkok and the human heart. Felicitous prose speeds the action along, as in this snapshot of a Thai bar girl: "Her meter had clocked more than a few miles; but she was still roadworthy as she turned the last corner on her thirties").
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Seller Inventory # P12A-04193
Seller: Ironwood Hills Books, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Soft cover. Condition: Fair. 1st Edition. First edition, first printing, Bangkok edition with original price sticker in baht. French fold paperback. Condition is an issue. This book had an encounter with water and shows light rippling and stains that extend about two thirds of the way across top and front edges. Author's red 'chop' on half title is about washed away. Problems do not show up much on the images but they are there. Normally I would hesitate to sell a copy in this condition but it is an uncommon edition. Please see images of the book you will receive. Notes: The chop used is a phonetic spelling of his name. I believe the Thai word for this is ???????? (pronounced thap sap). More Notes: Contrary to website info this is the second book in the Calvino series. For the terminally curious I have prepared a brief monograph on this bibliographically complex writer. Seller Inventory # ABE-1782769167398