--- product_id: 102893807 title: "Serpentine: Charles Sobhraj's Reign of Terror from Europe to South Asia" price: "VT1789" currency: VUV in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/102893807-serpentine-charles-sobhrajs-reign-of-terror-from-europe-to-south store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Serpentine: Charles Sobhraj's Reign of Terror from Europe to South Asia **Price:** VT1789 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Serpentine: Charles Sobhraj's Reign of Terror from Europe to South Asia - **How much does it cost?** VT1789 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/102893807-serpentine-charles-sobhrajs-reign-of-terror-from-europe-to-south) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description New York Times Bestseller: This in-depth account of Charles Sobhraj, the serial killer portrayed in Netflix miniseries The Serpent , is "compulsive reading" ( The Plain Dealer ). There was no pattern to the murders, no common thread other than the fact that the victims were all vacationers, robbed of their possessions and slain in seemingly random crimes. Authorities across three continents and a dozen nations had no idea they were all looking for same man: Charles Sobhraj, aka "The Serpent." A handsome Frenchman of Vietnamese and Indian origin, Sobhraj targeted backpackers on the "hippie trail" between Europe and South Asia. A master of deception, he used his powerful intellect and considerable sex appeal to lure naïve travelers into a life of crime. When they threatened to turn on him, Sobhraj murdered his acolytes in cold blood. Between late 1975 and early 1976, a dozen corpses were found everywhere from the boulevards of Paris to the slopes of the Himalayas to the back alleys of Bangkok and Hong Kong. Some police experts believe the true number of Sobhraj's victims may be more than twice that amount. Serpentine is the "grotesque, baffling, and hypnotic" true story of one of the most bizarre killing sprees in modern history ( San Francisco Chronicle ). Edgar Award–winning author Thomas Thompson's mesmerizing portrait of a notorious sociopath and his helpless prey "unravels like fiction, but afterwards haunts the reader like the document it is" ( The Plain Dealer , Cleveland). Review: Old school journalist, darn good writer, too bad he died too young. - Just finished reading this book by Tommy Thompson and keen to read everything else written by him. I had already done my google-research on Sobhraj years ago and watched all the documentaries on him, but it's only after you this book that the deeply-twisted-perverted Sobhraj character makes clear sense. One has to marvel at the efforts which Tommy undertook to research Sobhraj's background, his family, his times in prison, his letters, his "friends" dispersed across the continents. Though deep in rigor and bind, it's an easy deeply engaging read. Even the last bit of the book where he outlays the court proceedings against Sobhraj in India, his attention to detail and depth of understanding are illuminating and humbling to even an Indian like me. There are some trivial factual errors (for instance India won independence in 47 not 48) but the story holds true and captured in an easy 550 pages is money and time very well spent. Review: A detailed read of a very bad man - This book covers the life and murders of a serial killer and we also see the corruption of the prison and legal system in India and other countries in Asia. It's educational in that the reader sees what is normal in that system and is so entirely different from what we expect in the US. I was amazed at how the killer could read and persuade people to join him and participate in his murders and other crimes, Naïve young Americans and Europeans would get involved with him, be arrested and languish in prison under dreadful conditions while he bribed his way to relative luxury. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #150,666 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #71 in Southeast Asia History #79 in Criminology (Kindle Store) #145 in Biographies of Serial Killers | ## Images ![Serpentine: Charles Sobhraj's Reign of Terror from Europe to South Asia - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71UAGxm1SgL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Old school journalist, darn good writer, too bad he died too young. *by P***T on April 24, 2021* Just finished reading this book by Tommy Thompson and keen to read everything else written by him. I had already done my google-research on Sobhraj years ago and watched all the documentaries on him, but it's only after you this book that the deeply-twisted-perverted Sobhraj character makes clear sense. One has to marvel at the efforts which Tommy undertook to research Sobhraj's background, his family, his times in prison, his letters, his "friends" dispersed across the continents. Though deep in rigor and bind, it's an easy deeply engaging read. Even the last bit of the book where he outlays the court proceedings against Sobhraj in India, his attention to detail and depth of understanding are illuminating and humbling to even an Indian like me. There are some trivial factual errors (for instance India won independence in 47 not 48) but the story holds true and captured in an easy 550 pages is money and time very well spent. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A detailed read of a very bad man *by B***R on January 22, 2018* This book covers the life and murders of a serial killer and we also see the corruption of the prison and legal system in India and other countries in Asia. It's educational in that the reader sees what is normal in that system and is so entirely different from what we expect in the US. I was amazed at how the killer could read and persuade people to join him and participate in his murders and other crimes, Naïve young Americans and Europeans would get involved with him, be arrested and languish in prison under dreadful conditions while he bribed his way to relative luxury. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Couldn’t put it down *by M***F on November 23, 2021* I read this in almost 1 sitting - it’s well written and compelling. Things I didn’t love: Moslem when Muslim is more common. Katmandu instead of Kathmandu. Heading “East to Pakistan or West to Burma” when the directions are opposite. Shaking one’s head to agree, when shaking is normally negative and nodding is to agree. These things made me think the author’s first language isn’t English, which makes the book even more remarkable. The prologue was very long, which nearly lost me, but after that, the book rockets along and the prologue is drawn back into the text. I also don’t understand the time frame. The book ends prematurely if it was written in 2016 as advertised. There are at least another 5 chapters to be written following the end of the book. I suspect it was written in the late 70’s or 80’s, or is the author planning a sequel? It would be welcomed. Some details, such as diary notes or letters, needed a footnote to indicate if they were based on reality or fictionalized. What I loved: The detail, the fast pace, the vocabulary of the author, the colour he brought to the countries and people. It’s a fantastic piece of work, well recommended. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/102893807-serpentine-charles-sobhrajs-reign-of-terror-from-europe-to-south](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/102893807-serpentine-charles-sobhrajs-reign-of-terror-from-europe-to-south) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-06-08*