Inspector Zhang And The Dead Thai Gangster by Stephen Leather Read Free Book Online

“But the real mystery is who recommended Mr. Gottesman in the first place, and I fear that is one mystery that will never be solved.
    “Perhaps you could help the Thai Police with the investigation.”
    Inspector Zhang’s smile widened. “What a wonderful idea, Sergeant. I shall offer them my services.”
    THE END
     
    There are three more Inspector Zhang cases available on Kindle – Inspector Zhang Gets His Wish, Inspector Zhang And The Falling Woman, and Inspector Zhang And The Disappearing Drugs. And there will be more cases for Inspector Zhang to solve in the near future.  
    In the meantime, if you would like to meet another detective based in Asia, why not try Bangkok Bob and the Missing Mormon ?
    Long-term Bangkok resident and former New Orleans cop Bob Turtledove has the knack of getting people out of difficult situations. So when a young man from Utah goes missing in Bangkok, his parents are soon knocking on Bob’s door asking for help.
    But what starts out as a simple missing person case takes a deadly turn as Bangkok Bob’s search for the missing Mormon brings him up against Russian gangsters, hired killers, corrupt cops and kickboxing thugs. And he learns that even in the Land of Smiles , people can have murder on their minds.
    Here are the first few chapters:
     

 
    CHAPTER 1
    She was wearing a lurid Versace silk shirt, had a diamond-studded Rolex watch on her wrist, diamante Gucci sunglasses perched on top of her head and a Louis Vuitton handbag on her lap. She pretty much had all brand name bases covered but she still looked like a sixty-year-old woman with more money than taste. She had brought her large Mercedes to a stop next to a fruit stall and she wound down the passenger side window and waved a ring-encrusted hand at the fruit vendor. I was sitting behind her in a taxi that had only just managed to avoid slamming into her trunk.
    The fruit vendor was also in her sixties but had clearly had a much harder life than the woman in the Mercedes. Her face was pockmarked with old acne scars and her stomach bulged against her stained apron as she weighed out mangoes for a young housewife.   The fruit vendor pocketed the housewife’s money and waddled over to the car and bent down to listen to the woman, then nodded and hurried back to her stall. The driver tapped out a number on her cell phone and began an animated conversation.
    “Hi-so,” said my taxi driver, pulling a face. He wound down his window, cleared his throat, and spat a stream of greenish phlegm into the street.
    Hi-so.
    High society.
    From a good family. But in Thailand being from a good family didn’t necessarily equate to good manners. The woman in the Mercedes almost certainly wasn’t aware of the dozen or so cars waiting patiently for her to get out of the way. And even if she was aware, she wouldn’t have cared. After all, she had the Mercedes and the diamond-encrusted Rolex and we didn’t, so it really didn’t matter that she was holding us up. It was the natural order of things.
    There was no point in getting upset. She would move when she was ready, and not before and there was nothing that I or the taxi driver could say or do that would change that. Acceptance was the only option.
    The Thais have an expression for it.
    Jai yen.
    Cool heart.
    Don’t worry.
    Be happy.
    Sometimes, for emphasis, they say jai yen yen.
    Real cool heart.
    I settled back in my seat and turned to the letters page of the Bangkok Post. A reader in Chiang Mai was complaining about the air quality. The farmers around the city were carrying out their annual field burnings and the mayor had warned the population to stay indoors with their windows closed. A Manchester City fan was complaining that he could only get a Thai commentary for his team’s last match. A reader in Bangkok was complaining about his erratic cable wi-fi service. For many people Thailand was the Land Of Smiles , but the average Bangkok Post reader seemed to spend most of his time