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Reviewed by Jack Quick for Readers' Favorite
In "Bangkok Rules" by Harlan Wolff, Carl Engel is an ex-pat Londoner who has been in Bangkok, Thailand, for over 30 years working as a private investigator surviving through the twists and turns of Thailand’s chaotic political history. Engel is an interesting character and I can foresee additional adventures for him. During a down period he is approached by an elderly American with a very unusual and potentially lucrative missing persons case, involving the client’s missing brother. Soon Engel is involved in the hunt for a particularly vicious current serial killer and a web of intrigue that stretches back to the Vietnam War. The trail leads Carl all over Bangkok and outside the country. Soon the danger becomes real rather than theoretical as the roots of the conspiracy and the amounts of money at stake involve forces and powers that could squash even Carl.
According to the author’s notes, the character of Carl Engel is based on a real person. Overall I found this to be a decently written thriller that I would recommend. I have read better and also far worse. My biggest disappointment with the book was the plot; though well-presented, it tended to wander off at times rather than keeping me riveted into the story. Perhaps tighter editing would have helped. Not all thrillers have to unfold at a breakneck pace in order to be effective but there should be a reasonably constant thread of tension in order to hold the audience in. I didn’t feel that in this particular outing, but again, I did not read this under the best of circumstances so perhaps I am being too harsh. I would enjoy seeing the comments of other reviewers to prove or disprove my judgment.
