The Queen of Patpong: A Poke Rafferty Thriller (Poke Rafferty...

“Hallinan is a wordsmith of the first order, and he puts his great narrative skills into overdrive on this one….You won’t read a better thriller this year!”—John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of Treasure Hunt Author Timothy Hallinan returns to Bangkok, Thailand—and plunges his protagonist, travel writer Poke Rafferty, into graver peril than ever before—in The Queen of Patpong, Hallinan’s fourth Rafferty thriller following A Nail Through the Heart, The Fourth Watcher, and Breathing Water.  Fans of John Burdett, Alexander McCall Smith, Daniel Silva, and Alan Furst who love being transported to exotic locales will be riveted when a nightmare figure from the past arrives at Poke Rafferty’s door to bring chaos and danger to the lives of the people he loves.

Publishers Weekly

“Compassionate.... [Hallinan casts] an empathetic but incisive eye on a class of people often reduced to mere caricature.”

Lou Berney, author of Gutshot Straight

“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.”

Laura Joh Rowland, USA Today bestselling author of the Sano Ichiro series

“Sexy, exotic, and profound. Timothy Hallinan makes noir poetry out of corruption and violence.”

John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of Treasure Hunt

“Bangkok” novels, and his latest, The Queen of Patpong, is the best yet.... You won’t read a better thriller this year!”

Ken Bruen, author of London Boulevard

“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.”

Gregg Hurwitz, author of Trust No One

“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.”

Stephen Jay Schwartz, bestselling author of Boulevard

“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.”

Brett Battles, author of Shadow of Betrayal

“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.”

Gar Anthony Haywood, Shamus Award-winning author of Cemetery Road

“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.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“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.”

to win in the end.”

“[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

From the Back Cover

American travel writer Poke Rafferty has seen—and survived—some of the worst Bangkok has to offer. But now, finally married to his longtime love, Rose, and raising the young daughter, Miaow, they adopted from the streets, Poke believes his life is stable at last. Then a nightmare figure from Rose's time as a Patpong dancer barges into their world, threatening their peace, their love, their home, their lives. Suddenly Poke's only recourse is to uncover the whole truth of Rose's past—to follow the dark and twisting journey that turned a shy, awkward village teenager into the queen of Asia's most lurid red-light district: Patpong Road. But the secrets that await him may be almost impossible for Poke to accept—and even harder to survive.

About the Author

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.

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