If any of you are interested in True Crime at all, I cannot recommend a better book than "Serpentine" by Thomas Thompson.
It is about a French national of Indian/Vietnamese descent who went around killing hippie chicks in Southeast Asia in the seventies.
His name was Charles Sobhraj.
What makes the book stand out is not just the writing but the sheer nerve, sophisticated manipulation, and ruthlessness of the subject.
There were times reading this book where I thought it couldn't get any crazier or more intense, and it did.
This guy was like the Ronaldinho of evil, with moves not only two or three steps ahead of everyone else, but multiple moves happening at once, and instantaneous improvisations when situations changed or opportunities presented.
The level of evil creativity would stun me sometimes, and it felt like I was reading a murder mystery by some amazing new unknown author.
It is well written too, and if you want, go check out all the reviews on the Amazon page. True Crime never gets this level of breathless awe.
https://www.amazon.com/Serpentine-Serial...B01N5EQU2D
If you want to get an idea of the larger than life nature of his life, his Wikipedia page has some good details:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sobhraj
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Sobhraj is widely believed to be a psychopath. He was driven to murder as a means to sustain his adventurous lifestyle. This, as well as his cunning and cultured personality, made him a celebrity long before his release from prison. He enjoyed the attention, charging large amounts of money for interviews and film rights. He has been the subject of four books and three documentaries. Sobhraj's return to India, where he was still eagerly sought by authorities, is believed to be the result of his yearning for attention and overconfidence in his own intellect.
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In Kabul, the couple continued robbing tourists on the "hippie trail", only to be arrested once again. And again, Sobhraj escaped in the same way he had in India; feigning illness and drugging the hospital guard. This time, Sobhraj fled to Iran, leaving his family behind. Chantal, although still loyal to Sobhraj, but wishing to leave their criminal past behind, returned to France and vowed never to see him again.[9][11]
Sobhraj spent the next two years on the run, using as many as 10 stolen passports. He passed through various countries in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Sobhraj was joined by his younger brother, André, in Istanbul. Sobhraj and André quickly became partners in crime, participating in various criminal activities in both Turkey and Greece. The duo were eventually arrested in Athens. After an identity-switch plan went awry, he escaped, but his brother was left behind. André was turned over to the Turkish police by Greek authorities, and served an 18-year sentence.
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Sobhraj retired to a comfortable life in suburban Paris. He hired a publicity agent and charged large sums of money for interviews and photographs. He is said to have charged over $US15 million (according to advocate and former police inspector Bishwa Lal Shrestha, who investigated the case, framed the charge sheet and registered the case in court) for the rights to a movie based on his life.
He did all this shit in the seventies. In 2008 he persuaded some chick 44 years younger to marry him and then she ended up on a reality show.
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In 2008, Sobhraj announced his engagement to a Nepali woman Nihita Biswas (who later participated in the reality show Bigg Boss). On 7 July 2008, issuing a press release through his fiancée Nihita, he claimed that he was never convicted of murder by any court and asked the media not to refer to him as a serial killer.
These aren't even spoilers, they are just scratching the surface. This person is unbelievable.
There's a documentary out there too.