Serpentine
Charles Sobhraj's Reign of Terror from Europe to South Asia
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
New York Times Bestseller: This in-depth account of Charles Sobhraj, the serial killer portrayed in Netflix miniseries The Serpent, is “compulsive reading” (The Plain Dealer).
There was no pattern to the murders, no common thread other than the fact that the victims were all vacationers, robbed of their possessions and slain in seemingly random crimes. Authorities across three continents and a dozen nations had no idea they were all looking for same man: Charles Sobhraj, aka “The Serpent.”
A handsome Frenchman of Vietnamese and Indian origin, Sobhraj targeted backpackers on the “hippie trail” between Europe and South Asia. A master of deception, he used his powerful intellect and considerable sex appeal to lure naïve travelers into a life of crime. When they threatened to turn on him, Sobhraj murdered his acolytes in cold blood. Between late 1975 and early 1976, a dozen corpses were found everywhere from the boulevards of Paris to the slopes of the Himalayas to the back alleys of Bangkok and Hong Kong. Some police experts believe the true number of Sobhraj’s victims may be more than twice that amount.
Serpentine is the “grotesque, baffling, and hypnotic” true story of one of the most bizarre killing sprees in modern history (San Francisco Chronicle). Edgar Award–winning author Thomas Thompson’s mesmerizing portrait of a notorious sociopath and his helpless prey “unravels like fiction, but afterwards haunts the reader like the document it is” (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland).
Customer Reviews
Serpentine…one of the best!
I remember reading this book for the first time when it originally came out in 1979 and thinking how well written it was. I remember when Charles Sobraj left his scourge throughout South/Southeast Asia at the very time they occurred and thought “thank God he is not in America” and feeling heartbreak for his victims. I lost my book when I loaned it out, and never thought about getting another. Now so many years later in my late 60’s, it’s been on my mind. I suppose the saying is true how we revisit things that affect us in our youth. Can’t wait to dive in! 👍🏼
Serpentine-1978 or So....
This story was revealed about one year out the birthcanal. Or basically was taking place all throughout the sixties and seventies of the nineteenth hundred block of our current systems to date, or as we speak... bottom line to yall out there get it , take ur time read it well and stop often to reflect as you further into the story and al the time keeping in mind that it has indeed already come to pass and thankfully ur most likely in a safer way than the peoples within this very real very recent history of modern past. Just remember I actually heard the author themselves speak on this book in a real time interveiw on late nite jonny carson re-run-ed syndicated repeat of that particular show where the author weaves the incedible tale beautiffuly and just as colorfully as if he were writing a reveiw of his own work, right then i was sold on the spot and was soo glad to see it in the books category of apple everything products for ur lif3 as u kno it! But I cant afford it unfortunately these days especially after being robbed for my cash last nite that was gonna benusedtoday to send my sister her birthday gift and now i cant so the next best thing to do was to leave a positive reveiw on something anything in order to combat this heavy afliction of hard karma out the blue being dispensed in my general diirection for no good reason either so i thought well heres a reward or props on something equally dark but is finished so as to make a bad go good or an evil upward into a positive and miving forward alive and blessed even if i sometimes dont count em all tho i should and will better that i have been so thanks for reading this. I do hope u tell em what made YOU buy this book. Thankful and Gratefully Yours Truly Yours from the bottom of my heart & with luv from ur brosis,
with Love Your Mister Auntie Mo!💖
Well researched and written
A lot of research went into this book.