The Corruptionist

Vincent Calvino #11

by Christopher G. Moore

Political turbulence roils Thailand in the 11th novel in the Calvino series. Bangkok streets are filled with protestors. Demonstration spill over to the occupation of Government House in Bangkok.

Hired by an American businessman, Calvino finds himself caught in the middle of a family conflict over a Chinese corporate takeover. This is no ordinary assignment. Private eye Vincent Calvino and his client face powerful forces set to seize much more than a family business. As the bodies accumulate while Vincent navigates Thailand’s business-political landmines, only to become entangled in a secret deal made by desperate men who will stop at nothing—and no one—standing in their way. Despite the warnings, Calvino refuses to stand aside.

The Corruptionist captures with precision the undercurrents enveloping Bangkok, revealing multiple layers of betrayal and deception. The story is as relevant in 2021 as it was a decade ago.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller

490 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Christopher G. Moore is a Canadian author who has lived in Thailand since 1988. Formerly a law professor at the University of British Columbia and a practicing lawyer, Moore has become a public figure in Southeast Asia, known for his novels and essays that have captured the spirit and social transformation of Southeast Asia over the past three decades.

Moore has written over 30 fiction and non-fiction books, including the Vincent Calvino novels which have won including the Shamus Award and German Critics Award and have been translated to over a dozen languages. Moore’s books and essays are a study of human nature, culture, power, justice, technological change and its implications on society and human rights.

Starting in 2017, the London-based Christopher G. Moore Foundation awards an annual literary prize to books advancing awareness on human rights. He’s also the founder of Changing Climate, Changing Lives Film Festival 2020.

Reviews

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe it was in 1993's Asia Hand (or perhaps Spirit House in 1992, that I read Moore's Bangkok-based private eye Vincent Calvino was 37 years old. If we are to accept any internal consistency (and elsewhere Moore does write that there is such in his Calvino series), that would mean Calvino in this 2009 published novel should be around 53 years old. You cannot constantly refer to historical events transpiring over that same time period and somehow leave Calvino as a thirtysomething. So that's how I read it. Calvino is on the far side of 50. And he is a lot more unlikeable than the earlier Calvino. Along the way, he's made a small fortune off some inherited paintings and he now lives in an exclusive condo in Bangkok's most exclusive area. Instead of guzzling cheap rotgut Mekhong whisky, he goes for the premium brands. The loss of those two items alone, his original derelict room and the Mekhong and coke, was almost like stripping his personality. Now, he's just a drunk with some hiso pretensions. It's also pretty clear that he's a functioning alcoholic and a sex addict. Which may explain why the femme fatale in this story, Tanny Craig, outwits him and leaves people close to him dead (it's a convention of noir fiction that the femme fatale should be near equal with the detective but always at the end a failure in matching his insight and cleverness). I can also imagine that the easily winded Calvino has probably developed a paunch and a lot of unpleasant scars around his face and elsewhere on his body. But, according to him, the women are still falling all over themselves to get to him.

In this story, which is a pretty good one, it means Calvino takes down his his pretty, young Thai stockbroker, gets his friend wounded, and watches a client and his associate get murdered by a Chinese agent. For the Chinese are working their way into controlling Bangkok and Thailand (all of which essentially has happened, by the way, today (2024) in Thailand). And they're doing it through the agency of a corrupt police general who poses as the defender of democracy and who has unleashed his followers to occupy government buildings and the airport (if you've lived in Thailand for any length of time, you'll know who this is referring to--and I'm sort of surprised Moore hasn't been politically crucified for this). One thing Moore does achieve very thoroughly is showing the discordant comparison between Chinese and Thai culture. All of which doesn't mean the elite are unwilling to sell out their country for a profit. At any rate, this is one of the strongest stories in the Calvino series. As is pretty much the case throughout the series, Moore doesn't let the reader down. And it's also enjoyable because Moore tends to write longish novels. I like being able to invest some time in them over a couple of days, escaping to a Bangkok I don't know at all, even though I've lived on the outskirts of the city for fourteen years.

