Looking for a list of John Burdett books in order? We’ve put one together for you, with a plot summary for each novel.
John Burdett is an English crime novelist, who practiced law in Hong Kong before splitting his time between France and Bangkok. As well as a couple of standalone novels, he is known mainly as the bestselling author of Bangkok 8 and its five sequels – all part of the thrilling Sonchai Jitpleecheep ‘Royal Thai Detective’ series.
Listed by publication year, the John Burdett books in order are as follows…
Order of Sonchai Jitpleecheep books
Bangkok Eight (2003)
In surreal Bangkok, where Buddhist monks walk the same streets as world-class gangsters, a US marine sergeant is killed inside a locked car by a maddened python and a swarm of cobras.
Two cops – the only two in Bangkok not on the take – arrive too late. Minutes later, only one is alive.
The one left standing, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, is a devout Buddhist and swears to avenge the death of his partner and soul brother.
To do so he must immerse himself in the underbelly of Bangkok – where desire rules and where he will eventually find the killer, a predator of an even more sinister variety…
Bangkok Tattoo (2006)
In District 8, the underbelly of Bangkok’s crime world, a dramatically mutilated body is found in a hotel bedroom. It looks bad, as the corpse – who’s been flayed – is CIA.
And it gets worse when the self-confessed murderer is the beautiful Chanya – the best ‘working girl’ at a club owned jointly by Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep’s mother and his boss, Police Colonel Vikorn.
A cover-up ensues but the truth will be harder to come by, and it will require Sonchai to mingle with Bangkok’s drug-dealers, prostitutes, bad cops, even worse military generals, and the pitfalls of his own melting heart.
With mesmerising characters in the hallucinogenic atmosphere of Bangkok, this is a thriller like no other.
Bangkok Haunts (2007)
Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep has anonymously been sent a terrifying snuff movie: the person who dies is Damrong, a beautiful woman he once loved and still dreams about.
He thought he’d seen it all on the streets of Bangkok’s crime-ridden District 8. But this is something else.
As slayings turn the investigation that follows into a murder inquiry, Sonchai becomes an obsessed and haunted man.
His inquiries take him to the backstreets of Phnom Penh, where street gangs are only the most visible threats; to the rooms of Bangkok’s most exclusive men’s club, whose members will do anything to explore their darkest fantasies.
The Godfather of Kathmandu (2010)
Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is summoned to investigate the most shocking murder of his career.
Whilst solving it could lead to a promotion, he is still reeling from a personal tragedy and is more interested in Tietsin, an exiled Tibetan lama living in Kathmandu.
But there are obstacles in Sonchai’s path to enlightenment.
His boss, Police Colonel Vikorn and Army General Zinna are at war again for control of Bangkok’s illegal network of enterprises – and Tietsin has forty million dollars’ worth of heroin for sale.
Could things get any more complicated for Sonchai?
Vulture Peak (2012)
Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is put in charge of Thailand’s highest-profile criminal case: he must attempt to halt the trafficking of human organs.
He orchestrates a massive sting operation and stays at its heart, traveling to Phuket, Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, and Monte Carlo.
Along the way he meets a plethora of strange characters – from an aging rock star who has worn out his second liver, to the mysterious, appalling, albeit gorgeous Queen Pins of the international body-parts trade: the Chinese twins who are known as the Vultures.
But there is also trouble at home, as rumours suggest that his wife, Chanya, is having an affair. How much will Sonchai have to compromise in order to get the job done?
The Bangkok Asset (2015)
In his latest case, Sonchai Jitpleecheep is partnered with young, female Inspector Krom – a socially savyy and technological prodigy.
In the midst of a typhoon, they witness a deadly demonstration of super-human strength from a man who is seemingly controlled by a CIA operative.
Could the Americans be testing out a new type of super-soldier on Thai soil? And why are Bangkok and the international community so eager to turn a blind eye?
Sonchai must venture to a hidden Cambodian jungle compound for aging US vets, where he will discover exactly how far a government will go to protect the worst of its secrets – both past and present.
Order of John Burdett standalone novels
A Personal History of Thirst (1996)
James Knight is an ambitious and wealthy London lawyer.
He has always denied his lower-class background and carefully moulded his public persona, in order to climb the social and professional ladder of the British legal system.
As he prepares to become a Queen’s counsel barrister – the highest rank a lawyer can hold – illicit details from his past begin to emerge; including his experimenting with sex and drugs, relationship with a brilliant and beautiful American woman, and friendship with a thief.
Now, eleven years later, one is dead and two are suspected of murder. And a bizarre love story begins to unfold.
The Last Six Million Seconds (1997)
As the period of British rule in Hong Kong nears its end, three heads are found floating in the harbour.
The Chief of Police – Chan Siu-kai – embarks on a search for the killer and uncovers the chilling truth about a possible British cover-up.
That’s it for now – all of the John Burdett books in order!
Have you read any of these books yet? Maybe you’ve read them all? Let us know in the comments below…