A Belgian-educated Khmer, a female Hezbollah-financing Israeli crime boss, a sexy Cambodian-born Mossad agent, a gung-ho US embassy worker and a Belgian ex-military diamond lord. In Phnom Penh Express, a first novel by Thailand-based Johan Smits, this quintet of self-serving characters cast their nets and drag each other ever closer in an implausible but highly readable thriller as tension mounts. Set in a Phnom Penh riddled with corruption and mismanagement, an imbroglio of misplaced packages and mistaken identity unfolds, as assassinations go awry amid an international turf battle.
Large doses of humour complete the mix, such as when protagonist Phirun, a foreign-educated and somewhat dim-witted chocolate chef, writes an agonisingly bad love poem and becomes engorged by his own literary talents. There are hints of caricature as well in the gangsters, do-gooders and politicians, but that's par for the course in a crime novel. No one is all that sympathetically portrayed or particularly likeable; where humour subsides a detached matter-of-factness reigns. Despite some mismatches of UK and US styles and spellings, it is a quick and clever read until the explosive, if somewhat unsatisfying, finale.
The title is curious _ there is no train in the narrative, no high-speed car chase. It might refer to the express diamond delivery that goes awry, or the pace of the narrative. The book could be subtitled "guns, diamonds and chocolate" _ as this triumvirate of elements at times are more lovingly rendered than the characters themselves _ but that doesn't take anything away from Phnom Penh Express. The main player in any case is the web of deceit that forms the bulk of an engaging and eminently readable tale.
PHNOM PENH EXPRESS: By Johan Smits, 240pp, 2012 Marshal Cavendish paperback. Available at hnom-penh-express
Smits on the wonders of wandering
You grew up in Belgium?
I grew up in Antwerp and studied in Brussels. Hence the bad guy in the story is Belgian. I then went to live abroad _ Czech Republic, Taiwan, England, Cambodia, Congo and now Thailand.
What were you doing in the Congo?
I taught English to Congolese adults in a Chinese-run centre and later became administrator at the Belgian international school in Kinshasa. I also worked on another book but never really found the right environment to finish it.
Why do you write in English?
My mother tongue is Flemish and I studied French, English and what I suspect must have been German. Lots of travelling forced me to speak English and French on a daily basis. English has now become like a second mother tongue to me and I find it less rigid a language to write in than Flemish or French. The breadth of the vocabulary is just astonishing.
What inspired 'Phnom Penh Express'?
The opening of the Phnom Penh chocolate shop I was working for at the time. It was supposed to be a short story but then it got out of hand.
Has the light portrayal of Cambodia drawn any complaints?
Not as far as I'm aware.
Why do you now base yourself in Mae Sot?
My then-girlfriend got posted there for an international organisation. We've now finally gotten married.
What are the advantages of living in Thailand?
The outdoor life _ to be able to get around by bicycle and motorcycle _ and the light-hearted, friendly relations with Thais, not to mention the near-death experiences eating red curries! Also, for someone like me who has no steady income, the low cost of living helps.
What's your professional background?
I have no specific profession _ so far I've made a living from a diversity of activities which included selling MSG for a Taiwanese trader in West Africa, account management at a technology company in London, running a resort on the Cambodian coast, freelance journalism and teaching tai chi in Phnom Penh. But my dream is to make a living out of writing fiction.
What are you working on now?
I've recently finished The Second Bullet, which tells of a single event _ the firing of a sniper's bullet _ from the respective points of view of different protagonists, including that of the bullet. I'm currently working on a crime story exploring the boundaries of reality. It's a bit more 'serious'. However, since moving here I've been toying with the idea of writing a sequel to Phnom Penh Express set somewhere in the border area of Thailand and Myanmar. I think it could be great fun, especially since this region has become topical now and really fascinating.
