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Reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke for Readers' Favorite
Chasing the Bangkok Dragon by K. E. Karl is set in Thailand in 1984. Thomas works for the DEA in the United States and is seconded to the Orson Group, a charity that is a cover for investigating and destroying drug shipments bound for America. Thomas, renamed Robert for his six-month deployment abroad, has a desk job in Washington, no military experience, but speaks fluent Thai and holds a high security clearance. He is thirty-five, worried about the lack of advancement in his career, and rather reluctantly agrees to the assignment. After extensive training, he is deployed, still naïve, and becomes part of the small team in covert operations. There follows a fast-moving, edge-of-your-seat adventure when everything does not always go to plan. The police are in league with the drug cartel, so the odds are stacked against them. The Orson Group also operates as an NGO that mentors recovering drug addicts, and Robert is assigned to Sam, a young Thai. At the same time, Robert must conceal his language skills to eavesdrop on conversations, while facing violent confrontations and possible death.
I thoroughly enjoyed Chasing the Bangkok Dragon by K. E. Karl. His knowledge of Bangkok and Thai culture is impressive. The situations Robert faced, from working at a desk to dangerous life and death situations, are excellent, and the fight scenes are so well done. I also liked the human aspects; the families of the small team add an extra dimension to the story, as does the mentoring of recovering Thai youngsters. We are kept guessing which side Fon is working for. Their desperate attempts to destroy large quantities of drugs, now laced with an extra-powerful and very dangerous additive, are thrilling as they face Wang, who heads up the Bangkok drug cartel. This author uses great skill in portraying characters who leap off the pages, so that readers will care about every one of them. I highly recommend it.
