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Serpentine : A True Odyssey of Love and Murderous Evil
This acclaimed book reconstructs the bizarre, bloody journey of a mesmerizing but sinister young man named Charles Sobhraj. Journeying back and forth over half the globe - from the boulevards of Paris to the slopes of Mount Everest to the underbellies of Bangkok and Hong Kong - Sobhraj left in his wake a trail of baffling mystery and inexplicable horror. He also led the police of a dozen nations on a chase that ended at least twelve and possibly twenty-four corpses later with a mere seven-year prison sentence in Delhi. Since when he has been released...In masterly fashion Thompson examines the lives not only of the intelligent, charismatic, conscienceless and thoroughly dangerous Sobhraj but also of the unsuspecting victims that he drugged, robbed, sometimes tortured and without a qualm killed. First published in 1979, Serpentine continues to offer a reading experience as frightening as it is unforgettable.
576 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
728 people are currently reading
2407 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Thompson
219 books85 followersHe was born in Texas and graduated from the University of Texas in 1955. He then worked as a reporter and editor at the Houston Press.
Thompson joined Life Magazine in 1961 and became an editor and staff writer. While at Life he covered the JFK assassination and was the first writer to locate Lee Harvey Oswald's home and wife. Among his stories were coverage of the making of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, in which he revealed the group's extensive drug use; an in-depth look at Frank Sinatra and his alleged Mafia ties; and the 40th and 50th birthdays of Elizabeth Taylor.
His book Hearts (1971) concerned the rivalry between Houston surgeons Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley at the dawn of the heart transplant era. Richie: The Ultimate Tragedy Between One Decent Man and the Son He Loved (1973) was the story of a Long Island man who killed his drug-addicted son. This was made into a TV-movie called The Death of Richie. Thompson's most successful book was Blood and Money (1976). It was based on a true story of scandal and murder. The book sold four million copies in fourteen languages. Thompson also wrote Serpentine (1979), the story of convicted murderer Charles Sobhraj. Thompson wrote one novel, Celebrity (1982), which was on the national best-seller list for six months. That novel became the basis for a five hour mini series in 1984.
Thompson received the National Headliner Award for investigative reporting. He was also the 1977 Edgar Award winner for Blood and Money.
"Thompson first wrote Western stories for pulp magazines in 1940 after stints as a sailor, a nightclub entertainer, a secretary and a furniture salesman. He later published hundreds of articles in national general-interest magazines and wrote 25 Western novels, including “Range Drifter,” “Shadow of the Butte” and “Bitter Water.” (latimes.com)
He was a co-founder and president in 1957 of Western Writers of America and later received two of that group’s Spur Awards for his writing. Thompson was a life member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame."
Thompson's family believed that the liver disease that caused his death was contracted in the Far East while investigating the Charles Sobhraj saga. When he became ill, Thomas was teaching writing at the University of Southern California.
Thompson joined Life Magazine in 1961 and became an editor and staff writer. While at Life he covered the JFK assassination and was the first writer to locate Lee Harvey Oswald's home and wife. Among his stories were coverage of the making of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, in which he revealed the group's extensive drug use; an in-depth look at Frank Sinatra and his alleged Mafia ties; and the 40th and 50th birthdays of Elizabeth Taylor.
His book Hearts (1971) concerned the rivalry between Houston surgeons Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley at the dawn of the heart transplant era. Richie: The Ultimate Tragedy Between One Decent Man and the Son He Loved (1973) was the story of a Long Island man who killed his drug-addicted son. This was made into a TV-movie called The Death of Richie. Thompson's most successful book was Blood and Money (1976). It was based on a true story of scandal and murder. The book sold four million copies in fourteen languages. Thompson also wrote Serpentine (1979), the story of convicted murderer Charles Sobhraj. Thompson wrote one novel, Celebrity (1982), which was on the national best-seller list for six months. That novel became the basis for a five hour mini series in 1984.
Thompson received the National Headliner Award for investigative reporting. He was also the 1977 Edgar Award winner for Blood and Money.
"Thompson first wrote Western stories for pulp magazines in 1940 after stints as a sailor, a nightclub entertainer, a secretary and a furniture salesman. He later published hundreds of articles in national general-interest magazines and wrote 25 Western novels, including “Range Drifter,” “Shadow of the Butte” and “Bitter Water.” (latimes.com)
He was a co-founder and president in 1957 of Western Writers of America and later received two of that group’s Spur Awards for his writing. Thompson was a life member of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame."
Thompson's family believed that the liver disease that caused his death was contracted in the Far East while investigating the Charles Sobhraj saga. When he became ill, Thomas was teaching writing at the University of Southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
October 6, 2019
4.5 stars —- I just finished “Serpentine” by Thomas Thompson and can tell you, I was totally consumed by this well researched tour-de-force. I absolutely loved “Blood and Money” and I plan on reading all of Thompson’s books before I die. He was truly a great writer that wrote colossal size books that hold the reader entranced from beginning to end. I’m not sure that I ever heard of Charles Sobhraj before opening this book. Thompson does such a good job of painting a picture of what may be the most prolific, world traveling serial killer ever to live, I feel I personally witnessed the events. Thompson does a great job of painting the full picture of the man from the beginning of his life until he was caught and imprisoned. The amount of worldwide interviews and research Thompson must have done in order to get the details he did must have taken years. I just hate Thompson didn’t get to write a sequel as to the rest of Sobhraj’s life after his first trial but I am sure he would not have been surprised by any of it ( I wasn’t after reading Thompson’s treatise). I will say this book whets my appetite for the upcoming Netflix series on Sobhraj entitled “The Serpent”. If it is half as good as this book expect some Emmys.
November 14, 2019
4.5 Stars. It's extremely long but totally worth it.
March 28, 2023
One of the best ever true crime books I've read. How this author managed to know so much about this case is beyond me but the way he writes is so great. I loved everything of this book. It is so exiting and he brings you to another world,and you are never bored.
This book will take you all over the world and the writer manages to keep you exited. It reads as a great adventure novel but in reality it is a non fictional true crime book. I wish more true crime writers could write like this. Neutral but not in a boring just the facts kind of way.
This book will take you all over the world and the writer manages to keep you exited. It reads as a great adventure novel but in reality it is a non fictional true crime book. I wish more true crime writers could write like this. Neutral but not in a boring just the facts kind of way.
