The Queen of Patpong
A Poke Rafferty Thriller
By Timothy Hallinan
(William Morrow, Hardcover, 9780061672262, 320pp.)
Publication Date: September 2010
Other Editions of This Title: Paperback
Categories: General
 |     |
Selected by Indie Booksellers for the September 2010 Indie NotablesFor American travel writer Poke Rafferty, life finally seems to hold some semblance of stability. He and his longtime love, Rose, have gone through with their much-deferred marriage ceremony, their adopted daughter, Miaow, a former street child, has become a loving—if sometimes difficult—part of the family, and the three of them live in relative comfort thanks to Rose's housekeeping business and Rafferty's writing.
Then a nightmare figure from Rose's time as a Patpong dancer barges into their world, shattering the peace they've worked so hard to obtain. His appearance threatens everything they cherish: their love, their home . . . their very lives. As a foreigner who's seen some of the worst Bangkok has to offer and survived confrontations with Thailand's most powerful and dangerous elements, Rafferty feels equal to most of the challenges Bangkok can throw at him. But now his only hope is to discover the whole truth of Rose's past—a journey down the dark and twisting road that turned a shy, awkward village teenager into the queen of Asia's most lurid red-light street: Patpong Road. And just when Rafferty thought life was looking good, reality comes crashing in as he learns that the secrets from Rose's former life are almost impossible to accept—and even harder to survive.
The Queen of Patpong is a terrifying, heart-breaking, electrifying story of peril, love, and, ultimately, redemption in modern-day Thailand—and the most ambitious, affecting novel yet from thriller master Timothy Hallinan.
Timothy Hallinan is the author of nine widely praised books: eight novels—including the Bangkok thrillers featuring Poke Rafferty—and a work of nonfiction. Along with his wife, Munyin Choy, he divides his time equally between Los Angeles, California, and Southeast Asia.
“Tim Hallinan is one of the great unsung mystery writers. His latest in the Poke Rafferty series is his best yet.... John Burdett writes about Bangkok. Tim Hallinan IS......Bangkok. I adore this book.”
-Ken Bruen, author of London Boulevard
“Compassionate.... [Hallinan casts] an empathetic but incisive eye on a class of people often reduced to mere caricature.”
-Publishers Weekly
“Ferociously compelling and deeply moving – the rare thriller that manages to keep you on the edge of your seat at the same time it opens your eyes and heart.”
-Lou Berney, author of Gutshot Straight
“Timothy Hallinan has written a thriller that hits every bulls-eye. An exotic locale, a human, all-too-believable protagonist, and a villain that would give James Lee Burke nightmares. The Queen of Patpong reads like a bullet train on fire.”
-Gar Anthony Haywood, Shamus Award-winning author of Cemetery Road
“[The Queen of Patpong] is a breakthrough.... Riveting, genuinely, moving, and entirely plausible.... A terrific page-turner, and the surprising denouement will thrill readers who want the good guys—or girls— to win in the end.”
-Booklist (starred review)
“Sexy, exotic, and profound. Timothy Hallinan makes noir poetry out of corruption and violence.”
-Laura Joh Rowland, USA Today bestselling author of the Sano Ichiro series
“Hallinan takes his Poke Rafferty series to the next level with this taut, offbeat and fast-moving thriller.... Hallinan’s unlikely hero shines in this sometimes funny, always engrossing and undeniably authentic story that explores a dark and fascinating side of Thailand.”
-Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The Queen of Patpong is a razor-sharp, convincing, and heartbreaking glimpse of the dark underbelly of a culture, and a white-knuckle thriller all in one. Hold on tight and cancel your morning meetings. Hallinan is a stunning talent.”
-Gregg Hurwitz, author of Trust No One
“I have loved all of Tim Hallinan’s “Bangkok” novels, and his latest, The Queen of Patpong, is the best yet.... You won’t read a better thriller this year!”
-John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of Treasure Hunt
“The Queen of Patpong is simply outstanding. Compelling, heart-wrenching, and oh so satisfying.... Hallinan has once again proved to me why he is one of my all time favorite authors.”
-Brett Battles, author of Shadow of Betrayal
“Timothy Hallinan’s The Queen of Patpong is pure magic; a compelling thriller grown from a dark and treacherous soil.... Hallinan is courageous in his exploration of sexual exploitation, greed and corruption. I’ve read no one better on the subject.”
-Stephen Jay Schwartz, bestselling author of Boulevard
This book is on these lists:
Burns11's Wish List by burns11Need to read by jen
Ejg012's Wish List by ejg012
All lists >>
 |
1Q84 Haruki Murakami Knopf |
 |
The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides Farrar, Straus, and Giroux |
 |
The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes Knopf |
 |
Death Comes to Pemberley PD James Knopf |
