Book summary

With this third exhilarating novel to feature the Bangkok adventures of hard-luck writer Poke Rafferty, Timothy Hallinan firmly establishes himself in the upper echelon of writers of literary thrillers. When Poke scores the rights to pen the rags-to-riches story of the notorious Thai billionaire Khun Pan, he figures he has a surefire bestseller on his hands, but Pan is a rather obstinate editor, who likes to use a gun to get his points across. As Poke explores the dark labyrinth of Pan's "business" dealings, he realizes that he is getting in over his head, but if he does not somehow produce a triumphant version of Pan's story, he risks losing more than his career. Hallinan perfectly captures the creepy atmosphere of bizarre noir which defines the criminal underworld of Bangkok, elements which make Poke's unflappable responses to extreme danger seem all the more remarkable.