Christopher G. Moore, Bangkok detective novels

While getting some of CM's older books from the library, I ran into another author with a remarkably similar name who writes hardboiled-detective novels set in Bangkok. (This may be old news for everyone else here, but since I just ran into CM's books a few weeks ago. . . .)

It's hard to say whether his books are really all that good or not, since he has about eleven novels published in the series, but only four have been reprinted in the U.S. I think the one I read was seventh. It's obvious that there is a ton of backstory that can only be obtained by buying e-books off Amazon, unless one wishes to go to Bangkok and buy the old books there.

That said, it was continually off-putting to read about this detective who is running his own business there, when foreigners cannot legally do so (all businesses must be owned at least 51% by Thais). The writing was chaotic and very unclear at times (only partly due to that backstory problem). His descriptions of expat types and attitudes were often pretty dead-on (old alcoholics and sexpats abound in Thailand). The main character seems to have no problem carrying a gun around, which might barely be possible given his apparent close relationship with a senior police officer (again, backstory problem), but is so unilkely as to be preposterous (especially with how other police seem to behave when they find him carrying).

Overall, his books are ok, probably a bit below average. It's too bad that the rest of them aren't readily available in the U.S.; I'd like to find out how much of the glaring I-can-t-suspend-my-disbelief-this-much is because I don't know what went on in the previous six books.

Did ya read the one that had the book-within-the-book?

zendao42 wrote:

Did ya read the one that had the book-within-the-book?

Was that one of the Bangkok Chris's books? No, my library only had two of his, and neither fits that description. Was it good?

It was The Risk of Infidelity Index-
I may have mentioned my reaction in our Currently Reading thread* at the time
but that was years ago & I can't remember what it reminded me of-
basically, he's no AG, but not bad...


* If ya ever get really bored, peruse that for fruitbat reaction to all kinds of books-
haven't posted there in months myself, new baby cuts down on reading time...

zendao42 wrote:

It was The Risk of Infidelity Index- I may have mentioned my reaction in our Currently Reading thread* at the time but that was years ago & I can't remember what it reminded me of- basically, he's no AG, but not bad...

Oh! I misunderstood. Yes, that was the first one I read. I got through the next one in the series (Paying Back Jack). It had some continuity problems -- the brothel that closed in the previous book is suddenly back open, with no explanation. There's suddenly a baby involved, but he did finally explain that in a couple of scattered sentences buried way in the middle of the book.

I also ran into yet ANOTHER "Christopher Moore", a fortunately brief heartwarming tale of slavery and Christmas coauthored with someone else. I picked it up thinking that it must be a CM story that hadn't been listed with the rest of them because of the coauthor, but no, completely different Christopher Moore. . . .

LOL, that's pretty funny! I've seen the one Zen mentions but not these.
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