| Title | : | Hungry Ghosts (Time, Blood and Karma, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0957325622 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780957325623 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published August 19, 2013 |
For private investigator David Braddock ‘normal’ means finding a missing drug smuggler, sleeping with the Police Chief’s wife and ensuring his office manager’s latest money making scheme doesn’t bankrupt him.
For Police Chief Charoenkul it means resuming his seemingly-endless wait for that elusive promotion to Bangkok.
However, the peace is destined to be short-lived. Unbeknown to both men, karmic storm clouds are gathering and murderous forces are about to be unleashed which could destroy them both ...
‘Hungry Ghosts’ is the second volume in the ‘Time, Blood and Karma’ series. It marks the welcome return of David Braddock, the charismatic anti-hero from ‘Everyone Burns’.
Hungry Ghosts (Time, Blood and Karma, #2) Reviews
-
I don't get it. Yesterday I was blazing through this book. I stopped midway and today trudged through this sludgy second half, and it felt like a different book, by another author. I don't think this series has any significant number of readers. No one will care about it. But I'm uploading this review to remind myself that a high score does not a good book make. I was very cautious about my expectations going in with reading Hungry Ghosts. I'm demoting the third book down my tbr list. It's not fun to feel that one has wasted one's hours. Anyway, there's the high rating on Goodreads. I've long since tried to staple a coherence to these stats. By the way, I had sworn never to read an Ian Fleming book. Not one, except for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Now I feel like I've read a cheap James Bond knockoff written by a copycat.
-
This guy Dolan is really pissing me off. The first installment of the Time, Blood, and Karma series, "Everyone Burns", is a tour de force of suspense, with enough surprises to satisfy any suspense/mystery aficionado. The ending left me hanging off a cliff by the skinniest of twigs. I guess this would make the book a cliff-hanger.
Well, no problem. I simply downloaded the sequel, "Hungry Ghosts", and kept right on going.
Here's where it gets dicey. Hungry Ghosts is a fantastic sequel, with even more twists and turns, but at the end it leaves me with WAY more questions than Everyone Burns did. What happens to Wayan? To David? To Kat? To Anna? To Jingjai? To............oh, no. No way are you getting spoilers from ME!
The 3rd book in the series is called "A Poison Tree". But it's not published yet. Mr. Dolan, get your butt seated in front of your computer and FINISH THE DAMN BOOK so I can get some rest.
Whew! That took a lot out of me. I'm off to see my Zen Master for some meditation. I do my best thinking when practicing Zazen. -
Hungry Ghosts (Time, Karma and Blood Series Book 2) by John Dolan. Family secrets, family feuds, betrayals and ghosts.
‘The spirits of the dead are all around us, but it is we, the living, that are the true hungry ghosts.’ I could not agree more with the reflections of David Braddock, the detective-cum-philosopher and therapist who is the protagonist of Hungry Ghosts, the second book in the ‘Time, Karma and Blood Series’ by John Dolan. I read the first book in the series Everyone Burns and when I reviewed it I mentioned that I thought this would be a five star series but the first book left me wanting more and with too many questions pending. Be reassured, Hungry Ghosts delivers on all the promises of the first and more, and although, of course this being a series everything could be resolved, it answers many of the questions, whilst opening new avenues for enquiry and intriguing plots.
‘Sometimes I come across as superficial. Of this I am aware. However, you may be confident that inside my head I am forever plumbing new shallows, finding novel ways to express the obvious, reheating old jokes.’
David Braddock, one of the most peculiar detectives I’ve met in fiction (and I am aware all famous detectives have quirks and characteristics that make them memorable) is back with a vengeance. Or rather, he is the intended victim of a revenge attempt. Vending the rules, although it appears to be the standard MO in Thailand, does not come without consequences, even there. People die, lives are destroyed, and strange alliances are made and broken. Not your standard day at the office.
If Braddock still retains many of the characteristics we’ve come to expect of most males detectives (he has an array of love interests, two of them married, one related to him by first marriage…), we get to see more of his soft/emotional side. His strange relationships with his first wife (now dead), his daughter (away in England), his housekeeper (not his maid, as he insists throughout the whole book. She is clearly much more than a housekeeper, as signalled by the fact that they have never had sex), his mother-in-law, and crucially, his father. Family secrets abound, not only those of the Braddock family, but also of other families. Fathers and sons with troubled relationships are mirrored on both sides of the law (although the lines are very fine and there is no black and white here, rather different shades of grey), and even Braddock’s Zen master, the Old Monk, has sons who are on opposite sides of the law.
