My Reviews
Casting a Critical Eye Over Other Books
A Bangkok Mystery with Historical Heft
In The Case of the Two-Faced Killer, Mithran Somasundrum avoids all the seamy Bangkok cliches and the usual Thai stereotypes to draw blood from classic archetypes of the mystery genre mixed with contemporary settings and some blasts of Cambodian history. Despite the...
Ode to All the Unsung Editors
Editors are the goalkeepers of the publishing world, saving many a writer from making heinous mistakes, or unclogging the constipated flow of a story, but they get little attention from readers and a whole lotta flak from writers. Paul Dorsey was not only a veteran...
Why Old Thailand Expats Never Really Leave the Kingdom
Many Thailand expats leave the the country only to return later. Retired author and former Youtuber Steve Rosse is one of them. His series of autobiographical pieces, Leaving Thailand, elaborates on the kingdom´s many allures and the challenges of living there. It...
Rewatching a Film Noir Classic for Noirvember
Noirvember is a grand time to rewatch some of my favorite film noir movies, like The Third Man, DOA and Woman on the Run, as well as unearth some other diamonds in the rough, like Cover Up, with its punchy tagline: It Takes More than a Kiss to Cover Up a Killing. To...
The Tribulations of the Trial by Franz Kafka
The Trial by Franz Kafka is one of those books that continues to bewilder many readers even a century after it was written. As a student and critic of existential lit and philosophy, Jim Algie makes a case for the novel’s ongoing relevance. Among the dwindling...
Time’s Arrow: The Death and Rebirth of Martin Amis
Upon the passing of the noteworthy author, Martin Amis, Jim Algie recalls his favourite novel by him, Time’s Arrow, which unfolds in reverse and leads back to the Nazi death camps. That period also inspired a more recent novel called “The Zone of...
True Crime Show Zeroes in on Thai Serial Killer Who Targeted Masseuses
After a convicted serial killer dubbed Thailand’s “Jack the Ripper” was released from jail in 2019 only to kill again, Jim Algie looks back at a true crime show from 2013 called “The Masseuse Murders” which chronicles his deadly exploits....
Former MTV Host Gives Phantom Lover Major Review in Asia’s Biggest English Daily
David Kendall, the former creator and host of the MTV alt.rock show “120 Minutes,” gives the Phantom Lover collection of horror and noir a four-star review in the South China Morning Post, Asia’s biggest English-language daily, in its January 3, 2015...
The Most Heinous Flesh Trade: Book Review of Vulture Peak by John Burdett
In the bestselling mystery series by John Burdett, the Phuket-set entry, Vulture Peak, which deals with the gruesome organ trade, may be the most compelling and moving of the six novels. Review by Jim Algie. Starting with the brilliantly warped Bangkok 8, the series...
Sexy Quest for Unholy Grail
In The Book of the Most Precious Substance Sara Gran probes those grey areas between the mind, the libido and magic in a mystery about the world’s oldest obsession. Story by Jim Algie. Should every seemingly objective review begin with a totally subjective disclaimer?...
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