A testament to its uniqueness, Thailand has been the subject of plenty of literary works both fictional and factual. Thailand’s reputation for hedonism and debauchery is a topic certain to send books flying off shelves, but there’s only so much we need to know about the horrendous conditions in Thai prisons, and we’re already aware of Pattaya’s record-breaking number of women working in the world’s oldest profession. Jim Algie’s new book, Bizarre Thailand, certainly plays on the stereotypes with its enticing byline “Tales of Crime, Sex, and Black Magic.”

The book delivers exactly that. You’ll receive a hefty dose of text on Bang Kwang prison, as the author draws upon the works of well-known books by Chavoret Jaruboon, the former executioner at the “Bangkok Hilton.” You’ll also get the anticipated behind-the-scenes look at a transsexual prostitutes’ career. It’s worth flipping through, but these anecdotes aren’t anything that hasn’t been done before.

The punk-musician-turned-writer does however try and bring something new and interesting to the debate. Though some stories might be better suited for a backpacker’s travel magazine the pages are peppered with small anecdotes that contain a wealth of knowledge that many common Thai enthusiasts probably wouldn’t know, like where to find Thailand’s only monkey hospital - in case your pet chimpanzee is having problems. Or perhaps you’d like to drink with ghosts-well you can at a small bar hidden in Bangkok’s Lad Prao district.

The book is broken into six sections: Crime Scenes, Misadventure Travels, The Sex Files, Strange Celebrities, Creature Features, and The Supernatural. It barrels along at a swift pace, keeping you entertained with its sarcastic commentary and the hilarious irony that can only be found in Thailand.

For readers that have lived in Thailand for an extended period, reading about topics such as sex workers and Red Shirts might be uninteresting and overdone, but the amount of unusual and off-the-beaten path stories make up for this triteness and keep Bizarre Thailand lively and fascinating. If you’re interested in Thailand, or if you’re interested in bizarre stories and places, you could do worse than add it to your collection.