This book is a work of journalism which uses some of the techniques of the novel. The conversations between people are based on what they remembered they said at the time, or are derived from official reports, police statements or private letters. As for Charles, little reliance was placed on information he gave which could not be corroborated by historical records or reliable witnesses. These were in excessive supply.
The thoughts and feelings which Charles Sobhraj claimed to have experienced at certain times have been included when they ‘rang true’ and seemed compatible with known facts. There were some episodes which, by their very nature, could not be checked against records and where the only participants, other than Charles, had died, were still at large, or could not be contacted. Such scenes have been attributed to Charles.
The people in this book are real and all the events are true to the best of our knowledge and belief. The identities of those who make a brief appearance in this story and are referred to only by their first names have been changed. To spare additional grief and embarrassment to members of Charles’ family, their names have also been altered, as have those of his mentor Alain Benard; the Belgian diplomat Gilles de Giverney; the house-guest in Bangkok, François Dubily; Marie-Andrée’s friend Jules Dupont; Chantal’s parents, the Lemaîtres; and Albert Goyot, the antiques dealer.