[Ryan Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would make a good present for anyone wanting to learn about politics in other cultures. Politics can be confusing, especially in cultures you aren’t familiar with. This book taught me about politics in Thailand and its depths. Thailand runs on a constitutional monarchy, a type of government in which a monarch shares power with an organised government. This book does a good job of displaying the layers and history of the government throughout the story. We can see this when a character says “It was called the war against drugs. The police killed many people in 2003.” The character who says this, Mem, has a dead daughter who was killed in the war against drugs in 2003. She then says “It was the police who killed her.” We can see from this the impact the police, and more importantly, the government had on its citizens. This works in the book’s favour as it uses a real event to create an impact in the book. It also teaches readers about an important moment in Thailand’s history.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it because it is interesting and different - this book not as self indulgent as some in the series. I guess it helps if you kniw this part of the world

[Tim Keeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Corruptionist has all the elements of an entertaining novel of its genre: money, sex, murder, suspense, etc. As usual Moore handles the sex in a way that completely avoids direct in your face gaudiness and provokes the excitement a heterosexual male may feel looking at a tight slightly-revealing dress on a knock-out female body. Murder sets the stage for creating suspense and, more importantly, for exploring injustice, the pursuit of vengeance alongside the pursuit of justice, the legacy of the war on communism and the war or drugs. Money plays the role of a vehicle to focus on power, greed, status, fleeting pleasures, emotional satiation, and the power structure of Thai society.
The role of money as a “corruptionist” is explored by allowing Calvino to inherit enough money to make life choices that he otherwise could not. Calvino's choices serve as a stark contrast to the “corrutionist” function of money in relation to other characters in the novel. As a result the reader is stimulated to reflect on personal values and ponder the true identity of the “curruptionist”: power, vanity, insecurity, illusion, a composite of all of these plus alpha …
Character development: Moore has a knack for creating a bond between his characters and the reader. This bond with the main characters such a Clavino, Pratt, Ratana is nurtured throughout the Calvino series as it should be any worthy series. The reader looks forward to the next novel in the series to see how the characters are evolving as well as capturing the joy of seeing close friends again. However, Moore’s ability to create a bond with his characters is not limited to the familiar ones. The reader may even form significant emotional ties with characters that are a “one-novel stand.”
Cultural and Social insights: Moore is an extremely astute observer of cultural and social phenomena. A sociologist, cultural anthropologist, or basically anyone inclined to discourse analysis (especially Calvino's internal monologues) will find a “gold mine” of riches. Calvino's ever present “laws” serve as a GPS for navigating Thai culture and society, not to be taken as reflecting and absolute reality rather more as a guide of how to learn from experience and how experience shapes perception. Moore is a master of metaphors and analogies. Calvino's use of how Thai drivers navigate a blind curb near his condo (in this case I know the exact place Moore is referring to) to teach Tanny lessons about structure of Thai culture, society, psyche is extremely insightful and creative.
Ethnicity and Identity: This aspect of the Corruptionist is my favorite. The introduction of Tanny Craig, an ethnic Thai born in Thailand but raised by American foster parents affords Moore the opportunity to explore the psychology of ethnicity, culture and identity. Moore plays with the contrast between Tanny being Thai on the outside and very North American on the inside with Calvino being a classic ethnic North American mongrel of Italian and Jewish background with a Thai-culturally informed inside. I could write a book of comments concerning this aspect of the novel but I will simply say “well done Chris.” Finally, cultural adaptation is also explored in a very intriguing and entertaining manner by contrasts between the various expatriates that always appear in the Calvino series and by the evolution of Calvino's psyche.

Tim Keeley, Professor of Cross-Cultural Management

[Jack Laschenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic thriller about Thailand Today.

The Generals, The Deals, The corruption.

But nothing has really changed in 50 years!

Mr. Moore knows what he is doing!

[Gannonwb · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you can't sleep, this one was better than Nyquil. Every time I tried to read it, it knocked me out cold. Ham fisted analogies, awkward metaphors and tired writing. The only reason I stuck with this was because I love stories about Bangkok and Moore surely does get Bangkok right. I'm usually through a book like this in 3 days tops. I carried this albatross for almost a month. I know it's not me, the last two books I read I snapped up in days. This one just didn't do it for me.....

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

11th novel in the Vincent Calvino series, The Corruptionist pits Vinny against an ever growing and increasingly complex set of antagonists. The novel's tension rises inexorably to the end; a good read.