January 15, 2014
For years the works of Thomas Thompson disappeared. There was no ebay. Libraries seemed to not know it existed. What happened? I have no idea but I do know that I loved his work. This piece is chilling. It's the story of an international sociopath, a combination of the worst serial killers and a Houdini. I promise that this is not a read that will be done over the course of months, a few pages at a time. This author knows how to craft a story that keeps you engaged. He writes simple and there no great intellect or philosophy--pure story.
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August 7, 2024big ol 30oz tomahawk steak of a true crime, & check out the marbling: you got a transasiatic poisoning spree! a jewelry heist! escape from an afghan prison using only a cup! uh, a belgian w/ wooden teeth! charles sobhraj super fascinating too, even @ his most petulant: you wonder what the dude coulda accomplished w/ a little timely nurturing, or conversely what further havoc he mighta wrought were he like 10% more focused. trial is a snore & orientalism creeps in here & there but the meatiness of the narrative & compassion for the victims are on par w/ jack olsen at his best. (fun fact: before the gianni versace murder, gary indiana had planned to write a novel about this case. what might have been...)
August 18, 2017
Thompson seems to be Charles Shobhraj's shadow during this entire episode of Charles' life. At times it seems he is deep within Charles to see his weaknesses, that seems to elude almost everyone, except Charles and Thompson.
Charles was astute. He was charismatic and charming to women and men alike. He had a mystical magnetism about him that led many to their deaths and left the ones whose life was spared, with deep mental and emotional scars.
Thompson here has achieved something incredible. You hate this serial killer almost the entire book. Every time he finds a new prey, you want to scream and ask them to get away from him. However, there is something deep within you, that is not entirely convinced, that he is a mad man. You are not entirely sure whether you want him to be hanged or you want him to have a good life, leave it all behind and settle somewhere. This is the unbelievable part. Thompson's story, conveys the hypnotism of Charles' personality so realistically, that you are smitten by him somewhere deep down, even though you know all about him. He makes you feel, how Charles did it, every single time. He makes you feel like his victims. Charmed and helpless!
Charles was astute. He was charismatic and charming to women and men alike. He had a mystical magnetism about him that led many to their deaths and left the ones whose life was spared, with deep mental and emotional scars.
Thompson here has achieved something incredible. You hate this serial killer almost the entire book. Every time he finds a new prey, you want to scream and ask them to get away from him. However, there is something deep within you, that is not entirely convinced, that he is a mad man. You are not entirely sure whether you want him to be hanged or you want him to have a good life, leave it all behind and settle somewhere. This is the unbelievable part. Thompson's story, conveys the hypnotism of Charles' personality so realistically, that you are smitten by him somewhere deep down, even though you know all about him. He makes you feel, how Charles did it, every single time. He makes you feel like his victims. Charmed and helpless!
January 24, 2016
Traces the life and crimes of Charles Sobhraj and his merry crew of theieves and killers. An amazing odyssey led by a man with a remarkably weak sense of right and wrong. Not as spectacular as everyone led me to expect, but still a good story.
May 5, 2015
This book is more like a documentary of Charles Sobhraj’s life than a novel. The way Thomas Thompson has written it though, reads more like a murder novel.
Charles Sobhraj was born to an Indonesian mother and Indian father out of wedlock. Charles father, a tailor, abandoned Song, Charles mother, and young Charles when he found out that she was pregnant with his child. He already had a wife and children back in India. Song tried to raise her son alone in French Saigon at the time, when she met a French Lieutenant who was willing to marry Song and bring her to Paris along with Charles. In the meantime Song was expecting a child from her French Lieutenant. Charles was excited to move to France as he was 10 years old by now. While in France, Charles became, not that he was not already, a troublesome youth. He would skip school, steal, run away from home, wanting to go back to his father, who by now, had become quite rich living in Saigon. Song, tired of trying to discipline her son, willingly let him go to his father. But his father could not take his son’s malevolence and shipped him back to France. Rejected, Charles escaped again and tried to go to other countries by stowing away in ships. But he was always found and returned to his mother in Paris.
Eventually Charles came of age that he no longer needed his mother’s approval to leave France. He finally made his way to India on his own, by manipulating people, luring them to his schemes, persuading them to steal, drug and even kill people every time he needed money. He never worked a day in his life. In the meantime he married a French woman, Chantal, had a child with her and the three of them traveled throughout Europe and Asia. When his wife realized what he was doing, she was able to leave India with her daughter secretly, and return to France. Charles angry that Chantal was able to escape him, swore that he will find her and bring his daughter back to him. Meanwhile, he continued with his atrocities.
Later on, he lured a French Canadian girl, Marie Andre Leclerc, to be with him. Even though she saw how he was and what he was doing, she had no willpower or the guts to leave him because she loved him. Her passport lost, her visa expired and with no money, she stayed with him till his conviction. She knew of the murders but she couldn’t do anything about it, because she was afraid of her life. In the meantime, Charles involved more people into his schemes with his charm and sex appeal. But God forbid to the poor western tourists who fell under his fascinating magnetism. Charles was able to fool anyone. He had this aura of wealth, spoke four or five different languages, and he flashed gold watches and jewelry. He posed as a gem dealer and that’s how he lured his victims to trust him; ensuring them that he can find good deals in rubies, sapphires, opals than trusting any reputable jewelry store. Then he would poison them with pills or potions that caused dysentery and he would take care of them for days till, if they fit the bill, he would train them to steal; if not he would kill them and take all their possessions; passports, visas, clothes, travelers checks.
Between 1972 and 1976 it is believed that Charles Sobhraj killed between 12 to 24 people according to New York Times. The book ends with Charles’s trial in India and he is sentenced for the murders for only seven years of hard labor. The book was written in 1979 while Charles Sobhraj is still serving his sentence in Tihar, “the” Indian jail. But Charles Sobhraj, now that the East knows of him, has set his eyes to the West. A vast country where he feels that he will be incognito. The United States.
The book reads like a murder mystery. It is very well written, and the narrative keeps you hooked with interesting dialogue among the characters. I found myself intrigued by the story but also angry at the way people trusted Charles in a strange country. I was also upsetting to find out how the judicial system works in the East, especially in India. Charles was able to manipulate guards, lawyers and judges to have what he wanted even though he might have been into solitary confinement. He was able to escape from prisons and continue his killings. He was called the Serpent of his numerous escapes from highly guarded prisons, thus the book name “Serpentine”.
