Thrill of the shady side

'Bangkok Noir' flushes crime and dark passion from beneath city sidewalks

Christopher Moore is someone ideally placed to put together a book of crime fiction based in Bangkok - having written more than 20 novels since arriving in Thailand in the late 1980s. The Canadian writer, author of the popular crime series featuring Detective Vincent Calvino, spoke recently about the attraction of the city's dark side at the launch of "Bangkok Noir" at the Foreign Correspondents Club.

"Noir" fiction, he said, is a genre that's become popular internationalฌly, with millions enjoying books about crime that takes them down life's more dangerous backstreets.

It deals with the darker side of life - "someone trying to outrun their destiny, tales of love betrayal, the supernatural, drunks, dreamers, junkies, killers ... there's a certain kind of fatalism attached to the stories", Moore said.

Putting such a book together, he acknowledged, was "something there for the taking", given "the richness of the stories and the writers that live in Bangkok". He sought and found a good crosssection of the best-known writers, although he was unable to find a woman writer of note.

"I was able to attract a fair number of accomplished writers to contribute to this series." Seated beside him at the book launch were other writers with familiar names - Dean Barrett, John Burdett, Tew Bunnag, Vasit Dejkunjorn and Collin Piprell - and a dummy representing Colin Cotterill.

The English author behind the hilarious adventures of Dr Siri Paiboon, the mystical Lao coroner, was unable to attend the event in person.

Another half dozen writers contributed to the book, including Stephen Leather (author of the topselling "Private Dancer"), Pico Iyer ("Video Night in Kathmandu"), Alex Kerr ("Bangkok Found"), Timothy Hallinan and Eric Stone.

The result was always likely to succeed, given such a formidable lineup and the inclusion of Thai writers such as Bunnag and Vasit. The latter, a former police general, is a National Artist who's written more than 20 books, some of which have been turned into films and TV series.

The stories range widely, from murder mysteries to psychological intrigue. Not all the contributors are crimefiction specialists, but there's something in the book for everyone: light entertainment with twists in the telling.

The book's launch was amusing and insightful as well. General Vasit, 80, admitted being a bit confused upon being invited to write a noir short story - it sounded like the Isaan word for "tasty". Moore explained the focus was on crime and life's "gritty realism".

Vasit - who had a long police career before becoming an aide to, respectively, His Majesty the King, a senator and a deputy Interior minister - pointed out that the real noir activities, like people smuggling and other crimes, happen "on the border", not so much in Bangkok.