Bangkok Literary Notes: A prolific writer of the darker side of expat life is Christopher G Moore who often uses Bangkok as a backdrop. Particularly well known are Spirit House (1992) and Asia Hand (1993), the first two books in a series of seven titles featuring the private eye Vincent Calvino. The latest one, Minor Wife, was published in 2002. Jake Needham's novel, The Big Mango (1999), depicts the story of an ex-GI returning to Bangkok in search of money stolen from a Vietnamese bank. The Beach, by Alex Garland (1997) is also a good read for anyone heading to Thailand, and his depiction of the backpacker scene in Bangkok is particularly accurate. Dean Barrett's 2003 Skytrain to Murder is a murder mystery set in Bangkok.
The King and I (1956) is probably the most famous film about Bangkok and the royal court. The film is based on the book Anna and the King of Siam (1944) by Margaret Landon, which itself is a novel adapted from The English Governess at the Siamese Court, the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, recounting her period as a governess in the court of King Mongkut. A more historically accurate account of the time can be found in The Kingdom and the People of Siam (1857) by Sir John Bowring, who was responsible for negotiating the treaty with King Mongkut.
Still based around the royal family, The Bangkok Secret (1990) by Anthony Grey investigates the mystery surrounding the murder of King Ananda in Bangkok in 1946 - an event that is often glossed over and the identity of the assailant is still unknown. One of the best-known residents of Bangkok was Jim Thompson, who was responsible for building a major industry (silk) and whose home is a Bangkok landmark (see Key Attractions). He mysteriously vanished in Malaysia in 1967 and William Warren wrote a book about his life and disappearance called Jim Thompson: The Legendary American of Thailand (1976).