Charles Sobhraj was born to an Indonesian mother and Indian father out of wedlock. Charles father, a tailor, abandoned Song, Charles mother, and young Charles when he found out that she was pregnant with his child. He already had a wife and children back in India. Song tried to raise her son alone in French Saigon at the time, when she met a French Lieutenant who was willing to marry Song and bring her to Paris along with Charles. In the meantime Song was expecting a child from her French Lieutenant. Charles was excited to move to France as he was 10 years old by now. While in France, Charles became, not that he was not already, a troublesome youth. He would skip school, steal, run away from home, wanting to go back to his father, who by now, had become quite rich living in Saigon. Song, tired of trying to discipline her son, willingly let him go to his father. But his father could not take his son’s malevolence and shipped him back to France. Rejected, Charles escaped again and tried to go to other countries by stowing away in ships. But he was always found and returned to his mother in Paris.
Eventually Charles came of age that he no longer needed his mother’s approval to leave France. He finally made his way to India on his own, by manipulating people, luring them to his schemes, persuading them to steal, drug and even kill people every time he needed money. He never worked a day in his life. In the meantime he married a French woman, Chantal, had a child with her and the three of them traveled throughout Europe and Asia. When his wife realized what he was doing, she was able to leave India with her daughter secretly, and return to France. Charles angry that Chantal was able to escape him, swore that he will find her and bring his daughter back to him. Meanwhile, he continued with his atrocities.
Later on, he lured a French Canadian girl, Marie Andre Leclerc, to be with him. Even though she saw how he was and what he was doing, she had no willpower or the guts to leave him because she loved him. Her passport lost, her visa expired and with no money, she stayed with him till his conviction. She knew of the murders but she couldn’t do anything about it, because she was afraid of her life. In the meantime, Charles involved more people into his schemes with his charm and sex appeal. But God forbid to the poor western tourists who fell under his fascinating magnetism. Charles was able to fool anyone. He had this aura of wealth, spoke four or five different languages, and he flashed gold watches and jewelry. He posed as a gem dealer and that’s how he lured his victims to trust him; ensuring them that he can find good deals in rubies, sapphires, opals than trusting any reputable jewelry store. Then he would poison them with pills or potions that caused dysentery and he would take care of them for days till, if they fit the bill, he would train them to steal; if not he would kill them and take all their possessions; passports, visas, clothes, travelers checks.
Between 1972 and 1976 it is believed that Charles Sobhraj killed between 12 to 24 people according to New York Times. The book ends with Charles’s trial in India and he is sentenced for the murders for only seven years of hard labor. The book was written in 1979 while Charles Sobhraj is still serving his sentence in Tihar, “the” Indian jail. But Charles Sobhraj, now that the East knows of him, has set his eyes to the West. A vast country where he feels that he will be incognito. The United States.
The book reads like a murder mystery. It is very well written, and the narrative keeps you hooked with interesting dialogue among the characters. I found myself intrigued by the story but also angry at the way people trusted Charles in a strange country. I was also upsetting to find out how the judicial system works in the East, especially in India. Charles was able to manipulate guards, lawyers and judges to have what he wanted even though he might have been into solitary confinement. He was able to escape from prisons and continue his killings. He was called the Serpent of his numerous escapes from highly guarded prisons, thus the book name “Serpentine”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2018
Have you ever decided to read a book based on a YouTube video you watched? That’s what I did.
Several times while reading “Serpentine”, my jaw hit the floor. Other times, I had to put the book down in disgust. But still, I soldiered on because I was reading a brilliantly written account of one of the most sociopathic, self-serving and evil conmen and murderer that’s ever walked this earth.
Do I recommend you read this book? I’m not sure. On the one hand, it is exceptionally written and weaves a winding tale that hooks you in as a reader. A page turner if there ever was one. Then again, this is a work of non-fiction, which means you’re reading about real people and the generation-altering pain this individual inflicted. I’ve never really considered that I could read a true crime, non-fiction book and find myself physically affected as a result. The phrase “haunting” gets thrown out by others when reading horror novels. This is genuinely the first time I feel the subject of a book is able to extend beyond the page and into my psyche. So proceed with caution...
The subject of this book, Charles Sobhraj, is confirmed to have taken the lives of over a dozen tourists throughout Asia in the 1970s.
A French citizen, he was of half Vietnamese and half Indian origin. This individual was described as exceptionally handsome with high cheekbones (physically fit from daily karate practice, dressed in tailored clothes, appearance of like an affluent celebrity), fluent in 7 plus languages, and a devout student of Frederick Nietzche and Carl Jung’s works.
He took advantage of these traits to gain the trust of western tourists, often times couples on holidays that saved their whole lives for a trip to Asia, traveling throughout India, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam’s, Hong Kong, Turkey before heading back home.
Charles Sobhraj chose to operate in these countries due to his ability to bribe officers, escape from prisons and utilizes fake or stolen passports.
His method was to pose as a friendly, articulate and knowledgeable gentleman, who spoke the language of these travellers, gain their trust based on his ability to attack peoples weaknesses due to being able to accurately discern personality types, and then when the opportunity presented itself, he would poison food or drinks, wait for the victims to pass out, then steal their money and passports. “Lucky” victims would then awake a full day later wondering what happened. For the unfortunate dozen plus confirmed murdered (and potentially up to 100), he would light his victims on fire while still alive, drown them, shoot them, or whatever means for killing he felt like, before stealing all their belongings.
Others who have read this book have remarked how “impressed” by this pseudo-real life Hannibal Lector they are. Being well-read, psychologically overpowering and a self described “Übermensch” and all.
Instead, I see a user and collector of people, completely self-obsessed and soulless individual.
For any of you that have had parents warn about the dangers of traveling to Asia you’re contemplating, alone or maybe with friends or someone you’re dating, this guy was the worst of worst nightmares come true. Don’t tell them this guy existed because, while an outlier and extremely rare, his actions from 40+ years ago still make for an effective boogey man today. Basically, someone who a screenwriter or murder mystery novelists couldn’t even conceive of in their own minds.
