Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #169813 in Books
• Published on: 1999
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

From the Author
Thailand: an exotic and dangerous journey
Like many people who have lived in Thailand, I still have many wonderful memories of the Land of Smiles. But it is also true that a farang (foreigner) is not always aware of what is really going on behind the scenes. The smiles, while genuine, mislead us into thinking that what is presented on the surface is the only reality. In Kingdom of Make-Believe, a New York publisher who once served in Thailand during the Vietnam War receives a plea for help from his late brother's Thai widow. As he was also in love with the woman himself before she chose to marry his brother, his emotions while returning to Thailand for the first time in over 20 years run high. But he gradually discovers that the nostalgic portrait he carried of Thailand Past bears little resemblance to reality, and he begins to uncover deception, danger and death. He also learns of the guilt of those he had befriended and even loved. Scenes in the novel range from Manhattan's Greenwich Village to a typhoon-ravaged Hong Kong to Thailand's notorious nightlife and warlord betrayals inside the Golden Triangle. I hope readers find this to be a gripping mystery and exotic thriller, but, at its heart, it is the story of a man coming to terms with reality and with himself. I first arrived in Thailand as a Chinese linguist with the Army Security Agency during the Vietnam War. I returned to the United States and received my Masters Degree in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii. I later returned to Asia and lived for 17 years in Hong Kong and Bangkok writing, editing and publishing. I'm pleased to say that my writing and photography on Thailand have won several awards including the PATA Grand Prize for Excellence. I'm always pleased to hear comments about the novel and hope readers might like my next novel set in Thailand, Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior. -

Customer Reviews

not bad... but not brilliant either...
I find the book sloting into my 'easy reading' category when I had gone through the first few pages. Having lived in Thailand for a long period of time myself, the book brings back some memory (although I am not familiar with the bar scene this book talks about at great length).

Although, I do not feel that it is a fair reflection of the country (just a matter of opinion)-it is a novel after all. Dare I say it seems to reflect a typical 'farang' view of the country?

Chapters are very short which did annoy me a bit.

All I can say is that it is an entertaining read-all right for a Sunday afternoon giggle-but should not be taken seriously.

Brings back Memories
I was in Thailand about ten years ago and this novel sure brings back memories. A really exotic read but the writer gets behind the scenes. The main character is a very thoughtful one; not just an action-adventure hero. A really fine novel by someone who obviously knows a thing or two about Thailand!

Thailand as it Really is!
Kingdom of Make-Believe captures a slice of Thailand as it really is -- and was. The novel could only have been written by one who has experienced the Kingdom -- and felt the pangs of seeing its magic mirrors crack and shatter." Denis Gray, Chief of Bureau, AP, Bangkok