The author shows his talent by using a variety of points of view throughout the novel that allow us to understand better the events and the motivations behind the actions of the characters. We share in the murderer’s frame of mind, the Chief of Police of Samui and his wife (and Braddock’s lover), the detective’s sister in law, the gangsters… We might side with Braddock but we are privy to the thoughts and feelings of others and are a step ahead. That is why the twist at the end is even more effective. We should have seen it coming but we were too taken by the action and the story, and rooting for the flawed hero to realise that…
John Dolan treads carefully and manages to recap enough information to allow somebody who has not read the first novel to enjoy and make sense of this one, whilst at the same time not boring somebody who has recently read ‘Everyone Burns’, and just nudging their memory (especially with the unfamiliar names) along.
David Braddock is fast becoming one of my favourite detectives. Although an amateur at both detective work and psychology (or therapeutic interventions), he has a natural flair for both. I couldn’t help but think that he might make an interesting team with Mary, the psychiatrist who gets involved in all sorts of crimes in my stories. It’s a thought.
Hungry Ghosts has gang-warfare, police corruption, revenge, murders and violence, secrets and revelations, honey traps and meddling employees, witty repartees and reflections (‘I need to simplify my life so far as women are concerned. Maybe I should get castrated and have done with it.’), ghosts and padrinos (Thai style). I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next and what will come of the sudden epiphany Braddock experiences in this book. As he observes: ‘We are the artisans of avoidance, the fabricators of falsehoods. We sell ourselves snake-oil and we call it medicine.’ I’m sure there will be more revelations to come and I suspect the author might take us in unsuspected directions. I am getting a ticket for the next trip. Are you? -
...compelling, absorbing, well-woven second offering on Thai-based, English private eye, David Braddock...
HUNGRY GHOSTS stands alone as a solid telling of another complicated slice in the life of Thai-based, English private eye, David Braddock... however, it's pleasing to note that it is also a part of a slew of books Author John Dolan has in store for us in the Time, Blood and Karma series... the elegance, mystery and downright deviousness surrounding much of David Braddock's business and personal affairs are captivating... one of the many attractions in the book is the manner in which even the supposedly good guys all have the propensity to veer toward the dark side, while the bad guys steep themselves even deeper in criminality... the thinnest lines of morality are crossed with ease... loyalties switch at the drop of a murder... and Braddock's libido is well-practised with potentially life-threatening amorous liaisons... Dolan runs several narrative threads simultaneously throughout HUNGRY GHOSTS with the deftness of a master story-teller's touch... no spoilers from me, but there are clever surprises and twists insinuated when least expected... this is another tour de force to match EVERYONE BURNS... the next in the series is eagerly anticipated ... -
Hungry Ghosts (Time, Blood and Karma #2) by John Dolan has done what was not possible, or so this reader assumed. The author's first book Everyone Burns was perfection personified and could not be equalled. But Hungry Ghosts sent this reader into a rush of retrospective detective drama ecstasy, not since seen since Robert Mitchum donned the white suit and sent shivers down Jane Russell's bra not invented by Howard Hughes in Macao.
This detective thriller set on an island off Thailand oozes nuances galore, tight, gritty dialog, vicious gangs, dubious coppers, mythical monk spouting poetic reasons to live, even more dubious clients and even even more dubious family members all interwoven into a plot Dashell Hammett would have been proud of.
The star of this steamy film noir is seedy detective David Braddock who so reminds this reader of Robert Mitchum, a guy not afraid to break the law and suffer the consequences in so many great films of this genre.
And genre is the word that so describes this awesome novel that will I am sure set the big screen on fire one day soon. So without further delay or you might find strange footsteps stop at your door, download and read this FIVE STAR detective thriller that I cannot recommend enough. -
I admit – I’m reading this series out of order. I’ve just finished Hungry Ghosts and have only started its predecessor, Everyone Burns. But that should be a clue. If I don’t like the dish, I don’t go back for seconds.
And I liked Hungry Ghosts. A lot.
First, it’s very, very well written. Meaning it is well-crafted and has a strong voice. So many books these days have only one or the other and those can be enjoyable, too – the way a beauty contestant can make a great date even if she’s dumb as a stone.
But Hungry Ghosts is the runway model who went to Harvard. And she knows how to have a good time to top it off – you know what I mean?
The story centers around an ex-pat Englishman named David Braddock who lives on an island off Thailand. Braddock’s got a lot going on. Between feeling emotionally ravaged by guilt over his wife’s death, several sometime girlfriends who want either one thing or another, an unrequited love, some Thai gangsters, and a homicidal maniac bent on revenge. All of these somehow collide at his agency (he’s a P.I. with a partner and a half: a pushy, whip-smart Thai woman and her newborn baby), even when he’s not investigating.
