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Bangkok DaysBy Lawrence Osborne Vintage Books, £8.99

Osborne is a gifted writer who dexterously evokes the tumultuous city; in the same breath, though, he’ll whip out a shockingly funny and offensive line, and careen off in morally anarchic directions – a bit like the city he finds himself pursuing. He marries this with an exhaustive store of detail that lures the reader in.