A Tour Through My Travel‑Noir Favourites

My favourite books tend to be internationally themed novels with intrigue, gritty crime, and a dash of mystery. This has, naturally, led me to spy novels. But there’s another sort of novel that I likewise enjoy that seems to float on the border between crime, travel, and espionage, often with noir-ish vibes.

I’m not sure what this genre would be called, but for this post I’ve dubbed it “Travel Noir”, as it seems to encompass all of the above.

These books often have exotic locales and involve immigrants, expats, and travellers caught up in political intrigue and/or crime and espionage with a subtle theme of elegant disorientation and/or quiet brooding.

This description might be quite general and therefore could fit many books, but below are some novels that fit this description and that are my favourite novels in this genre.

1. The Ballad of a Small Player — Lawrence Osborne (2014)

First up is the The Ballad of a Small Player by Lawrence Osborne. Osborne is a superb writer and many of his novels could fit into this “travel noir” category but it’s ‘The Ballad’ that I find the most intriguing. Osborne’s anti‑hero “Lord Doyle” weaves his way through Macau’s neon palace-like casinos and crumbling Portuguese villas while engaging with the enigmatic Chinese woman Dao-Ming.

Osborne’s novels often portray expats on the run which is a beautiful setup for a novel in this genre and his prose flows like liquid honey (sorry for the cliché…) and his books are a delight to read.

Osborne also nails the setting. Having been to Macau and Hong Kong and wandered off the beaten track myself, he captures the vibe perfectly. This is something he does with all his novels which is rare among other authors (and travel writers and vloggers, for that matter) who might fly in and out of a location without knowing the lay of the land and therefore peppering their novels with travel clichés.

‘The Ballad’ is well worth your time especially since it will be an upcoming Netflix film with Colin Farrell. I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.

2. Bangkok 8 — John Burdett (2003)

Next up is Bangkok 8 by John Burdett which is part of the author’s “Bangkok 8” series featuring Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep who trawls Bangkok on the hunt for murder of a U.S. Marine after he was killed by a posse of cobras planted in a Mercedes Benz. (Yes, you read that correctly).

Burdett’s writing has a strong, unique voice with detailed description of the real Bangkok. The protagonist Sonchai’s voice has a dry, humorous quality which will leave you wanting more. An excellent novel which is a rift on the classic hard-boiled detective novels but with a unique narrator whose voice mixes Buddhist philosophy with musings on Bangkok’s underbelly.

And again, Burdett seems to know Thailand and Bangkok intimately which shines through his writing illuminating not only the country itself but the culture.

3. The Beach — Alex Garland (1996)

If you’re a traveller, then you probably already know The Beach by Alex Garland as while not illegal, it’s frowned up if you haven’t read it in backpacking circles. And if you’re ever stayed in a hostel, then you’ve probably come across a frayed copy lying on a sofa or wedged into the book-swap shelf.

For those that haven’t heard of it, the story revolves around Richard, a jaded Brit backpacker who swims to an unseen lagoon expecting utopia and finds Lord of the Flies with mosquito nets and flip flops.

If you haven’t read the book then you’ve likely seen the 2000 film starring a young Leonardo DiCaprio and which catapulted Thailand’s Maya Bay to international superstardom (and over tourism).

While Garland is now more well-known as a famous movie director (his movies are also great by the way), The Beach is a classic in this travel genre. And although it isn’t noir per-se it does have aspects of crime novels, but nonetheless I think it still captures the vibe of this genre of books.

4. A Year of Living Dangerously — Christopher Koch (1978)

A Year of Living Dangerously casts the spotlight on Indonesia showcasing Jakarta in 1965 as President Sukarno’s grip on power is waning amid an ascendant Communist Party, a wary nationalist military, and restless islamic groups. The perfect setting for the protagonist, Guy Hamilton, an Australian journalist to get caught up in.

Koch is a great Australian writer whose brother was a journalist in Indonesia during the period mentioned in the book and therefore loosely inspired it. Koch had also worked in Indonesia himself, giving him an insight into the country. The book was banned in Indonesia during the Suharto era. As was the later film adaptation (a half decent Peter Weir movie starring Mel Gibson).

This type of setting plays well into this genre and a journalist makes for a good protagonist, especially an expat journalist who is trying to work out the lay of the land while confronting murky figures.

5. A Flag for Sunrise — Robert Stone (1981)

Lastly, we have A Flag for Sunrise by Robert Stone which parachutes four haunted Americans into “Tecan,” a fictional Central American republic primed for revolt which could stand in for mish-mash of El Salvador and Nicaragua.

There’s something Graham Green-esque about Stone’s novel with a runaway nun, an anthropologist, Vietnam vet turned spy, and an alcohol-fuelled priest. The Greene reference is not to take anything away from Stone’s book as he makes it his own. But it’s this mix of characters with their own struggles trying to live their lives during a low intensity but building insurgency in Latin America that gives it that noir feeling.

Stone travelled the world in the US Navy and was a foreign correspondent during the Vietnam war which inspired other novels he wrote.

I feel A Flag for Sunshine has been largely forgotten which is surprising considering it landed on Pulitzer prize and National Book Award shortlists.

So there’s a quick list of my favourite “travel noir” novels. Grab a copy of them if they sound like they’re up your alley. And feel free to reach out if you have any recommendations of your own that I haven’t mentioned.

P.S.

In addition to this list of five novels, below are some honourable mentions that I’ve also enjoyed and fit into this genre but didn’t make the top five cut.

Honourable Mentions

Saint Jack and Kowloon Tong by Paul Theroux
The Dancer Upstairs by Nicholas Shakespeare
The Comedians by Graham Greene

A Tour Through My Travel‑Noir Favourites

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