David is a magnetic, complex character whose flaws we forgive, and against our better judgment perhaps, whose best traits we exalt. He’s surrounded by a motley crew of friends, enemies, and anything in between. Nobody is eccentric and quirky simply for the reason of being eccentric and quirky, either. These are real people (or at least they feel real) and the author (John Dolan) writes with the voice of an experienced traveler - world weary, uncharted, but chasing the dragon of the next new adventure nonetheless. He explains a magical culture in plain, rational language instead of getting all woo-woo on us – although he does get woo-woo on us. Still, as a reader, I didn’t mind. But I’m like that.
So, go out and get Hungry Ghosts and its sibling, Everyone Burns, if you haven’t already. It’s worth your time and money and then some. And it’s a great way to feel like you’ve been to Thailand without have to get frisked at the airport and sit for twenty hours sandwiched between two nightly steak eaters from Atlanta. -
"Hungry Ghosts" by John Dolan is the second in the David Braddock series about the private investigator operating on the Thai island of Samui.
The womanizing man with a weakness for drinks and a talent for finding his way through the corrupt world around him confides in his diary. Full of self deprivation, honesty and great sense of humour the diary however also serves a different purpose: Through this perspective the reader is allowed some deeper insights into his mind and gets a glimpse of someone actually caring more than he lets on.
Although a recent wave of burning murders has ended, Braddock has his hands full with mostly slightly unusual missions for a private detective. And then there is the matter of his complicated love life. Since losing his wife there have been several affairs but nothing with lasting prospects. Quite the opposite, his love life adds more complications to his life than should be worth it.
It is credit to Dolan's great talent for characterisation that Braddock and the women around him become more than mere stereotypes in a genre that otherwise so loves them. They manage to remain fun and great assets to the plot, but there is some serious note to them that to this reader is most welcome and that does not distract much from the mystery plot and the suspense at all.
With great knowledge of local customs, culture and philosophy from his own travelling life Dolan gives an authentic flair of Asia in his writing and also adds a subtle moral or ethical undertone. The opening scene features a man being followed by the ghost of his recently deceased brother and the prologue alerts us to the many differing incarnations of 'Hungry Ghosts' in various Asian cultures.
The characters in Hungry Ghosts are almost all haunted by their own metaphorical ghosts, which adds colour to the story.
On a more simple and straight forward note the story is a cleverly written and very entertaining murder mystery with great understated humour and enough added elements to distinguish itself from the more generic and one dimensional helpings in the genre.
A most enjoyable read. -
Wow, wow, wow. I love series like this. Books that entertain, enlighten, and leave you wanting for more. The first book in the series left me with the lingering pain of finishing a great book... the nagging thoughts, philosophical debates, and musings of what would happen next... and what happened next was a great sequel.
Hungry Ghosts picks up a few weeks after the first book, and you are immediately thrown into new characters, new story lines, and new frustrations. I was amazed at how masterfully he wove in the older characters with the new. Tying up all the loose ends and strands from the first book, connecting the dots for this, and leaving a few lingering for the next Braddock book.
Dolan has created such a complex character in Braddock, and I both love and hate him for it. Braddock is such a broken man, that his actions are justifiable, but at the same time, it kills me to read them. I hope that the next book helps heal his heart a bit more. -
I enjoyed the first book in the series and was keen to catch up with the characters and events in this next adventure set in Thailand.
David Braddock is still living a complicated existence, romantically and business wise. There are some loose ends from the first book which are hanging over his head and secrets might not be so buried as he thought. As always his love of women particularly those already attached to powerful men could be his undoing.
There is a new element to David’s private detective business which slightly impinges on even his flexible moral compass, despite the work he is already conducting in the less salubious dives in town. However Da his right hand woman appears to have it under control.
A missing person case may take him into more trouble than he needs and it is likely to impact at least one of his personal relationships and little does he know how many interested parties will be keen to get in his way. Violence and revenge for his past actions simmers in the background and he may not be the only target.
As the story progresses more characters from David’s past are introduced and in a surprising turn of events he comes face to face with a family secret hidden for decades
There is a great lead up to the climax to this book in the series with some tantalising threads to be explored in the next. A fast paced and entertaining read and I can highly recommend. -
The “anti-hero” is a character archetype that dates back to the tragedies of Greek theatre. Unlike the traditional hero who is morally upright, the anti-hero usually has a flawed moral character, more interested in getting the job done than doing it ethically. Sometimes, the flaws are simply human failings as determined by a conventional society—a philanderer, an alcoholic, a smoker.
