
The Queen of Patpong
A Poke Rafferty Thriller
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Narrated by:
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Victor Bevine
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By:
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Timothy Hallinan
About this listen
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.
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Critic reviews
The book follows both Rose's harrowing climb and Miaow's performance in a school production of The Tempest, with such sweetness infusing every scene that you want to know these people in your own life. The scenes in the sex trade are brutal and make you want to close your eyes and ears, but you won't, because you simply must know how these three, plus Poke's best friend, Arthit, survive. The individual evil in the plot, a mercenary named Howard Horner, is so sharply drawn that your skin literally crawls when he appears. The evils of the kids' lives in the sex trade is almost unbearable, but somehow Tim makes the kids so vibrant and the women so completely real that the result is anything but one-dimensional. The women are neither whores with hearts of gold nor just throwaway tramps. Their story could not be told better if Shakespeare were living there now.
The narrator, Victor Bevine, is perfect. Every Asian voice, every American character, each scene is told so beautifully that my only fantasy is that Frank Muller could return to us and read Tim's work. There can be no higher praise, in my opinion.
Pretty soon you'll be telling your friends about these books, as I am.
A masterpiece. You must not miss this book.
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This is Tim's best work to date in his Poke Hall in an series.it features all the noe well loved characters; Rose Poke's ex bar girl wife, their adopted former street kid, Mixed and Poke,'s mate, the Thai Police Lt Colonel Ardit.
A great read.
Tim Hallinan's Best to Date
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Compelling but horrible
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What did you love best about The Queen of Patpong?
It is so human and kindly written about a cruel world.What did you like best about this story?
I believe this story and it moves me. Never a dull moment and it is full of humanity.What does Victor Bevine bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He gives voice to the above, he is absolutely great!If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
No idea.Any additional comments?
Though It is so foreign it and has open my eyes wide up for my own fortune.Glad to know this author.
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Another good Poke Rafferty mystery.
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I'm not sure how to explain what Timothy Hallinan does, but it's really quite amazing. He develops colorful, yet believable characters. He makes me think I've been to Bangkok. He has a way of writing dialog that just feels right. Then he weaves in a mystery/thriller. On top of all that, Victor Bevine narrates it perfectly. It's a winning combination in every way.
Some of the subjects are rough so this may not be the right series for everyone. But if you love the way Dennis Lehane creates characters or the sense of place Pat Conroy gives his books, this may be the right series for you. It really is that good.
Richard Delman, one of my favorite reviewers on Audible, recommended this highly so I gave it a shot. I'm so glad I did. I've been through the whole series twice now and am anxiously awaiting the next release.
Not sure how I missed this. It's terrific.
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The main bad characters Howard and John appear very believable in most all their actions although I wonder if someone with Howard's understanding of 'having fun' would indeed spare as much time in preparing the girl for the final showdown. In any event, Howard's true intent is masked just long enough to sustain the suspense without losing you in the process.
The family dynamics between Poke, Rose and their young daughter, Miaow are interesting and any parent will recognize the challenges Miaows faces obviously amplified by Rose's past and its ramifications into the present including the maniac persecuting them. The Publisher's summary indicating that their love and peace is threatened may mislead some to expect a bit of a love story mixed in, but that is not the case. Poke appears genuinely in love with Rose and very protective of her, but I couldn't detect much of a vibe from Rose's perspective. Maybe that is more discernible in parts 1 and 2 of the Poke Rafferty series.
I highly recommend the book for anyone who loves thrillers and expects the additional enjoyment of well-drawn characters, a realistic and meaningful backdrop to the crime story, and plenty of local color.
A Bankog Thriller With An Individual Perspective
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Entertaining and informative
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My favorite kind of book. I could not put it down
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Truth
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