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Timothy Hallinan

Timothy Hallinan

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Mysteries of the East > Thai > Timothy Hallinan
American, 1942-
The Poke Rafferty  novels of Tim Hallinan
TitleDate originally publishedeBook available?In print?
A Nail Through the Heart2007YesYes
The Fourth Watcher2008YesYes
Breathing Water2009YesYes

 Announcements
Next Poke Rafferty novel announced 
by Michael Robert BroschatNo presence information		 4/21/2010 5:10 AM
The Queen of Patpong is due in August 2010.
 
 
Video to advertise books! 
by Michael Robert BroschatNo presence information		 8/9/2009 9:23 AM
I suppose it had to happen. There's a short video on YouTube advertising Tim Hallinan's current book (Breathing Water).
 
 

 Reviews of Poke Rafferty novels
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Review text
Review of A Nail Through the Heart
Tim Hallinan's A Nail Through the Heart is a perfect balance of action, love, and cultural revelations. I've written before about how one formula mixes action and love, but I'd forgotten that one of the primary reasons we read Asian thrillers is because they tell us something Asian. It's all in this novel.
 
We have the usual white guy detective and the usual hot babe Thai, but into this combo comes a kid (or two). We see a similar background to that of some of the other detective novels set in Thailand, including the Thai cop who is a friend to our hero, but it certainly all works. The writing is wonderful, and brings all the pieces into place when they should come.
 
The introduction of a kid (off the streets of Bangkok) is new (to me), and it seems very real. There must be many orphans (real or virtual) in such a culture, especially (as the book notes) after the devastating tsunami of a few years ago. The society seems not designed to provide a place for such persons, and so they simply exist on the street (after all, they're certainly not going to freeze to death!). Thailand is hardly alone in this phenomenon, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn it ranks high with such a population.
It's scary to think that, as Phil Ochs wrote years ago, "There but for fortune go you or I."
 
There's a lot of action, of course, and much of the plot involves effects from the "Killing Fields," the incredible slaughter of Cambodians by Cambodians during the 1970s. There's a lot of corruption, certainly endemic to Asian culture. But there's a lot of goodness, too. Plenty of good people just trying to make their way in a world that sometimes gets in the way.
 
I look forward to reading more in this series, and although Thailand was far from my interests when I began this web site, I almost feel like an expatriate now!
 
Review of Tim Hallinan's The Fourth Watcher
I've written several times about "formula" in mysteries, especially in our Asian mysteries, and if there is such a thing, it's been used to perfection in Tim Hallinan's The Fourth Watcher. This book pleases on every level at which a human being reads.
 
The key to the very successful human interest level is not just that a child has been brought into the story but that the family to which she belongs is "chosen" rather than natural.
 
Our whore-with-the-heart-of-gold is minutes away from becoming our wife-with-the-heart-of-gold (assuming everyone lives until the next book--no small feat with this action-packed adventure series); the bad guy is as bad as bad can be; and the Thai cop who is our best friend remains our best friend--if he lives until the next book.
 
Many books adopt a theme in addition to their mystery plot, and we might say that "North Korea is bad, bad, bad" is this book's theme, and one argued quite eloquently. Quite a difference of perspective from the Inspector O series by James Church, but then Inspector O would be on the side of our American hero if their paths ever cross.
 
There's quite a cast of characters, and Thailand once again comes off as a happening place. Not perfect, but filled with a bunch of folks who'd just like to be left alone to live the Thai life. Fortunately for us, there will be plenty of disruptions in that attempt, and as our little family expands, each component is just one more magnet for trouble.
 
Bring it on, Tim. We can take it...
 
Review of Breathing Water
Breathing Water is a terrifically exciting thriller that throws every possible human emotion into the mix. Again and again and again.
 
The story is brilliantly told. Hallinan uses a technique of many short segments, each told from the view of one of several characters (if this book is not made into a film, it will be because no one can afford the number of actors needed). This keeps things moving at a modern pace, and keeps a single narrative aspect from, perhaps, dulling the reader's experience.
 
We learn even more about Thailand than in the previous two novels. An afterword explains that even though everything about the novel is fiction, the politics aren't. We learn much more about the recent coups and unrest than was even hinted by the newspaper notices at the time. Essentially, like much of Asia, Thailand is ruled by a privileged minority, which has held power—in one way or another—for decades. As democracy inevitably makes progress, conflicts arise between those democratic elements and the established interests. Law, too, is honored more as an ideal than in practical application.
 
Our cast of characters—Poke Rafferty, the American; Rose, the whore with a golden heart; Miaow, adopted from the streets by Poke and Rose; and Arthit, the cop with a love of Thailand matched only by his integrity, is augmented by dozens of bad guys and even a few good people.
 
The pace is delightful and rewarding. I suspect that many will choose to read the novel straight through. Or die trying.
 
--Michael Broschat, Aug 2009
 
  		 
Timothy Hallinan

 Links
 Wikipedia biography
 Author's personal site