New Zealand's Private Eye
From Sherlock Holmes to Dick Tracey, - Miss Marple to Philip Marlowe, there are of course countless tales featuring
intrepid Private Eyes. Yet another book of this genre is due to be released, however it has one major difference – the
Private Eye in question, is very much alive and well.
The founder of the internationally known 'Thaiprivateeye.com' web site, Warren Olson in the early 1990's, found himself
managing the largest hotel in Northeastern Thailand. He soon learnt a number of things, such as ;
The flashes one regularly saw in the night sky, were not lightning, but mortar exchanges between Thai and Khmer Rogue
forces, that he was the first westerner to ever manage a Hotel in the region, the Hotel in question, had 200 plus staff,
and only 4 or 5 spoke any English, apart from the 3 restaurants, 2 nightclubs, and enormous massage parlor, the hotel
had 500 rooms, of which a number of the top floor suites, were permanently reserved for Local dignities, Police chiefs,
MP's etc, and that as a consequence perhaps, all major conferences in the region were held there.
A Nationwide scandal in the mid 90's however, meant the owners had to flee the country, so Olson found himself out of a
job, but having acquired a very sound knowledge of Thai and Khmen, along with a good understanding of local culture,
politics, and way of life, and also a number of 'Thai acquaintances' in high places - all the ingredients he soon found,
to set himself up as a Private Investigator, who over the ensuing decade, became perhaps the best known, most respected
one of his ilk, in South East Asia.
Having recently returned to his Native New Zealand, primarily for the safety and upbringing of his young daughter,
Olson had plenty of Tatty notebooks, an abundance of vivid recollections, and a wide range of local knowledge,
encompassing Investigations of Errant husbands to wayward Girlfriends, and all types of Con men, Scammers, Cheats,
Swindlers, and Blackmailers in between.
A chance meeting with acclaimed best selling author Stephen Leather, has seen him assist in weaving all of this into an
entertaining, informative, and, at times hard to believe, all 'based on actual case's ' book, about to be released by
Monsoon Books, entitled - “ CONFESSIONS OF A BANGKOK PRIVATE EYE ” Warren Olson currently resides in Wellington, where
he is now completing a masters in Strategic studies.
ENDS