I don’t believe in heroes, but I believe in David Braddock, the enigmatic anti-hero who returns in John Dolan’s latest release, Hungry Ghosts.
Everyone Burns, which launched the Time, Blood and Karma series, captivated me based on the strength of its characters. I invested in their lives and wanted to know more about their connections to one other. Along with discovering how morally ambiguous human beings can be, I found myself immersed in a sophisticated plot of intrigue in beautiful Thailand.
Hungry Ghosts expands on and refines the characterization. Many familiar faces return, and this time, we hear their voices through their own lens. The switch from David Braddock’s first person viewpoint in Everyone Burns to multiple points of view in this book had to be a challenge to write. It could easily have turned into a “dog’s breakfast” in the hands of a lesser writer.
So, how does Mr. Dolan get away with it?
He imbues each character with just enough detail to reel us in, and then he allows them to speak. Whether he is speaking as the power-hungry Thai Police Chief, the demure Balinese housekeeper, or the playful English sister-in-law, the transitions are seamless and the voices, believable. The recurring theme of hungry ghosts (in its many iterations) haunts everyone, reinforces karmic interconnectivity, and moves the story forward.
Multiple plot threads are dangled, and at the nexus of it all hangs David Braddock. Though still a smarty-pants, he has tempered somewhat. In other words, he has matured.
Characters who emanate moral purity don’t ring true to us any more, if they ever did. It’s not who we see around us, and I dare say, neither is it who we see when we look in the mirror. The longer we live, the more we realize how fragile humanity is. Sometimes it feels broken.
David Braddock feels broken too, but we desperately wish to see him healed. We cheer for him and want him to succeed because of his human frailties, not in spite of them.
Hungry Ghosts is seductive and exotic, yet easily accessible because of its unforgettable anti-hero.
I applaud Mr. Dolan for creating David Braddock. I can’t wait to find out what he does next. -
An Intricate Web of Karmic Storytelling
‘The spirits of the dead are all around us, but it is we, the living, that are the true hungry ghosts.’
In his second book of the Time, Blood & Karma series, John Dolan returns with his anti-hero David Braddock, the private detective cum unorthodox therapist. This time around, many of the characters from the first book in the series, ‘Everyone Burns’ are brought back to interact with newer character artfully introduced and like the title of the book suggests, most are haunted by either regrettable actions or the vestiges of uneasy karmic forces. The book is again set within Thailand, shifting locals from the island of Samui and the metropolis of Bangkok and Mr. Dolan displays impressive knowledge of the local topography and the customs and motivating forces of the people who live and work in that mysterious land.
Picking up where the first book leaves off, with the burning murders and all subsequent retribution buried, David Braddock is not the same man we met initially. Still living in a world of body language interpreted and hidden motives gleaned; still quick with a cutting remark or an off-the-cuff ribald, Braddock, who sexual virility borders on compulsion and leads to many of the interconnected relationships which interweave within the novel, is a man haunted by his actions. It is an impressive accomplishment that Mr. Dolan is able to sustain empathy and interest in such a flawed creature as Braddock and the insight he offers into an archetypal male sensibility amplifies the themes circulating through the novel.
There are many surprises in ‘Hungry Ghosts,’ none of which should be revealed and as the plot leads the reader through the lattice work of prominent crime families and the machinations of ambitious police forces, we are treated to an always taut tale of murder, betrayal and vengeance. I would highly recommend this book to any lover of a good mystery and look forward to reading the third book in the series, ‘A Poison Tree.’ -
This book takes you in to the world of farangs, and lets us experience Bangkok and Samui through the use of John's story telling. The descriptions and imagery makes the reader feel as if they have stepped in to these exotic locations. The smells, the sights and the language are brought to life through the telling of this thrilling story about a private investigator who is not short on character.
I enjoyed the first book in this series immensely and have anticipated the sequel with bated breath, downloaded and read this in short shrift.
The twists and unexpected turns abound once more, with further explanations and plot twists enough to make your head whirl. What you thought you knew after completing the first book is put test as further developments occur, demanding that you re-evaluate your previous assumptions.
David Braddock the main protagonist, proves to be a vastly troubled individual and in this book we get to dig deeper in to his psyche.
I will not provide any spoilers as basically they spoil! (hence the name) All I will say is download and read this fantastic book as I myself could not put it down once started. Dinners burnt and household tasks were left undone. This book will have you on the edge of your seat and also having a little chuckle with John's dry humour. David Braddock's amorous encounters with the ladies are numerous and varied, and you can't help having a soft spot for the rascal despite this. He proves once again to be a bad boy, but one with a heart.
