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'{{For|the cricketer|John Burdett (cricketer)}} '''John Patrick Burdett''' (born July 24, 1951) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] crime [[novelist]]. He is the bestselling author of ''Bangkok 8'' and its sequels, ''Bangkok Tattoo'', ''[[Bangkok Haunts]]'' and ''The Godfather of Kathmandu''. His most recent novel in this series, ''Vulture Peak'', was released on January 10th 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Burdett|first=John|title=Vulture Peak|url=http://www.amazon.com/Vulture-Peak-Sonchai-Jitpleecheep-Burdett/dp/0307272672|publisher=Knopf|accessdate=12 September 2012}}</ref> ==Biography== Burdett is a former [[lawyer]] who lived and worked in [[Hong Kong]] for twelve years. For a time, he was employed by the [[Hong Kong Government]]. He later worked in private practice. Eventually, Burdett decided to abandon law and pursue a career as a novelist. Burdett now splits his time between [[France]] and [[Bangkok]] and continues to research his novels in various locations in Thailand. John also has a strange habit of picking people up when drunk and angry! ==Work== ===''The Last Six Million Seconds''=== Set in Hong Kong in April and May 1997, just before the British turnover of the territory to mainland China, this novel deals with a horrific murder investigation. Three severed heads are found in a floating garbage bag on the maritime border between Hong Kong territory and China. Fortunately, they match the three DNA profiles found in a vat of minced human meat that had been abandoned in a warehouse. Political implications of the crime may complicate the turnover, and political pressure is brought both to halt the investigation and to hurry it. The detective, a half-Chinese half-Irish HK resident, finds himself threatened by both sides—all the more so when a [[Weapon of mass destruction|WMD]] smuggling plot that threatens to force outright war between Britain and China is uncovered. ===''The Sonchai Jitpleecheep Series''=== A series of [[crime novel]]s, mainly set in [[Bangkok]]; they consist of 5 books so far: ''Bangkok 8'', ''Bangkok Tattoo'', ''Bangkok Haunts'', ''The Godfather of Kathmandu'' and ''Vulture Peak''. They centre on the philosophical [[Buddhism in Thailand|Thai Buddhist]] detective, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, and his meditative internal dialogues. Sonchai is a "''[[luk kreung|leuk krung]]''" or half-caste. He is the son of a former "''rented-wife''" (a type of prostitute) and a "''[[farang]].''" His father, a U.S. military officer, he has never known. Sonchai has spent much of his childhood in Europe and USA, and has acquired cultural insights. A born "outsider," he is also seemingly unbribeable, which only increases his alienation from his colleagues. The novels involve [[Thailand|Thailand's]] [[sex industry]] and the [[red-light districts]] of [[Bangkok]]. Sexual matters are part of the narrative, including the [[Juxtaposition (literary)|juxtaposition]] of often conflicting Thai and Western [[norm (sociology)|norms]] and [[mores]]. They contain larger-than-life characters interwined with a wry sense of humour, and bizarre crimes. The crimes include execution by the release of a container full of [[Naja siamensis|cobra]] snakes, into a car where the driver is forcibly prevented from escaping (''Bangkok 8''), the theft of valuable tattoos (and their associated human skin) off the backs' of murder victims (''Bangkok Tattoo''), and homicide related to the production of a [[snuff]] video (''Bangkok Haunts''). Juxtaposed is the investigative nonchalance and [[Buddhist]] acceptance of an "''[[arhat]]''" detective who can earnestly [[meditate]] even in a Bangkok traffic-jam. Many popular [[shamanistic]] [[superstitions]] that have carried over into [[Buddhism]] in Thailand are explored. Past lives ([[reincarnation]]) and [[hungry ghosts]] also contribute to the atmosphere and texture. Burdett has expressed interest in moving beyond the crime/detective genre once his ''Bangkok'' series is complete. ==Film== ''Bangkok 8'' was optioned by Millennium Films, which produced the fourth movie in the "[[Rambo (film series)|Rambo]]" series in Thailand, and is serious about making the film according to Burdett.<ref name=nyt>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/books/25burd.html At Home Amid the Red Lights], ''The New York Times'', 25 October 2007</ref> Producer John Thompson scouted locations in Bangkok, and [[James McTeigue]], the director of "[[V for Vendetta (film)|V for Vendetta]]", had been hired to direct, but production looks to have been cancelled.<ref>http://www.themovieinsider.com/m4270/4/bangkok-8/</ref><ref>http://www.beyondhollywood.com/2007/06/james-mcteigue-to-direct-bangkok-8/</ref> ==Published works== *''A Personal History of Thirst'', William Morrow & Co (February 1996), ISBN 0-688-14399-7 *''The Last Six Million Seconds'', Hodder & Stoughton (January 2, 1997), ISBN 0-340-68904-8 *''Bangkok 8: A Novel'', Alfred A. Knopf (2003) ISBN 0-9657525-3-4 *''Bangkok Tattoo'', Vintage Reprint edition (July 11, 2006) ISBN 1-4000-3291-1 *''Bangkok Haunts'', Alfred A. Knopf (2007) ISBN 0-307-26318-5 *''The Godfather of Kathmandu'', Alfred A. Knopf (2010) ISBN 978-0-307-26319-3 *''Vulture Peak'', Deckle Edge (2012) ISBN 978-0-307-27267-6 ==See also== * [[Prostitution in Thailand]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} * [http://www.john-burdett.com/ John-Burdett.com] Official Website * [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/books/25burd.html?ref=books ''New York Times'' interview of John Burdett] * [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/13/AR2007061302050.html A Thai's Winning Ways], a review of ''Bangkok Haunts'' {{Authority control|VIAF=73961581}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Burdett | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = July 24, 1951 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Burdett}} [[Category:1951 births]] [[Category:British crime fiction writers]] [[Category:Living people]] [[de:John Burdett (Schriftsteller)]] [[fr:John Burdett]] [[he:ג'ון בורדט]] [[no:John Burdett]] [[pl:John Burdett]]'