Jack was here

Let me start with the positives. This book blew my expectations ( but yes I still gave 3 stars, you shall see why later). Very good writing style. No first person( which is despise) unless in active conversation. Very few grammatical errors, actually I only came across one. The story was a good one. This was the first time I came across a novel with this plot. Although, it did become somewhat overwhelming and irritating toward the end. The book gives real world perspective on the lives of tourist ( silly tourist) travelling into Thailand and Cambodia. Many leave their confined lives and find themselves getting up to mischief in these countries. There is a murder scene or two but they were unavoidable ( be sure to have a strong stomach). This book is somewhat explicit but what do you expect it is Thailand and Drugs! I am not going to reveal any spoilers but i do have a few questions. From the description we see that he is a veteran who suffers from PTSD and that he was somehow on the path to total self annihilation. I did not get that perspective from the book. Beside the mention of him visiting his therapist and missing medication, I was not of the opinion that he was heading toward self destruction. Could this be due to the fact that there is a stereotype associated with mental health. There are many types on mental health issues and for those with PTSD they each experience it in a unique way. The book did however, pay some tribute to the lackadaisical effort the mental health professional put into supporting people. They were portrayed as just trying to fulfill some Ego trip.Was this the authors experience? Well I won't know. But it was good to highlight that there is a lack of genuine care for those who truly need support. Also, in the beginning mention is made of Amber, I spent the entire book wondering what was the point of giving such detail mention of Amber when later on in the books she plays no part of Hugh Experience in Poipet or the rest of the book in general. There is mention of child prostitution, and it gives full details about the drug smuggling trade in Thailand and Cambodia. There is also an epic final battle, which brings everything to a close. It is worth the read. I was tuned of by the fact it was listed as thriller, but turns out is exceeded my expectation.