Sonchai Jitplecheep, the son of a GI and a Thai bar girl and an honest Bangkok cop, investigates the murder of a charismatic African-American Marine sergeant, killed by a python and a swarm of cobras in a locked car, and the subsequent death of his partner, making his way through a world of illicit drugs, prostitution, and corruption to find a vicious killer. Reprint. 100,000 first printing.