The Thai detective tells his story in the first person to an anonymous farang (a gaijin we would say in Japan), and therefore laces it with engaging intercultural observations. He is also a devout Buddhist with a "practically religious" world-view and the philosophical subtext is an interesting aspect of the novels. We get a most vivid, even hypnotic, picture of Bangkok's underbelly - of Patpong and its sex trade, but told in an almost nonchalant and clean way, and minus any sleaze. The women working in the bars of Soi Cowboy are the real protagonists of these novels.
Readers not familiar with Asia, Buddhism or Thailand may feel they have landed in a very alien universe, but John Burdett is a most expert guide. In fact, the strangeness is the biggest selling-point of these novels, plus the great atmosphere of Bangkok, the city that pulses through every sentence. The suspense is not only caused by the sensational plots, but also by the tension of being immersed in a radically different culture.
John Burdett's Bangkok novels are: Bangkok 8, Bangkok Tattoo and Bangkok Haunts. Burdett is now working on a fourth novel (which he says will be the last). There are plans to film Bangkok 8, which sold 100,000 copies in the U.S.
See also this article in the International Herald Tribune. John Burdett's website has book extracts, interviews and a free short story.