I am now waiting (albeit impatiently) for the final book in the series (type faster John).
Well done once again Mr Dolan and a high five. Another well deserved five stars from this fan. -
It was my extreme pleasure to recently read JD's book two of the 'Time, Blood, and Karma Series', "Hungry Ghosts" (
goo.gl/PbIUxS). I wrote an amazon review about "Everyone Burns" and this is my review of "The Hungry Ghosts."
John Dolan brings you up close and personal with his characters, and though you might have some possible trouble with their Thai names you will thoroughly bond with them. John's lucid and melodious writing style has a rather hypnotic effect on this reader and I suspect on many others. He weaves a thrilling tale of intrigue, love, murder, suspense, and his protagonist, David Braddock, is the quintessential anti-hero: Braddock is caustic, embittered, subtly enslaved by his own self-guilt, and he seeks absolution in his loves and lusts, tiptoeing dangerously on some Karmic tightrope as the 'ripples from the tossed stone' connect, interconnect, and become the essence of life. You can expect to find some semblance of an ending with "Hungry Ghosts" but there is a surprise or two and another beginning. It is a story written with style and substance, crafted brilliantly by this man under the hat. (I found myself at times wondering just how much of John Dolan was in the naughty David Braddock. There have to be some genetic identifiers, for sure!)
Get "Hungry Ghosts" for a most satisfying read:
goo.gl/dyunVU (Amazon US) and
goo.gl/gpzxXU (Amazon UK) -
Mr. Dolan is a genus storyteller, and an estimable writer, indeed.
Hungry Ghosts is the second installment of the series: Time, Blood and Karma Book. The story continues seamlessly from the first book, Everyone Burns. New characters were cleverly woven into this book, and the plot was skillfully crafted. The pace was fast; it moved from one scene to next swiftly. There was no one dull moment.
The main character, David Braddock, appeared even more disturbed, confused and vulnerable in this book, yet his charm and wit remained. I like how Mr. Dolan delicately dissected and delineated the various aspects of humanities and emotional struggles through the characters in the story; they are (painfully) relatable one way, or another. I also admire Mr. Dolan’s writing style; he poetically painted the scenery and background in the midst of thrilling violence.
Other aspects set this book apart from the similar genera are: humors danced from page to page, dialogs were entertaining, rich history and culture injected through the story.
I applaud Mr. Dolan’s great work. It’s an excellent read. -
I think this is a very good murder mystery sequel. Mr. Dolan’s fans are already begging him to finish writing book three and publish.
Since I don’t plan to ever visit Thailand, I enjoyed learning more about the culture. I commend the author for doing his research for this wonderful sequel. I know he was living in Thailand during the writing of this novel, but certain he still had to do a lot of research.
Like reader/reviewer, Bill R. Chitwood I too wonder how much of John Dolan is in the naughty, David Braddock.
The only reason I’m not awarding this book five stars is that I had trouble remembering and pronouncing many of the Thai names. I had to make a ‘who’s who’ list and refer back to it often. I still recommend you read this book.
Rebecca Scarberry (@Scarberryfields on Twitter) -
Loved this thriller!
John Dolan has done it again! Just had to read it. This is the second book about the David Braddock Agency he has written and it certainly was not disappointing. The story has twists and turns, a Police Chief who suffers from Paranoia, murder, plenty of mystery and suspense, lots of interesting characters, not least David Braddock himself, as well as elements that made me smile. Once I started reading this book, it was difficult to put it down. A recommended read! -
amazing book, I couldn't put it down. I think Mr. Dolan gets better with every book.
-
Hungry Ghosts is the second book in the Time, Blood and Karma series. I found it to be utterly compelling, keeping me reading into the early hours.
In one way or another we are all flawed, an aspect of human nature I like to explore and one that John Dolan brings to the pages with consummate ease. He digs deep into the psyche of his characters, none more than the louche PI, David Braddock, as his life spirals out of control. Where women are concerned, his moral compass shows no sign of improvement, a less appealing side to his nature. Caught in a web of his own making, his relationships with his sister-in-law, his housekeeper and the Police Chief’s wife becoming more and more complicated.
In this gripping thriller, Braddock has far more pressing concerns than his personal life. The heat is on. Following an end to the burning murders, what promised to be a solution to the case comes back to haunt him and he is soon caught up in a fight for survival. This involves a psycho bent on revenge, gang warfare, police corruption and shocking revelations about his family.
In this fast-paced follow-up to Everyone Burns, the emphasis is on the action with less of the story devoted to the philosophical and the poetic. I have only one complaint: I would have liked to see more of the enigmatic monk. The excitement never lets up in a tightly-woven plot that is thoroughly addictive. Humour still abounds – a trademark of this author’s unique style. To combine the two successfully takes a special kind of writer and Dolan pulls this off with aplomb.
