John Burdett's "Vulture Peak"

John Burdett practiced law for 14 years in London and Hong Kong until he was able to retire to write full time. He has lived in France, Spain, Hong Kong and the U.K. and now commutes between Bangkok and Southwest France.

Here he writes about the actor he'd like to see play the lead in an adaptation of Vulture Peak, the fifth and latest novel in his series featuring Royal Thai Police Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep:

I have always wanted Tony Leung (The Lover) to play Sonchai. That bony face and the way he can play the put-upon Asian to perfection seems right to me. Also, that obvious intelligence strikes me as fitting for my central character. Of course, I'm thinking of the movie as something with psychological content - which is not a popular idea with the studios. These days the only movies that make money seem to be crude action flics which I cannot say I dislike, because I simply never watch them (I never go to cock fights either, or shoot up cans in my backyard with a Colt 45) - I guess I'm just not cut out for Hollywood. If they gave me the desert island, though, with a film crew and an unlimited budget, I'd send for Leung.

Learn more about the book and author at John Burdett's website.

The Page 69 Test: Vulture Peak.

Writers Read: John Burdett.

--Marshal Zeringue