I applaud this book for the exceptional attention devoted to the victims, as it seems the author went to extraordinary lengths to interview family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors and construct faithful biographies showing the hopes, dreams and futures that eventually got extinguished by this selfish man looking for a quick buck. If this book was nothing more than accounts of these individuals, I’d recommend the book.
For those still interested in reading this book, seek it out. It’s actually not an easy book to find. To those of you not terribly interested in reading after getting an overview, I can’t say I blame you.
Several times while reading “Serpentine”, my jaw hit the floor. Other times, I had to put the book down in disgust. But still, I soldiered on because I was reading a brilliantly written account of one of the most sociopathic, self-serving and evil conmen and murderer that’s ever walked this earth.
Do I recommend you read this book? I’m not sure. On the one hand, it is exceptionally written and weaves a winding tale that hooks you in as a reader. A page turner if there ever was one. Then again, this is a work of non-fiction, which means you’re reading about real people and the generation-altering pain this individual inflicted. I’ve never really considered that I could read a true crime, non-fiction book and find myself physically affected as a result. The phrase “haunting” gets thrown out by others when reading horror novels. This is genuinely the first time I feel the subject of a book is able to extend beyond the page and into my psyche. So proceed with caution...
The subject of this book, Charles Sobhraj, is confirmed to have taken the lives of over a dozen tourists throughout Asia in the 1970s.
A French citizen, he was of half Vietnamese and half Indian origin. This individual was described as exceptionally handsome with high cheekbones (physically fit from daily karate practice, dressed in tailored clothes, appearance of like an affluent celebrity), fluent in 7 plus languages, and a devout student of Frederick Nietzche and Carl Jung’s works.
He took advantage of these traits to gain the trust of western tourists, often times couples on holidays that saved their whole lives for a trip to Asia, traveling throughout India, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam’s, Hong Kong, Turkey before heading back home.
Charles Sobhraj chose to operate in these countries due to his ability to bribe officers, escape from prisons and utilizes fake or stolen passports.
His method was to pose as a friendly, articulate and knowledgeable gentleman, who spoke the language of these travellers, gain their trust based on his ability to attack peoples weaknesses due to being able to accurately discern personality types, and then when the opportunity presented itself, he would poison food or drinks, wait for the victims to pass out, then steal their money and passports. “Lucky” victims would then awake a full day later wondering what happened. For the unfortunate dozen plus confirmed murdered (and potentially up to 100), he would light his victims on fire while still alive, drown them, shoot them, or whatever means for killing he felt like, before stealing all their belongings.
Others who have read this book have remarked how “impressed” by this pseudo-real life Hannibal Lector they are. Being well-read, psychologically overpowering and a self described “Übermensch” and all.
Instead, I see a user and collector of people, completely self-obsessed and soulless individual.
For any of you that have had parents warn about the dangers of traveling to Asia you’re contemplating, alone or maybe with friends or someone you’re dating, this guy was the worst of worst nightmares come true. Don’t tell them this guy existed because, while an outlier and extremely rare, his actions from 40+ years ago still make for an effective boogey man today. Basically, someone who a screenwriter or murder mystery novelists couldn’t even conceive of in their own minds.
I applaud this book for the exceptional attention devoted to the victims, as it seems the author went to extraordinary lengths to interview family members, friends, colleagues, neighbors and construct faithful biographies showing the hopes, dreams and futures that eventually got extinguished by this selfish man looking for a quick buck. If this book was nothing more than accounts of these individuals, I’d recommend the book.
For those still interested in reading this book, seek it out. It’s actually not an easy book to find. To those of you not terribly interested in reading after getting an overview, I can’t say I blame you.
November 9, 2009
The story of Charles Sobhraj, a charismatic murderer who killed as many as 12 people and robbed God-knows-how-many after drugging them.
Written by Thomas Thompson, the author of "Blood and Money", this book is a bit longer than it maybe should have been, and the prose is a bit flowery. However, this is a pretty solid true-crime read. Thompson paints a vivid portrait of Sobhraj.
One thing that struck me as I read this was the similarity between the description of Sobhraj and Bugliosi-Gentry's description of Charles Manson in "Helter Skelter". Especially when you get to the circus-like trial.
Written by Thomas Thompson, the author of "Blood and Money", this book is a bit longer than it maybe should have been, and the prose is a bit flowery. However, this is a pretty solid true-crime read. Thompson paints a vivid portrait of Sobhraj.
One thing that struck me as I read this was the similarity between the description of Sobhraj and Bugliosi-Gentry's description of Charles Manson in "Helter Skelter". Especially when you get to the circus-like trial.
August 30, 2011
I read this book when it first came out (Jan. 1980)and got a signed copy just before I left on a trip around the world.I read this while traveling and by coincidence stayed at some of the places the killer/con man worked out of. This tale actually continued for many years after this book ended. Over the following years I read several news articles of Charles Sobhraj amazing escapes from prison.
I enjoyed this book so much that I decided to read it again - I still find it to be very exciting.
I enjoyed this book so much that I decided to read it again - I still find it to be very exciting.
April 12, 2014
Lu en plein périple de routard en Asie du Sud-Est, cette biographie "romancée" trace l'histoire de Charles Sobraj une crapule don juanesque sans scrupule. Brillant bandit des grands chemins, champion de la manipulation et de l'extorsion qui arrive à s'évader de prison comme on sort de chez Starbuck. On oublie jamais Charles Sobraj. 30 ans plus tard, je m'en rappelle encore.
January 11, 2017
The single best true crime book ever written.
Every few years, I read it again. Complicated, exotic, horrifying, exhausting, and informative, Tommy Thompson occasionally turns down the intensity with specific details of the far-flung locations descriptive enough to have come from a travel guidebook.
Every few years, I read it again. Complicated, exotic, horrifying, exhausting, and informative, Tommy Thompson occasionally turns down the intensity with specific details of the far-flung locations descriptive enough to have come from a travel guidebook.
February 2, 2011
When beginning to compile a list of books read, this is the first title on my bookshelf to catch my eye. One of the best suspense, adventure books I've ever read. The best part about it? It was a true story. It's been years since I last read it. Maybe it's time to crack it open once more.