Given the exotic settings, well-constructed plot and authentic characterisation, this series would do justice to the big screen. Having now read all three books, although the prequel 'A Poison Tree' can be read as a standalone, I recommend you read them in sequence in order to fully appreciate the series. If you haven’t already discovered this author, I feel sure you won’t be disappointed. 5* -
“The spirits of the dead are all around us, but it is we, the living, that are the true hungry ghosts.”
Buddha says, ‘Everyone burns’ but as David Braddock, PI knows (in Hungry Ghosts: Book 2 in the ‘Time, Blood and Karma’ series) not all of the people who die want to stay dead. Hungry ghosts are looking for vengeance; appear more often than not to stir up their loved ones to seek retribution for their dear departed with some shocking consequences. For Braddock it is often more luck than judgement that keeps him one step ahead of his protagonists.
There’s more than a smattering of romance, an abundance of evil and intrigue and not a little sleight of hand, shocking moments to keep any of Khun David’s fans glued to the next page – me for one! This is another superbly written offering from John Dolan not to be missed.
(Pat McDonald – British Crime author) -
This is a little different take on a classic noir detective story. Put Sam Spade in Thailand, give most of the characters unpronounceable names and you've got this story. It's not a bad story at all. I enjoyed it right up till the end. Unfortunately the author left several story lines in the air to accommodate sequels. Usually this is enough to make me want to hurl a virtual book against the wall, but i give this one a pass because it was just good enough to excuse two or three bad pages at the end.
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My least favorite in this series
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Increasingly Engrossing
The more I get into this series, the more compelling I find it. The characters become more fascinating with familiarity. -
Can't get enough of this series. Not as good as the first book but still couldn't put down and left me excited to read the third. Amazing world building and introduction of point of view story telling from other beloved characters.
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This follow up to John Dolan’s first novel ‘Everyone Burns’ has just as many plot twists, surprises and wit as the last one, only this one will leave you hungry for even more.
Hungry Ghosts is a continuation of the story of private investigator David Braddock, who works in Thailand on the island of Koh Samui. He’s intelligent, but he’s also a smartass, which is one of my favourite parts of this series. David Braddock is the type of character who can size anyone up in a matter of seconds, which is why he’s so incredible at what he does.
However, he also likes to sleep with multiple women, double-cross and get himself into such a jam, coming close to getting himself killed, even with the police. There is never a dull moment in this story.
John Dolan allows his readers to get inside David Braddock’s head with the use of several journal entries seemingly written by the character, and then he flips back to the story seamlessly, keeping us up with the endless action.
Some of the scenes are genius. But you’ll have to read the book to enjoy them as I don’t want to add spoilers. I will, however, share some brief excerpts of the book that I particularly enjoyed.
…
“Yes, you were very good,” she replies, then giggles. “The look on his face was funny, though.”
“You are sure his name really is Philip Janus?” I ask her.
“Why?” she responds with suspicion.
“I just doubt his surname starts with a ‘J’. Now the name ‘Phil Anus’; that would be more appropriate. Although now I come to say it out loud, it sounds like an instruction you’d hear in a porn movie.”
…
Her hair is spread out across the pillow and her lips are slightly parted. Her features look innocent, like those of a child. Should the Christian beliefs prove correct, and we find ourselves someday at the Pearly Gates, I have no doubt that Anna will get her angel wings.
I will also get my wings.
But I will be a bat.
…
Since she was diagnosed with widespread and inoperable cervical cancer, our hotel bedroom sessions have become both increasingly violent and more theatrical in their nature. The therapist in me says this is yet another form of denial for her, that through sex she is shoring up an unsustainable defensive barrier against the reality of her imminent death. The man in me tells me to shut the fuck up and get my clothes off.
…
The huge Russian fills the doorway. Jingjai looks like a little Thai doll beside him.
“Mr. Vlad to see you, David,” she says looking slightly apprehensive that one of those big hands is going to make a grab for her bottom.
“Vlad, how are you?” I ask, rising to greet him.
“Hey, Braddock.” His pronunciation makes my name sound like Bra Dock. Maybe he has a point.
My right hand is swallowed up by his tattooed pitcher’s mitt.
“Would you like a drink?”
“You have alcohol?”
“It’s fine, Jingjai. I’ll take it from here.”
Vlad ogles her departing figure without subtlety.
“Beautiful girl,” he announces. “She any good?”
“She’s good at her job, if that’s what you mean. If that’s not what you mean, I have no idea. Sit down, Vlad. I think that chair might just about take your weight.”
