Breathing Water

Breathing Water
Timothy Hallinan
William Morrow
ISBN: 9780061672231
Fiction, Thriller
Reviewed by John R. Clark

I read and reviewed the first two thrillers featuring Poke Rafferty and liked them extremely well. I was very much looking forward to reading Breathing Water and must say I found it to be yet another notch up the quality scale. According to the author, publication had to be delayed while turmoil in Thailand was rising, so the book could accurately reflect the current political climate. The wait was well worth it as the story line gives both newcomers to the series as well as followers an extremely immersive trip through the corruption and chaos of modern day Bangkok, while highlighting the humanity and goodness in many of the people caught up in the sinister world of those who run the country from the shadows.

Poke Rafferty gets conned into a poker game which includes Pan, a very wealthy and vulgar fellow whose rise from dirt and poverty in the northern Thai countryside leave many curious about how he got where he did so quickly. Pan is extremely drunk and Rafferty wins, but Pan, being used to getting his way, challenges him to a double or nothing hand, with Rafferty naming his price vs leaving Thailand if he loses. Poke sensing he's between a rock and a hard place, challenges Pan; "If I win, I want to write your biography." When he does win, his wish becomes the famous Chinese curse: Be careful what you wish for, as you might get it.

In short order, Poke finds himself in a very complex bind. He is alternately threatened by those who want the book written and those who don't. How he navigates this tricky terrain as well as dealing with his daughter Miaow's rocky entry into adolescence, his good friend Arthit's increasing anxiety and helplessness as his wife's debilitating MS pushes her ever closer to suicide and the constant threats from various powerful players in the Bangkok underworld make for a terrific read.

While Poke seems to be facing overwhelming odds, he manages to navigate them in ways which keep the book from becoming a depressing experience. Add in the alternating story of Da, a teen from the poverty-stricken northland as well as the return of Boo, the street smart boy Rafferty befriended in the first book and you have an immersive and compelling read.

If you haven't read A Nail Through the Heart and The Fourth Watcher I strongly urge you to do so before reading this third installment. While it stands alone quite nicely, knowing what went before adds so much to the enjoyment of this book.