May 30, 2017
is florid a word? because if it is a word it is definitely in this book.
thompson knows how to write in a way that is simultaneously overwrought and promising. I kept turning this book's interminable pages all the way through and at the end was very 'eh'. So that is sort of an achievement.
thompson knows how to write in a way that is simultaneously overwrought and promising. I kept turning this book's interminable pages all the way through and at the end was very 'eh'. So that is sort of an achievement.
August 13, 2020
An utterly villainous and sickening story of a man who has/had (jail permitting) the power and the potency to fool anyone of us...
Since I started reading true crime accounts about serial killers as a means of testing my constitution, mentality and my ever growing cynicism with human nature I've decided serial killers can be pushed and pulled into three types of category: the base and vulgar; the cunning and the undaunted; and the utterly unscrupulous, vindictive and totally sociopathic individuals. Let me dial back and say that all are as utterly hideous as can be, but in this boundless world of sickness, I'd put the Yorkshire Ripper, The Green River Killer and Dahmer in the base and vulgar (pleasure seekers who didn't think twice), Ted Bundy and the Hillside Stranglers in the cunning and ambitious (using identities as a luring tactic. Note: The Hillside Stranglers is joint in the most displeasing of all the killers, with this book) and Isaac Keyes and this horror of a human, Charles Sobhraj in that final, most insidious category.
This book is totally evolutionary in its style. The author has such an omniscient style of adding sharp jabs of morality intermixed with a hands-off 'this happened - what can be added by stating anything other than the sordid facts' manner of writing. Charles Sobhraj is a character that exists outside of the nuclear family sphere, and the author nicely links his early obsession with the tragic (his mother as a virgin/whore and his father as a respectable business/monster without a heart figure) as the means in which Charles hardens. It's a long book and almost everyone mentions this, however, with some minor editing of the trial worth considering I don't know how you could omit any of the detail - from the killer charm Charles had with what can be only be viewed as seriously lost women, to his grandiose pomposity and successful boasts that he could master any subject in the space of an afternoon, finishing with the constant betrayal of his French brothers and sisters in a way that seems motivated by Charles' obsession with score-settling and to punish those who succeeded legitimately.
By the time you reach Charles escaping from an Indian prison using his unbelievably desperate wife as a foil (next level psychology there), you're probably a 1/3 in. By then you have the guise of a man. Morally bankrupt, unbelievably resourceful in a time when Interpol might as well have been a local council for the good it did and unscrupulous. By the time - maybe halfway through when you delight in the French air hostess rejecting his offer to be one of his lackeys (the character in the story we'd dearly like to be) and react in horror when sweet, bookish Marie enters the fold, the books takes on a sickening inevitability. I genuinely count myself as sage when it comes to the rights and wrongs of the world but I felt this total fear absorb me when reading, would I have somehow fallen into the drugging trap (yes) and thereafter, joined an unmerry gang of thieves and accomplices as a means of saving my hide? This was the Manson family without the hippies, this was the Manson family ready to wage war on the hippies through, a different sort of means. Instead of a Manson LSD indoctrination, this was a roofing-first, lose your sum possessions after and then be led on the wave of the Sobhraj sale.
Thompson barely needs to add further comment, for he has imbued the vast majority of Sobhraj's victims with tenderly told backstories of lives opening to the possibilities of the world. I had an evening of nightmares when I devoured the Thai tales of those most unfortunate people who checked in to Sobhraj's homestay (largely against their will) but rarely checked out. I marveled at Thompson's true crime novel-esq dialogue, but 'they were my family' Sobhraj utters when some of his employees see the writing on the wall and do a moonlight flit, in much the same way Sobhraj had spent his life doing, of course with the trail of destruction behind him, and the employees, their lives, but only just. Thompson explains that everything that happened with Sobhraj was a game. A game he controlled and dominated. His pure villainy elevates him unlike few others because what he did was so outlandish, so depraved that no mercy can be on his soulless person.
The payoff of the upstairs neighbour and the civil servant, who through pure efficiency final nail a truly desperate (and by then fairly stupid) Sobhraj to the post is great reading. The sentence as the epilogue is a joke of giant proportions.
Perhaps the best part of this book? With Thompson dying he couldn't add anything to this story. How he would have written Sobhraj's appallingly lauded return to Paris, and his rather unintelligent return to Nepal. A caveat of justice and the (in theory) end of a most terrifying tale...
Since I started reading true crime accounts about serial killers as a means of testing my constitution, mentality and my ever growing cynicism with human nature I've decided serial killers can be pushed and pulled into three types of category: the base and vulgar; the cunning and the undaunted; and the utterly unscrupulous, vindictive and totally sociopathic individuals. Let me dial back and say that all are as utterly hideous as can be, but in this boundless world of sickness, I'd put the Yorkshire Ripper, The Green River Killer and Dahmer in the base and vulgar (pleasure seekers who didn't think twice), Ted Bundy and the Hillside Stranglers in the cunning and ambitious (using identities as a luring tactic. Note: The Hillside Stranglers is joint in the most displeasing of all the killers, with this book) and Isaac Keyes and this horror of a human, Charles Sobhraj in that final, most insidious category.
This book is totally evolutionary in its style. The author has such an omniscient style of adding sharp jabs of morality intermixed with a hands-off 'this happened - what can be added by stating anything other than the sordid facts' manner of writing. Charles Sobhraj is a character that exists outside of the nuclear family sphere, and the author nicely links his early obsession with the tragic (his mother as a virgin/whore and his father as a respectable business/monster without a heart figure) as the means in which Charles hardens. It's a long book and almost everyone mentions this, however, with some minor editing of the trial worth considering I don't know how you could omit any of the detail - from the killer charm Charles had with what can be only be viewed as seriously lost women, to his grandiose pomposity and successful boasts that he could master any subject in the space of an afternoon, finishing with the constant betrayal of his French brothers and sisters in a way that seems motivated by Charles' obsession with score-settling and to punish those who succeeded legitimately.
By the time you reach Charles escaping from an Indian prison using his unbelievably desperate wife as a foil (next level psychology there), you're probably a 1/3 in. By then you have the guise of a man. Morally bankrupt, unbelievably resourceful in a time when Interpol might as well have been a local council for the good it did and unscrupulous. By the time - maybe halfway through when you delight in the French air hostess rejecting his offer to be one of his lackeys (the character in the story we'd dearly like to be) and react in horror when sweet, bookish Marie enters the fold, the books takes on a sickening inevitability. I genuinely count myself as sage when it comes to the rights and wrongs of the world but I felt this total fear absorb me when reading, would I have somehow fallen into the drugging trap (yes) and thereafter, joined an unmerry gang of thieves and accomplices as a means of saving my hide? This was the Manson family without the hippies, this was the Manson family ready to wage war on the hippies through, a different sort of means. Instead of a Manson LSD indoctrination, this was a roofing-first, lose your sum possessions after and then be led on the wave of the Sobhraj sale.