…
“Is it a bad time to talk?”
“Not at all,” he says in a level, reassuring tone.
“I was just instructing one of my henchmen here exactly how I wanted him to torture a gentleman I’m holding in my cellar. I’m free now.”
…
I wonder briefly whether a schizophrenic Buddhist would be At Two with the universe.
…
Inevitably the music is loud and unmemorable unless you happen to be one of those humanoids for whom the sound of pneumatic drills digging up a road sets the feet tapping.
…
“Hey, Glass Face, how long before we get to the pier?” he said to his driver.
“We’ll be there in a few minutes. And don’t call me ‘Glass Face’.”
“Sensitive, eh? Perhaps you’d prefer it if I call you ‘Shit Face’?”
“Fuck off.”
“So what’s your proper name?”
The Thai looked at him warily in the rear view mirror before replying.
“Yueannuwong.”
“I’ll never remember that. You’ll have to put up with ‘Glass Face’.”
…
Excellently written. Well done John Dolan! I can’t wait until the next one!
PS-I love the cover! Such a clever way to link the two books together! -
Just because my bookshelves aren’t stocked with thrillers doesn’t mean that I haven’t read plenty. Nohohohoho. It just means that I haven’t found ones worth keeping – the ones I’ve read have been goddawful: boring and depressingly predictable. This is pretty much how every thriller I’ve read in the past has gone:
1. Meet the hero. Isn’t he cool?
2. Throw in a hot chick. Isn’t she sexy?
3. Someone gets killed, something blows up, someone disappears, blahdeblahblah.
4. Hot chick gets into trouble, hero cracks what the author thinks is a suave joke (*I beg to differ*) and saves her ass.
5. Hero solves the problem, gets the girl and things return to normal.
6. Leigha scratches out her eyes in frustration knowing she’s just wasted too many hours of her life she’s never going to get back.
I’ve got better things to do than waste my time on that kind of crap but John Dolan‘s book is NOT that kind of crap. In fact, Dolan’s book isn’t crap at all. Hungry Ghosts is, without a doubt, the best crime thriller I have read. It is well written: it is smart, gorgeous and complex with a main character who is so spectacularly flawed that I couldn’t help but to fall in love with him just a little bit.
Thailand one of my two favourite places in the entire world. I have been to Thailand a number of times and Dolan somehow managed to capture its spirit without once making his book feel like a travelogue. It is, as he wrote, a place where, “society…feel[s] so pervaded by magic, so permeated with the incense of mysticism,” that it is irresistible. His take on the farang (the Thai word for foreigners) and local cultures were spot on and after I began reading this book, I couldn’t help but to miss Thailand all over again: the good, the bad, and the downright insane of it.
“Kat raised the teacup to her lips, leaving on the rim a lipstick stain the colour of blood.”
This sentence is just one example of the author’s use of imagery to convey layers of meaning. By itself, the sentence is a quiet one. It is descriptive, yes, but when you read it in context it is a wall of sound. Kat is a woman with secrets. She’s cheating on her husband with P.I. David Braddock. Back in the day here in North America, adulterous women were forced to wear a scarlet letter – a blood coloured A. Kat’s trysts with David have also strayed from the normal boundaries of titillatingly illicit sex to violent BDSM: again, something traditionally viewed as the territory of prostitutes (aka scarlet women), not of “proper women and wives.” Lastly, Kat is dying of cervical cancer although only she and a handful of people including her lover David know it. She is a woman whose own womb has betrayed her and that is her biggest scarlet secret, one she cannot share while she struggles to staunch the emotional bleeding this death sentence has caused. As if these three layers of meaning weren’t enough to make me love this book, Dolan’s use of the word blood to describe Kat’s lipstick highlights her obsession with her impending death: blood is life and, more specifically, a woman’s blood is the beginning of all life but for Kat, it is death. It might just be the English major in me but that kind of intelligent and evocative imagery just makes me drool.
Finally, anyone who can wax poetic about John Donne’s worm in one line and go on in the next to write about his protagonist having silk panties stuffed into his mouth during sex (apparently, the trick there is to avoid gagging) without causing me mental whiplash deserves your attention.
