Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #752239 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 245 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780966189988
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A comical, brutally honest and philosophical account of life in Asia. Barrett's prose is balanced, constant and evenhanded." -- The Asian Review of Books January 2006

"The description of Nana Plaza after dark captured its essence. This book is worth your while." -- Bangkok Post October 2005

From the Inside Flap
Among several exotic and erotic tales of Thailand, readers are introduced to Bangkok’s sexiest, most daring and least principled detective, Harry Boroditsky, who solves not one but two bizarre cases including, Murder at the Horny Toad Bar. Hard Bones Haggerty is a haunting tale of the Vietnam War, and, in Obsession, a man obsessed with his Thai girlfriend seeks revenge.

In the non-fiction section of the book, the author writes of searching Bangkok for his Vietnam War-era barracks; he describes his encounters with the Khmer Rouge in eastern Thailand including a meeting with a beautiful and mysterious Cambodian woman, and his need to flee a Vietnamese Army; and what happens when a traveler boards the wrong train in southern Thailand.

In the section, "Memoirs of an Oversexed Farang," the author writes of his several decades of encounters with the often enigmatic but, always beguiling, ladies of Thailand. For anyone who loves Thailand these tales - both fiction and non-fiction - will prove immensely entertaining.

Customer Reviews

Thoughtful Fun
This book is part fiction and also some non-fiction and is a lot of fun to read. The author obviously has been around the block a bit and is now most likely more contemplative than when he first arrived in Thailand. The non-fiction is good reading especially the article on Cambodia, Just One Beer. The fiction is fun and the sexy detective story is a scream! The last part about the author's relations with Thai women over the years is the real winner here though. I often laughed out loud. Been there, done that, myself. A great book for lovers of Asia.

The title is more engaging than the tale.
"Murder at the Horny Toad Bar" is a great title for a book. But, the title is more engaging than the detective story it leads. The story itself reads more like the script from the movie, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". After reading it I thought `Barrett could make a good screenwriter for a Loony Tunes sequel... "It all started with that phone call. I wish now I had never answered it. But I did. And right away I could tell something was wrong from the tremor in the voice on the phone. `You're tremoring', I said."

I bought `Murder at the Horny Toad Bar' to take with me on a business trip (really!) to Thailand. I bought it as a good diversion from the in-flight movies that United Airlines carefully selects from last year's movies that bombed at the box office. Look, I am not ragging on airline movies; I can squint with the other 443 economy class sardines, and with them try to make out the images on the 9" color-challenged monitor. From my seat, 20 feet away, when I squinted with intent, I swear the image was `Nemo' swimming home (my 5th time with this movie). However, saving my eyesight, I started to read `Murder at the Horny Toad Bar'.

His `Horny Toad Bar' story is one of several escapades (erotic/exotic and oversexed) that you will be privy to. So, if you are looking an escape, with a Thai flavor, or if you are want to know more about Bangkok life (it can be outrageous) seen from below the belt; then Barrett provides a lot of vistas from that vantage point. But, if you are in the market for a great (excellent) Bangkok detective story, then by all means get `Bangkok 8' by John Burdett - (see my review). And, if "Horny Toad Bar" may be too risqué for you, then consider getting the highly recommended, "Travelers' Tales: Thailand" (see my review).

Real stories
I love Bangkok and I like this book because the author talks about his experiences in fiction and non-fiction with an honesty that grabs the reader. And he knows how to write. His narration of his trip to a Cambodia refugee camp is worth the price of the book alone but of course his Memoirs of an Oversexed Farang (foreigner) section reveals how much he loves the women of Thailand. Lots of Fun and great information for open-minded readers.