Thompson barely needs to add further comment, for he has imbued the vast majority of Sobhraj's victims with tenderly told backstories of lives opening to the possibilities of the world. I had an evening of nightmares when I devoured the Thai tales of those most unfortunate people who checked in to Sobhraj's homestay (largely against their will) but rarely checked out. I marveled at Thompson's true crime novel-esq dialogue, but 'they were my family' Sobhraj utters when some of his employees see the writing on the wall and do a moonlight flit, in much the same way Sobhraj had spent his life doing, of course with the trail of destruction behind him, and the employees, their lives, but only just. Thompson explains that everything that happened with Sobhraj was a game. A game he controlled and dominated. His pure villainy elevates him unlike few others because what he did was so outlandish, so depraved that no mercy can be on his soulless person.
The payoff of the upstairs neighbour and the civil servant, who through pure efficiency final nail a truly desperate (and by then fairly stupid) Sobhraj to the post is great reading. The sentence as the epilogue is a joke of giant proportions.
Perhaps the best part of this book? With Thompson dying he couldn't add anything to this story. How he would have written Sobhraj's appallingly lauded return to Paris, and his rather unintelligent return to Nepal. A caveat of justice and the (in theory) end of a most terrifying tale...
May 18, 2021
Quite simply, this book, along with Anne Rule's The Stranger Beside Me and Michele McNamara's I'll be Gone in the Dark, is one of the best true crime stories ever written. This is the tale of Charles Sobraj, a charismatic and brilliant criminal of Viernamese and Indian origin, who was responsible for a series of killings in the mid 1970s along what was then called the "hipple trail," an area stretching from Thailand through India, Afghanistan and Nepal. This was a time when thousands of young Americans and Europeans went to South and East Asia looking for nirvana or a good time and encountering instead, poverty and addiction, or in some cases, disappearance and death.
Sobraj was born in April 1944, the illegitimate son of a poor Vietnamese girl and an Indian tailor who lived in Saigon. From an early age he was a troubled child who opposed any kind of authority. Though brilliant in languages and gifted with a quick mind, he hated school and bounced back and forth between his distant father who soon had another family in Vietnam (as well as a wife and children in India), and his unhappy mother who married a French officer after WWII, and eventually relocated her growing family to France. By adolescence, he had become a thief, a con man, and was on his way to becoming a career criminal. Sentenced to a term at Poissy Prison near Paris, he befriended a prison visitor who he constantly beseiged for help with letters and phone calls. In 1968, he was paroled and taken under the wing of his kindly exasperated mentor- from whom he acquired a veneer of sophistication and charm- and managed to ingratiate himself with a young Frenchwoman who he married, impregnated and dragged off to Asia on many misadventures. Sobraj's main tactic was to pose as a sophisticated and affluent gem dealer, while secretly committing a series of armed robberies and thefts of tourists to gain money. By 1970 his wife had left him, and he settled in Bangkok, assuming the alias of Alain Gauthier and the persona of a successful businessman. It was during this period that he flourished, as the countries he visited were often corrupt and lax in their border controls. It was also the height of the hippie era and Sobraji and his associates preyed on naive young people in search of drugs or a new spiritual path. Though his first killing was most likely that of an unlucky taxi driver, he generally sought out young Westerners who he befriended, plied with food and drink laced with barbituates, and then robbed of jewelry, passports, valuables and money. Sometimes his drugged victims survived but often, if they proved troublesome or recalcitrant, were drowned, strangled or burned alive. Because he was a master of disguise and a purveyor of fake passports and because the Thai government, especially, did not want bad publicity or trouble from tourists, his crimes were ignored. It was only after a brave neighbour living in the fancy compound where he lived began to grow suspicious of the many people who disappeared from the area, and with intervention of Herman Knipperburg, a junior member of the Dutch consulate , that a case was built against him. In all, in a fifteen month period, it is estimated he killed 10 people in Thailand, Nepal, India and Afghanistan, though the numbers are probably higher.
Sobraj often surrounded himself with needy or vulnerable people who he used snd cajoled into helping him commit his crimes. Two of his most famous associates were Ajay Choudhry, an Indian career criminal who disappeared in 1976 and Marie-Andree Leclerq, a Quebecoise who he had seduced and who became his "wife" and partner in crime. Like his wife, Leclerq, or "Monique" as she was known, provided Sobraji with a veneer of respectability, and like many of his minions, she was loyal and desperately in love with him. He often hosted parties in his Bangkok home, where he met with the potential victims he had befriended. He had an unerring eye for weakness or vulnerability.
Finally in 1976 Sobraji was arrested and sent to prison in India for seven years, where by all accounts he lived a happy existence as he had money and gemstones to bribe his captors. He deliberately got himself resentenced to prison there after trying to escape, so he could not be extradited to Thailand. Finally in 1996 he was set free and returned to France where he lived for several years.
Then suddenly in 2003, Sobraj, who was probably bored and sick of his growing anonymity, travelled to Nepal and was arrested there for the murders of two tourists he had killed years before. Though he claimed to have married a Nepalese woman and tried many times to have his sentence repealed, he remained in prison and is still incarcerated there today.
Sobraj's story is so fascinating because he was such an enigma. He was fanatically disciplined and physically strong because of exercise and karate, he could speak at least six languages and he was charismatic, knowledgeable and astute, yet he couldn't ever stick to anything. He lived to commit crimes and gather people around him he could use and ruin, yet many of his followers, especially the women he used, were fanatically loyal. He was smooth as silk and a brutal killer. His only weakness was a penchant for gambling and his ego, both of which may have led him back to Nepal where the criminal cases against him had never been officially closed.
This story was recently made into a miniseries on Netflix called The Serpent snd it also inspired several book, including this one. But in the end Sobraj outdid himself and remains in prison, a victim finally of his own hubris and voracious appetite for publicity and gain.
