A Nail Through The Heart

A Poke Rafferty Thriller

By: Timothy Hallinan

Narrated by: Victor Bevine

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2007 Timothy Hallinan (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Don't miss your chance to read [ A Nail Through the Heart ] before it starts winning all its awards.... every page shimmers with life and light. Hallinan's is a writer's writer, and this is great stuff!" (John Lescroart)

Five star all the way

The story and the performance actually reminded me of a gritty Sam Spade suspense story. The dialogue is snappy and no nonsense. The story keeps giving you twists and turns. The characters are solid. Delivered pitch perfect by the narrator.

But there’s much more to it. Elements of historical and current day real life tragedies form the basis of the story. Not in a heavy handed way but just right.

The emotional passages were written perfectly. Not overdone; I really felt for the characters which is rare for me.


Some of the subject matter is tough to hear but know that the bad guys get what they deserve.

I recommend this book highly.

Great writing some parts drawn out

I love the Poke Rafferty books. Very well written and educational. Also good original story lines with great action. Would have given 5 stars if only the author did not draw out some of the background material which I decided to fast forward in several places without feeling I missed any of the plot. Victor Bevine is a great narrator.

Would not choose to hear about such awfulness.

This was not entertainment, quite the opposite. Had I been better informed as to the content of this book I would not have bought it. I did read a few reviews, not enough apparently. The story was fairly engaging but the graphic descriptions horrid.

Great character, great narrator

Thank you, Audible, for bringing Timothy Hallinan's Poke Rafferty to a new reader. Poke, Rose, Miaou and Boo come to life in the streets of Bangkok through Victor Bevine's excellent narration. There is depth in the relationships between the characters that is touching, multi-faceted and honest. Hallinan's ability to bring very difficult topics to light is almost heroic: he doesn't go for the easy answers, instead he presents a picture of a brutal world with tenderness for the victims and hope for those who are able to forge emotional bonds, however fragile, in spite of their pasts. A word of warning: the subject matter at the heart of the book is very hard to bear. If I had been reading the book instead of listening to it, I would have skipped many pages. It's probably a good thing that I couldn't - just because I don't want to read it, doesn't mean I shouldn't know it. Kudos to Mr. Hallinan. I can hardly wait to read the next Poke Rafferty book.

Unexpectedly Amazing

What a great book. Really good. And I really didn't expect it to be. Poke, Meow, and Rose are great characters and the plot is interesting and fascinating. I learned more about Thailand and the sex trade there without getting lectured to. I have already listened to the second Poke Rafferty book and have downloaded the third. Don't hesitate with these!

I'd love to sit and talk with Mr.Tim Hallinan

Would you listen to A Nail Through The Heart again? Why?

Not likely unless its many years from now. I have a tendency to remember good novels.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Protagonist is probably more wonderful than life but you can't help but really like this guy.

What does Victor Bevine bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The best performers are story tellers that do not intrude on the story they tell.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really. It's best to anticipate the next "chapter."

Any additional comments?

A great combination of writer and narrator.

Extremely graphic and disturbing sexual violence and torture

I liked the premise and the characters, especially the relationship of Poke, the main character, to the two street children he is trying to understand and help. But the very lengthy graphic descriptions of torture and sexual abuse of children were almost impossible to endure.

A Terrific Read!

Where does A Nail Through The Heart rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Excellent story and narrator! Sense of place very well done, characters memorable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Nail Through The Heart?

There were several and all spoiler related.

Which character – as performed by Victor Bevine – was your favorite?

Poke, of course. Mr. Bevine does a wonderful job of conveying all of the characters but Poke was my favorite.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Why not "Nail Through the Heart"? There is an interesting explanation in the story for this phrase.

Any additional comments?

Mr. Hallinan writes a story that is hard to put down. The audio is exceptional and well done. I have already purchased the next 2 books in the series.

Heart-breaking realities

It would be nice to believe that some of the truly horrible predators meet their just rewards in this life.

The book relates to child pornography and the Khmer Rouge, so it's not light reading.

Great characters and place

I especially enjoyed the characters and setting for this book. The story is good, with historical relevance and importance, but for me the plot is enjoyable primarily because of the cultural setting and the interactions among the characters in that setting. I look forward to the next book in the series.