Quick summaries of the novel Bangkok 8 make it sound like a trashy mystery but it’s so much more. I mean, yeah, there’s prostitution, drugs, gem smuggling, and of course murder. But there’s also buddhism, the conflict between east and west, and pretty balanced explorations of the society in which the prostitution, drugs, gem smuggling, murder, and international intrigue take place. Highly recommended.
Secretly Ironic 