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A Nail Through the Heart: A Novel of Bangkok Review

I would rate this book 4 1/2 stars, but that's not an option here. This book is not War and Peace, but like a couple of other genre books that I have really liked since discovering Kindle for Blackberry, this novel is a cut above. Two other books that I recommend are the e-book-only "The Wounded Man," and the urban fantasy "Scent of Shadows." "A Nail Through The Heart" lacks the poetry of seediness found in "The Wounded Man." "Nail" also is a little short on the sense of endless, surprising emotional discovery in "Scent of Shadows." However, "Nail" makes up for it with fascinating Thailand atmosphere. "Nail" has an appropriately at-sea hero, but most compelling are the Thai supporting characters. It's a winner.

"Nail" is not a big, boring impersonal thriller like mainstream publishers churn out. "Nail" deals with some of the disturbing issues of Southeast Asia in a very up-close way. The fascinating texture of Thailand is interwoven into a plot that does its job. Every detail is not necessarily tied up with a bow, but it's a reasonably satisfying plot. The characters are what drive the story - the ex-prostitute Rose and two children bring Thailand home to the reader. The protagonist is reasonably well-done. He's sort of a Yuppie abroad. The only inconsistency is that sometimes he is like a Rambo and at other times he is a pushover, although it's explained well enough in the moment. What's brilliant about him is that he gives the reader a way into the world of Thailand, with it's amazing subcultures. Like us, he's from the outside, and he brings us with him. He does questionable things, but his heart's in the right place and he's sympathetic. His glimpses of insight into Thai culture through Rose are great. The ending is brilliant. What makes the book special is the great feel for Thailand, and insight into the dark corners of Southeast Asia, that flow through the book.

A Nail Through the Heart: A Novel of Bangkok Overview

Poke Rafferty was writing offbeat travel guides for the young and terminally bored when Bangkok stole his heart. Now the American expat is assembling a new family with Rose, the former go-go dancer he wants to marry, and Miaow, the tiny, streetwise urchin he wants to adopt. But trouble in the guise of good intentions comes calling just when everything is beginning to work out. Poke agrees to take in Superman, Miaow's troubled and terrifying friend from the gutter. Then he agrees to help locate a distraught Aussie woman's missing uncle and accepts a generous payment to find a blackmailing thief. No longer gliding carelessly across the surface of a culture he doesn't really understand, suddenly Poke is plodding through dark and unfamiliar terrain—and everything and everyone he loves is in terrible danger.

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Customer Reviews

Entertaining, passionate, heavy and amusing - Julian Tan - Melbourne, Australia
After an indifferent start, the book gathered pace halfway through and ended literally with a bang. I loved the beautifully crafted descriptions and the endearing sincerity of the characters. Entertaining, passionate, heavy and amusing at times - glad I read it.

Gripping novel - M. Simpson - Houston, TX
This was a very gripping novel. I would have rated it 5 stars except that I found the torture aspects a little too intense. I know those things happen in the world of evil. I just don't like to read about it. The plot was intricate and suspense filled. The setting and people were fascinating. The characters were described in actions. There were no paragraphs explaining them. You just understood them. It was the same for Bangkok. You learned about it within the story. If you don't object to scenes of torture and human trafficking, this novel is a must read.

Some People Deserve to Die - John R. Lindermuth - Coal Township PA

In the wake of the tragic 2004 tsunami, travel writer Poke is trying to build a new life in Thailand with Rose, a former bar girl, and Miaow, a street child he wants to adopt. As a favor to a Thai policeman friend, Poke agrees to investigate the disappearance of the uncle of an Australian woman. It isn't long before he discovers the man is a cruel pedophile and not the saint the niece believes him to be.

Complications mount as he takes into his home a boy known as Superman from Miaow's past, accepts money from a wealthy woman who wants him to find a man who stole something she won't disclose, runs afoul of two corrupt police and assorted thugs who threaten him and his family.

It's an adrenalin-rush of a story with well-defined characters, plenty of action and a complex, engrossing plot.

Like John Burdett, Hallinan has a deep insight into Thai character and an obvious love for the people. He doesn't gloss over or romanticize the complexity of this society which has its beauty and its warts. Those warts include the exploitation of women and sexual abuse of children, distasteful subjects which can only be dealt with by Buddhist pragmatism.

I came into Hallinan's Poke Rafferty series backward. That is, I read the most recent novel before reading this first in the series. Knowing a bit more about the characters didn't deplete my enjoyment of this one. I'm looking forward to the other books in the series.

First read of this Author - discovered a new favorite. - mglaveen -
This was the first book by Timothy Hallinan I ever read. I quickly downloaded two more and enjoyed them just as much. He is absolutely one of my new favorites. I will be reading all of his books and I anticipate they will be enjoyed as well.

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Saturday, November 6, 2010