Sobraj was born in April 1944, the illegitimate son of a poor Vietnamese girl and an Indian tailor who lived in Saigon. From an early age he was a troubled child who opposed any kind of authority. Though brilliant in languages and gifted with a quick mind, he hated school and bounced back and forth between his distant father who soon had another family in Vietnam (as well as a wife and children in India), and his unhappy mother who married a French officer after WWII, and eventually relocated her growing family to France. By adolescence, he had become a thief, a con man, and was on his way to becoming a career criminal. Sentenced to a term at Poissy Prison near Paris, he befriended a prison visitor who he constantly beseiged for help with letters and phone calls. In 1968, he was paroled and taken under the wing of his kindly exasperated mentor- from whom he acquired a veneer of sophistication and charm- and managed to ingratiate himself with a young Frenchwoman who he married, impregnated and dragged off to Asia on many misadventures. Sobraj's main tactic was to pose as a sophisticated and affluent gem dealer, while secretly committing a series of armed robberies and thefts of tourists to gain money. By 1970 his wife had left him, and he settled in Bangkok, assuming the alias of Alain Gauthier and the persona of a successful businessman. It was during this period that he flourished, as the countries he visited were often corrupt and lax in their border controls. It was also the height of the hippie era and Sobraji and his associates preyed on naive young people in search of drugs or a new spiritual path. Though his first killing was most likely that of an unlucky taxi driver, he generally sought out young Westerners who he befriended, plied with food and drink laced with barbituates, and then robbed of jewelry, passports, valuables and money. Sometimes his drugged victims survived but often, if they proved troublesome or recalcitrant, were drowned, strangled or burned alive. Because he was a master of disguise and a purveyor of fake passports and because the Thai government, especially, did not want bad publicity or trouble from tourists, his crimes were ignored. It was only after a brave neighbour living in the fancy compound where he lived began to grow suspicious of the many people who disappeared from the area, and with intervention of Herman Knipperburg, a junior member of the Dutch consulate , that a case was built against him. In all, in a fifteen month period, it is estimated he killed 10 people in Thailand, Nepal, India and Afghanistan, though the numbers are probably higher.
Sobraj often surrounded himself with needy or vulnerable people who he used snd cajoled into helping him commit his crimes. Two of his most famous associates were Ajay Choudhry, an Indian career criminal who disappeared in 1976 and Marie-Andree Leclerq, a Quebecoise who he had seduced and who became his "wife" and partner in crime. Like his wife, Leclerq, or "Monique" as she was known, provided Sobraji with a veneer of respectability, and like many of his minions, she was loyal and desperately in love with him. He often hosted parties in his Bangkok home, where he met with the potential victims he had befriended. He had an unerring eye for weakness or vulnerability.
Finally in 1976 Sobraji was arrested and sent to prison in India for seven years, where by all accounts he lived a happy existence as he had money and gemstones to bribe his captors. He deliberately got himself resentenced to prison there after trying to escape, so he could not be extradited to Thailand. Finally in 1996 he was set free and returned to France where he lived for several years.
Then suddenly in 2003, Sobraj, who was probably bored and sick of his growing anonymity, travelled to Nepal and was arrested there for the murders of two tourists he had killed years before. Though he claimed to have married a Nepalese woman and tried many times to have his sentence repealed, he remained in prison and is still incarcerated there today.
Sobraj's story is so fascinating because he was such an enigma. He was fanatically disciplined and physically strong because of exercise and karate, he could speak at least six languages and he was charismatic, knowledgeable and astute, yet he couldn't ever stick to anything. He lived to commit crimes and gather people around him he could use and ruin, yet many of his followers, especially the women he used, were fanatically loyal. He was smooth as silk and a brutal killer. His only weakness was a penchant for gambling and his ego, both of which may have led him back to Nepal where the criminal cases against him had never been officially closed.
This story was recently made into a miniseries on Netflix called The Serpent snd it also inspired several book, including this one. But in the end Sobraj outdid himself and remains in prison, a victim finally of his own hubris and voracious appetite for publicity and gain.
March 16, 2021
През 70те години на 20 век цели тълпи млади и наивни хора се юрват на Изток в търсене на просветление, духовност, секс, приключения и наркотици. По така наречената хипи-пътека напускат добре уредените си държави в Западна Европа, минават през Истанбул и Техеран, за да потънат дълбоко в дебрите на Индия, Непал или Тайланд. Една част от тях никога не се завръщат от това приключение.
"Сърпънтайн" е частична биография на реалния сериен убиец от виетнамо-индийски произход Шарл Собрадж, който се е специализирал в обирането и убиването на младежи, пътуващи по хипи-пътеката. Той е измамник, крадец, актьор, лъжец, обирджия на банки, беглец от няколко затвора, издирван в десетки държави, прелъстител на удобни за делата му момичета и в края на краищата хищник, надарен с огромен интелект и лична харизма. Историята му звучи почти невероятно и колкото и да не искаш, не можеш да не се впечатлиш от дарбите му, макар и впрегнати все в морбидни машинации. Гъвкавото му сменяне на имена и паспорти му позволява да вилнее много години и му печели прозвището "Змията".
Попаднах на "Змията" случайно покрай добрата екранизацията на ББС "The Serpent", която излезе тази година. След сериала ми се прииска да прочета повече за това, как се е формирала тази личност, и така попаднах и на тази книга. "Сърпънтайн" е доста информативна и добре написана, животът на Собрадж е по-невероятен и от филм. Не скучах и една секунда през това шеметно пътуване из Европа и Азия, затова от мен 4 звезди.
"Сърпънтайн" е частична биография на реалния сериен убиец от виетнамо-индийски произход Шарл Собрадж, който се е специализирал в обирането и убиването на младежи, пътуващи по хипи-пътеката. Той е измамник, крадец, актьор, лъжец, обирджия на банки, беглец от няколко затвора, издирван в десетки държави, прелъстител на удобни за делата му момичета и в края на краищата хищник, надарен с огромен интелект и лична харизма. Историята му звучи почти невероятно и колкото и да не искаш, не можеш да не се впечатлиш от дарбите му, макар и впрегнати все в морбидни машинации. Гъвкавото му сменяне на имена и паспорти му позволява да вилнее много години и му печели прозвището "Змията".
