Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye: True stories from the case files of Warren Olson

Fun. Ever wonder why most Thai food restaurants in the West are so terrible? Many are run by former bargirls who can't cook to save their lives, that's why. Men who go to Thailand, play with the hookers for a few weeks, go home and leave it at that won't have any trouble. But the ones who fall in love almost always do. Western women don't come out of this book looking very good either. If a guy isn't conventionally handsome and pulling down at least 100k a year many women won't look at him twice. He's not a "catch". Feminism stops at the church altar. At least a Thai hooker is fairly upfront. No matter the guy, she's his as long as he's paying.

This is a very entertaining book. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you might not believe it all. But I do. I've never lived there, but having spent a cumulative 2 years in the Land of Smiles, I got a smile or many from Mr. Olson's book. I was never a private eye, but his encounters conjured up some memories of my own experiences from a life a long time ago. Don't skip the afterword. It may very well be the most important information. Warren talks about the wonderful Thai people, and his own relationship with his wife. My situation was similar. A wife from meager beginnings, who worked hard in the hotel and transportation industries. She is brilliant woman and a wonderful wife of two and half decades. Warren's words are close to my own experience. Well done, Sir.

If you are a guy who is planning a trip to Thailand and dreams about spinning the Teerak roulette wheel while there, this book is a MUST READ! Particularly so if you are a newbie. If you are 'handsum man' and already have been there-done that, you will find these P I tales to be highly entertaining and fun reading.I loved this book. For a more sobering take on the BKK bargirl scene, read Leather's Private Dancer.

I am a massive John Burdett fan (I've even read A Personal History of Thirst which I had to buy in *gasp* hardback) - and I worship Nancy Chandler so when I noticed her refferal of Private Dancer on her online map updates I had to read it and was very impressed. And then after - since I'm out of Burdett books and Koh Samui guides to read - I was like "what else has this Leather guy been up to?"Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye did not disappoint. I would actually like to give it 3.5 stars - but more 4 than 3. It's fast paced and has a good balance of grit. A little light on character development but since when did true stories need that? I'm becoming a Stephen Leather fan. He's no Burdett, but like a hot bar girl when a sexpat's favorite is already barfined, he will do quite nicely ;)And Leather wrote this book, I doubt if Olson could write his way out of 3 paper bags... (Although the dude is multi-lingual and I can barely spell in English so perhaps shouldn't condescend)I'm gonna go read the sequel now. Currently I'm pretty busy with my imminent two months in Thailand to pack for, but I could see actually reading Leather's books that aren't set in Thailand at some point...

This book needed some proofreading, because there were spelling mistakes all over the place. There was also a lot of repetition of certain things-- which may have been deliberate. Because the author wanted the reader to remember these things, he repeated them enough times so that they were emblazoned into our memories.There were also a fair number of witty quotes throughout the book that could come in useful for everyday life.One thing that I didn't know was the rampant corruption that seems prevalent in Thailand. (It is interesting that they have so many coups and stay so poor year after year-- in spite of having a country where the population is homogeneous and hard working.)Some things in the book stretched the limits of credulity. For example: The author claims to have spoken Thai like a native and that the natives couldn't tell the difference between him and a native speak. Oh, and he happens to speak Laotian and the Isaan language, plus at least two others. (He may have spoken a fifth language-- "Isarn," but I can't tell if this language is not the same as "Isaan," only misspelled.)The author also seems to have something of an ego, and it comes through in the tales in very subtle ways. ("I'm a pretty good looking guy," etc.)Overall, this is worth the purchase price if you can get it second hand. I'm glad that I didn't pay more for it than I did.

A series of true cases undertaken by a Kiwi private detective based in Bangkok. Sometimes a little repetitive but nonetheless interesting with a good insight into how things work in Thailand, rather enlightening. It makes you wonder about the stupidity of men when they visit that country. Some are aware of the pitfalls but still persist in pursuing their "dream" romance. A good read.

This man knows how to keep your attention. His prior book called private dancer mirrored a portion of life during 2006, 07 in which I was smitten by a gorgeous Thai lady, although not a bar girl, she was playing me like a fiddle. I finally saw the light 3 weeks before she came to America. I'm not saying all Thai ladies are bad. I found one and she is here with me in America and things couldn't be better. So guys please buy a set and get a beautiful young girl and be happy as I am. It can happen.... This book is great...Hell I will even help get here

Good review of Bangkok. Bought for personal use.

The experiences of a private detective in Thailand. The detective in this book helps trace girlfriends of ex pats who visited Thailand & proposed to Thai girls & then went home to their wives or home to work. They want to know if the girl is having an affair with other men while they are away . In some cases the bar girls have more than one farange (male from other countries)sending money to keep her from prostitution.A very good read before you visit Thailand.

Leather spent a lot of time in South East Asia and indeed Bangkok and penned these stories from a true expat private eye hired by wives to check on roaming expat men, or the gullible love/sex struck tourist who has fallen for Asian delights and wants to check on their sincerity. The stories are unbelievably true and show insights into the culture clash between the West and Thai society and the extent that poverty drives behaviour and industry in Thailand. At the same time the stories are amusing, seemingly outrageous for Western readers and a guilty pleasure to read. If however, you read each story in continuation, there is a lot of repetition as they were originally penned as stand-alone pieces and hence each has similar introductions and context. If you enjoy this I recommend you checking out Jake Needham.

THE FIRST COUPLE OF STORIES ARE OK, BUT AFTER THAT IT IS JUST REPETATIVE.

Having read Stephen Leather's Private Dancer I had high hopes for Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye. Unfortunately it did not meet my expectations. Although easy to read it was very repetitive and I felt the story-teller was embellishing his 'good-guy' role throughout. However I did finish the book mainly because it contained some good short stories (case studies?). [...]

If ever you are going to Bangkok this book together with Private Dancer by Stephen Leather is a must read . Confessions is a book of cases from Warren Olsen that covers all manner of situations concerning foreigners with Thai girls ,you will learn a lot from reading it .