A Nail Through The Heart

A Poke Rafferty Thriller

De: Timothy Hallinan

Narrado por: Victor Bevine

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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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)

Best narrator

Best narrator I can ever remember listening too. His voices of the characters makes them come alive and you believe they really exist and have real lives. The subject matter may be hard for some. It is gritty novel of perversion in Thailand. For those of us who have spent some time in Asia, we can relate to third world societies, corruption and poverty all condoned by the ruling elite. I will definitely be reading the sequels.

Poke Raffery is a blast.

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

Yes. I love the action. I love the way Poke tries to correct the terrible things done to the people he loves.

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

Yes. And I liked it so much I went out & bought all the other books in the series.

A High Price

I am so glad that the ending was such as it was..how much it sobered the reader very quickly, and realize the high stakes game so many countries (and each one's citizens) are playing with entire generations. Just look at Mme Wing.

Wonderful Blend Between Thriller & Cultural Study

Having lived in Southeast Asia for over 12 years, I have to admit to having some trepidation about reading a book about a white guy named 'Poke'.

I shouldn't have worried. Hallinan offers up a marvelous blend of noir thriller, ethnographic study and a complex romance. I can honestly say I was engaged every minute of the 10 hours.

His portrait of Bangkok's seamy underbelly is spot on. And yet he takes the reader through it with enough of a detached eye to focus us on the central mystery. His main character is an brilliantly flawed, engaging and open man who draws the reader in and doesn't let go.

The story takes a serious journey into the world of child prostitution, abuse and pornography and the devastation it leaves behind in the lives it's touched. It also takes a haunting trip into the horrors of the Cambodia of the Khmer Rouge. Hallinan wraps it up in a web of police corruption, Buddhist mysticism and the jaded expat's view of Bangkok.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Some of it is extremely gritty. But it is not sensational in its approach and well worth the listening time and the credit.

The narrator is perfect for the story. You couldn't ask for better.

Beautiful Writing...Harsh Reality

Halinan's word craft is remarkable. Beautiful even. The story itself is engaging though harsh. The narration is stellar. The characters are compelling and multi faceted.

SEX TRAVELERS OR FRIENDS—READ THIS!

This story is heartbreaking. It is a story of what it’s really like for the boys, girls and women who work in or are kidnapped into the sex trade in Southeast Asia (including the porn you watch). About what happened to the Cambodians with the Khmer Rouge. About the American and Western men who come as sex tourists. If you know someone who has done this or is even thinking of doing this, you MUST listen to this book. It is . . . I don’t know a strong enough word. Not Despicable, Contemptible, Loathsome, Abhorrent, Heinous. No. Like the protagonist says, “Some people deserve to die.” This is a story that begins as a mystery or two, makes you love the people in it, breaks your heart, and resolves as gently and satisfactorily as is realistically possible. Many hard-to-fathom realities in it. Highly recommended.

dark subject matter is handled well

fast-paced and entertaining, this is a worthwhile read. narrator does a good job of creating multiple characters.

First book in a very good series

Hallinan is writing some of the most enjoyable, offbeat crime novels around today. He creates fascinating, deeply human characters. His Bangkok soon begins to feel familiar to us and yet still never ceases to fascinate, unsettle and beguile. And Poke Rafferty is an unusual combination of sweet, domestic yearning and exotic street smarts, fiercely determined to protect and nurture his incipient family and precariously balanced between viscera and grey matter.

As with all of the Rafferty books, the plot of "Nail" is complex and satisfying. Also typical is the fact that there are no easy answers to the good/evil questions as the story unwinds. In fact, the traditional categories of villain and victim are turned on their heads here.

This is the first of the Poke Rafferty series, and a great place to start, though I began with "The Queen of Patpong," a remarkably good book, and have enjoyed coming back to the early offerings without any problem with spoilers. As I write this I find that "Queen" is currently unavailable, but I hope Audible will restore it to the active list very soon. Wherever you begin, I strongly advise you to start now. This is very good stuff and is extremely well read by Victor Bevine. Enjoy!

You Will Not Be Sorry!

If you could sum up A Nail Through The Heart in three words, what would they be?

Despair to hope.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The subject matter is something we know exists but difficult for us to influence.I am glad the author chose it in order to keep us "educated" and hopefully involved in some small way to begin to change the despair to hope.

Have you listened to any of Victor Bevine’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never listened to the narrator. But there is no question that he will now be at the top of my list.

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

I had wished the book would have gone on for more chapters but it is gratifying to know there are three more books to look forward to listening.

Any additional comments?

Do not pass this book by, you'll miss wonderful story.

TRIFECTA! Great author, narrator and story!

What made the experience of listening to A Nail Through The Heart the most enjoyable?

Timothy Hallinan's snappy writing combined with Victor Bevine's terrific performance.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes-I really cared about the characters and wanted to know what happened next, clear to the end.

Have you listened to any of Victor Bevine’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but he's definitely one of my new favorite narrators!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both- I want to listen to every book in the series!

Any additional comments?

Rarely do you ever find a new great writer, narrator and series that you love all at once. Kismet!