Australian Crime Fiction Database

Behind the Night Bazaar by Angela Savage

From the Dustjacket

Thirty-something Australian Jayne Keeney works as a PI in Bangkok. Shaken by a serious incident, she heads north to visit her close friend Didier in Chiang Mai, though there's no relief for her there. Murder is in the air and the police, led by Lieutenant Colonel Ratratarn, have no interest in justice. But Jayne does. With some help from Arthur Conan Doyle she digs deep - past the tacky glamour of the city's clubs and bars, arrogant expats, corrupt officials, and a steamy affair - to find out just what happened behind the Night Bazaar.

Publisher : Text Publishing

First published : 2006

ISBN : 1921145226

No. Pages : 292 pages

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Review

In a resounding debut novel, Angela Savage has introduced the resourceful Jayne Keeney, an Australian woman working as a private detective in Bangkok. Behind the Night Bazaar is an exotic detective novel tinged with darkness that fearlessly plunges into the dangerous Thai backstreets, with a plot that unfolds with defiant assurance.

The story's protagonist, Jayne Keeney is an expat Aussie who fled her native land to escape the prospect of a dull, predictable life course that promised marriage, children and a mortgage. She worked as an English teacher before helping one of her students out by doing a little bit of surveillance on a suspected cheating partner. Her success prompted more demand for her services until finally, she decided to chuck the teaching and take up private detecting.

A serious hardboiled crime fiction devotee, Jayne enjoys nothing better than arguing the merits of the genre with her good friend, and cosy mystery reader, Didier de Montpasse. Didier is a resident of Chiang Mai and Jayne is about to spend the weekend passing the time with her friend. So upon her arrival in Chiang Mai she looks forward to the prospect of spending some stimulating time with Didier and his boyfriend, Nau. Unfortunately for Jayne, life is about to take an unexpected turn for the worst.

After a night out with her friends at a gay bar in an out of the way part of the city behind the bustling Night Bazaar, she is greeted by the images on the front page of the newspaper of a disturbing murder involving a horribly mutilated body. To make matters worse she is horrified to read further on in the paper about a second related death that has huge implications for her.

Her world is rocked but, after the initial grief subsides it is replaced by cold anger and Jayne decides to postpone her trip home to Bangkok so that she might investigate the matter herself. She's certain of at least 2 things: the police's claims about the killer of the first man are wrong; and, the second death, although treated as an accident, was the result of a murder. Tied into all of this somehow is a loud opposition to night clubs catering to denizens of the city's underground child sex industry. All of which is simply too coincidental to be ignored.

She has to prepare herself to take on people whose morals are non-existent and who are motivated solely by greed and lust. The odds of success are not going to be high.

The back alleys of Chiang Mai can be a very dangerous place, particularly if you are a farang (white foreigner) who is wanted by a corrupt police force intent on ensuring you're kept silent. Brought under the spotlight is the sex industry and the corruption that has been allowed to fester under the country's skin.

There is a palpable undercurrent of danger that stalks Jayne as she sets about her task of avenging her dead friend. To a certain extent this is down to the stranger in a strange land situation that ensures she will always stand out in a crowd. But the high stakes and money involved means that there will be plenty of motivation to shut her down.

The story is set on a tingling knife edge dominated by the ruthless nature of police lieutenant Ratratarn and his men. Jayne is up against a relentless enemy and the tone of the novel reflects that. The seedy nightclubs on the dark city backstreets provide a suitably bleak backdrop to the story and Jayne is fortunate enough to run into an unlikely ally in an Australian Federal Police officer working in Thailand looking to gather evidence against Australian nationals profiting from the child sex industry. Although they form an alliance, it's not certain that they're both working towards the same goal.

Angela Savage writes with engaging clarity and displays a deep understanding of Thailand and its customs and conveys them admirably. She peppers the narrative with Thai words and phrases that enhances the authenticity of the story and nicely brings the place to life. Her descriptions of the surroundings are suffused with a stark clarity which goes a significant way to setting the desperate tone of the story.

Behind the Night Bazaar earned Angela Savage a 2004 Victoria Premiers Literary Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript (entered under the title Thai Died) and it has proven to be a thoroughly enjoyable thriller. The exotic setting, a smooth storyline and an accomplished, innovative and likable protagonist combine to leave you craving more.