Попаднах на "Змията" случайно покрай добрата екранизацията на ББС "The Serpent", която излезе тази година. След сериала ми се прииска да прочета повече за това, как се е формирала тази личност, и така попаднах и на тази книга. "Сърпънтайн" е доста информативна и добре написана, животът на Собрадж е по-невероятен и от филм. Не скучах и една секунда през това шеметно пътуване из Европа и Азия, затова от мен 4 звезди.
August 6, 2020
Read in 1981. True story of a serial killer's reign of terror from Europe to South Asia. Grotesque, baffling and hypnotic.
May 10, 2021
This is a non-fiction work about Charles Sobhraj (the subject of Netflix's docuseries The Serpent), his accomplices and victims. It reads like a novel, very interesting.
December 30, 2017
There is a sentence, near the end of the book: "The trial had long since become mired in tedium, a play with no end, its performers trapped." I found it ironic.
The author has an engaging writing style but the interweaving of victims backgrounds, families and lives, Charles background and characterization and that of his "family" was unbalanced. More than once, before I was 60% into the book, I put it down and wanted to just skip it. The author, however, does tell a good story. It was kinda like your rambling grandpa telling about an experience in his childhood and then running out of steam near the end and dropping the long details to end the story before he goes to sleep.
That would just get him 4 stars.
3 stars is because I lived in Seattle for many years and now live only 20 miles north.
I know Queen Anne in no way abuts Lake Washington. It lies between Lake Union and Puget Sound. Lake Washington lies over another hill to the east of Lake Union and I5. While fog may have lain heavy in the communities around and over the water on Lake Washington, that body of water is insufficient to create a weather event in Queen Anne.
So, the tale became somewhat less believable. Perhaps a bit exaggerated. Maybe not as researched as some would say. Not as precise as I would prefer, perhaps.
The author has an engaging writing style but the interweaving of victims backgrounds, families and lives, Charles background and characterization and that of his "family" was unbalanced. More than once, before I was 60% into the book, I put it down and wanted to just skip it. The author, however, does tell a good story. It was kinda like your rambling grandpa telling about an experience in his childhood and then running out of steam near the end and dropping the long details to end the story before he goes to sleep.
That would just get him 4 stars.
3 stars is because I lived in Seattle for many years and now live only 20 miles north.
I know Queen Anne in no way abuts Lake Washington. It lies between Lake Union and Puget Sound. Lake Washington lies over another hill to the east of Lake Union and I5. While fog may have lain heavy in the communities around and over the water on Lake Washington, that body of water is insufficient to create a weather event in Queen Anne.
So, the tale became somewhat less believable. Perhaps a bit exaggerated. Maybe not as researched as some would say. Not as precise as I would prefer, perhaps.
August 23, 2018
I was drawn to Serpentine after reading Lost by the same author. This book however is really long and several times I was tempted to skip through chapters to the end. That said, the writing is compelling and the storyline fascinating. The author pays homage to the victims by writing lengthy chapters about them (which was confusing at first since this was interspersed at the beginning of the book). It was difficult to tell if I was reading about a cohort of the serial killer or one of his victims. It wasn't until half way that this information was correlated and made sense. The fleshing out of their lives did make the behavior of their killer all the more heinous though. I still can't believe that this one person was capable of so much evil and wickedness and yet was able to outwit his captors for so long. The book certainly paints a bleak picture of the abilities of the world's judiciary systems and police forces... not to mention, the naïvete of people to being conned.
January 11, 2015
Ever heard of Charles Sobhraj? I bet you haven't.
This book was written in 1979 and details the murders as committed by Charles Sobhraj throughout Asia. Sobhraj was born to a Vietnamese mother and Indian father, which in some ways left him as a person without a country and eventually allowed him to move more freely during his crimes.
Another reviewer described Sobhraj as being like Ted Bundy, but with more class. The most shocking thing about this man was how during his killing years, many countries seemed more concerned with getting him out of their country rather than putting him in prison for life.
It is unsure exactly how many people Sobhraj murdered and at one time, he was released and allowed to reside comfortably in Paris.
He was recently convicted of another murder in 2014.
This book was written in 1979 and details the murders as committed by Charles Sobhraj throughout Asia. Sobhraj was born to a Vietnamese mother and Indian father, which in some ways left him as a person without a country and eventually allowed him to move more freely during his crimes.
Another reviewer described Sobhraj as being like Ted Bundy, but with more class. The most shocking thing about this man was how during his killing years, many countries seemed more concerned with getting him out of their country rather than putting him in prison for life.
It is unsure exactly how many people Sobhraj murdered and at one time, he was released and allowed to reside comfortably in Paris.
He was recently convicted of another murder in 2014.
December 31, 2017
True crime writing has changed and I try not to judge an older book by the merits of the present, but frankly, this kind of writing fell out of fashion for a reason. Pages upon pages about how sleek! How dazzling! How fascinating! This man was, juxtaposed with actual trial transcript that reveals him to be pathetic and self-aggrandizing in a way that's frankly embarrassing to most people. Some actual knowledge of the nature of psychopathy and the sort of people targeted by psychopaths is a necessary footnote to this kind of book.
Still, an interesting story for someone running out of true crime books to read.
Still, an interesting story for someone running out of true crime books to read.
January 15, 2019
I had high hopes for this book. It came highly recommended and it started out strong. Then somewhere it began to lose air. It’s an interesting story, could have been told in less time then the 500 odd pages.
January 31, 2022
Excellent. Thompson's writing is exquisite. He skillfully and artfully tells the sinister story of Sobhraj in a way that is delightful to the reader (how is that possible with such a rough story?). I had a hard time putting this book down. If you want a story that will blow you away while still leaving you dazzled - look no further. A strangely indulgent literary masterpiece.
October 7, 2024
SPOILER ALERT! Any satisfaction felt by the outcome of this book has been quashed by the revelation that he eventually lived long enough to be released from prison and as of this writing, is a free man.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2014
True story of serial killer Charles Sobhraj, and his ability to get multiple women to do whatever he wanted them to.Sort of like Charley Manson.
November 27, 2020
Absolutely intriguing and horrific. Couldn't put it down. Supposed to be a Netflix series soon.
January 28, 2023
Terrifying story, terrific writing - edge of your seat page turner.
Thomas Thompson is a great storyteller.
Thomas Thompson is a great storyteller.
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