This book is not only full of examples of rich, layered writing but also clever parallels that span the globe and cross all borders while highlighting the paradox of humanity: beautiful, brutal, callous, noble, and desperate. In Hungry Ghosts, Dolan wrote that there has been too much pain and poetry but I disagree. There is just enough of both in this book’s secrets and tragedies. Just enough. Khop Khun Kha for this great thriller, John. -
BJohn Dolan's Hungry Ghosts, the second installment in his Time, Blood, and Karma series is a very special book. Picking up from where the first book, Everyone Burns, left off, we find our protagonist, David Braddock dealing with a variety of personal and professional challenges. And as someone who spends a lot of time writing about damaged people, I must confess to having a special affinity for Braddock. He is a fascinating layered character who one minute is content dispensing his own version of justice, the next searching for enlightenment through a rather bizarre relationship with a Buddhist monk and Mr. Dolan's well-constructed interplay of self-analysis and criticism. While flawed, some will say deeply flawed, Braddock continues to search for truth and insight through a beautifully constructed storyline and cast of characters that bring Thai life into full view. Fortunately for all us fans of this great series, Braddock, as he himself realizes, is years - and hopefully at least a dozen more books- away from ever even landing in the same hemisphere where spiritual enlightenment resides.
The pacing is terrific throughout and Mr. Dolan's tight writing style continues to be a delight to enjoy. It's unusual to find a page turner that forces you to slow down so as not to miss the subtleties and sub-text which are seamlessly woven into the narrative. This book is so well written it deserves to be on a variety of Best of Lists for 2013.
I regularly receive complimentary copies of books, and my own To Be Read list continues to grow on a weekly basis. But when it comes to Mr. Dolan's books I've noticed two things: they always go to the top of the list; and I have no reservations about clicking the Buy Now button. Hungry Ghosts' purchase price here in the States is $3.99 and I can't think of a better way to spend four bucks. Combine the purchase with your favorite four dollar latte and I'm betting you soon find yourself savoring both.
One of the biggest questions readers, and authors as well, ask when starting a new series is; does it have legs? And I am delighted to say that it's already abundantly clear that Mr. Dolan's Time, Blood, and Karma series has enormous staying power and the ability to continue to deliver the goods. In short, not only does this series have legs, just like Braddock's numerous female companions, they are long and sturdy. -
This is the second installment in John Dolan's David Braddock (P.I. without a portfolio)Thailand based detective series. Book one ("Everyone Burns") ended with a hook (several actually) that demanded you read the next and you won't be disappointed. Book two picks up where #1 ended without missing nary a heartbeat so I personally would suggest that one read the first book to avoid waiting for the vitally needed back story to be slowly revealed (it all is, but it is better if you hit the ground running)- I would also recommend reading "Everyone Burns" on general principal just to get all the character development from that book that adds greatly to the enjoyment of the second book.
The characters that Dolan has created demand your empathy and interest - you have to keep reading to see what develops and resolves in these people's very unorthodox lives (but to not offer any overt spoilers, precious little is truly resolved and the continuing story, like real life, only becomes more complex and intriguing as it progresses). As in book one, this one also tidy ups the immediate issues but expertly draws us to eagerly look forward to the next book.
To call this installment a detective or mystery story is sorta misnomer as there is virtually no "whodunit" here, this is not to say that there is no action, violence or sex, there is plenty of each here to please the most ardent Hard Boiled fan, but the most profound mysteries considered are when the spiritual plane intersects with the profane. Exactly who or what the Ghosts of the title are and what they do, or don't want from their mortal pawns is the real question as David Braddock and his associates work out their individual and/or shared karma in a corrupt and violent landscape. Good stuff and skillfully executed.
Book three is definitely on my next-to-read list.
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This is the second of John Dolan’s David Braddock novels that I have read and I enjoyed it as much as the first ‘Everyone Burns’. Many of the characters from the first book reappear and the author takes us far deeper into their lives and especially the way that they interrelate. There are some surprising revelations here too. The main storyline follows on from the previous novel, although Dolan does a fine job of providing the necessary information so that readers who have not read it yet will not be lost or confused by the events.
I found this novel a more emotional ride than the previous one, perhaps because events that affect certain characters now carry the weight of familiarity. Dolan describes the intricate karmic world of Thailand with consummate ease, conveying a real sense of its contrasts and people to the reader. His wonderful flowing and acidly incisive descriptions of the places and characters is to the fore again as his protagonist finds himself well out of his depth in his latest case. The novel has a strong and believable storyline, as it takes his PI Braddock from the familiar surroundings of his island to the nation’s capital, Bangkok, in what appears to be a simple missing-person case and quickly evolves into something far more life threatening, and not just to the protagonist. The conclusion paves the way for the next book in the series which I will definitely read.
Although this time I did not notice any explicit references to classic detective novels or movies, Dolan’s Private Investigator still feels he would be at home in any big US city in the late 40s and 50s alongside Bogart et al, although the issues he faces in the tale are very much of the present day.
An excellent crime thriller and highly recommended.
