I have traveled extensively, kind of. Via books I have been to Paris, Buenos Aires, Sicily, St. Petersberg, both Beijing and Peking, London, Cairo; well, the list could go on and on. But by far the most exotic locale I've ever visited in all of my reading is Bangkok.

Poke Rafferty is an American travel writer who has been enchanted and seduced by the exoticism of Bangkok. His fiance, Rose, is a former go-go girl (yes, that's a euphemism) who now runs a small business hiring out former working girls as domestics. Their adopted daughter, Miaow, is a street-smart urchin who came to them from unspeakable--but hardly unusual, in this city--circumstances.

As The Fourth Watcher begins, the three of them are living a blissfully normal existence--going to school, to a respectable job, writing a new book, enjoying being safe and clean and well-fed--when the bad shit starts to rain down on them.

An American Secret Service Agent appears at their door, along with several of Bangkok's finest. He's investigating an international counterfeit ring, and has set his sights on Poke's family because Rose had the misfortune to withdraw cash for her business's weekly payroll from a bank whose corrupt teller passed her bad bills.

Then Poke's long-lost father appears in town, and it's not just because he wants to make contact with his only son. He's being chased by the very nasty leader of a Chinese triad, from whom he has taken something extremely valuable.

What else can go wrong? Poke has a sister, Ming Li, who's their father's right hand. His friends are being taken down one by one. And he has no choice but to involve those he holds most dear in the mess that has become his life.

Hallinan writes a taut and exciting thriller. There are several subplots which come together in a most satisfactory manner. But the most satisfying aspect of The Fourth Watcher is its characters. They are brilliant--smart, flawed, often damaged; so human, so real. And Bangkok, corrupt, dirty, enticing, is the most seductive character of all. Poke Rafferty will never leave Bangkok, and with luck Timothy Hallinan will allow us to check in on him and his family from time to time. ( )

Travel writer Poke Rafferty came to Bangkok to write a book, found a family and decided to put down roots. Events and people from his past bring trouble and danger to him and those he loves, and he has to use all his skills to save them. Hallinan has another winner in his Bangkok series ( )

Poke Rafferty is a writer living in Bangkok, Thailand, with his fiance, Rose, and his adopted daughter, Miaow. Poke writes travels books with a unique twist - travel books that focus on the criminal aspects of locations. But he's ready to give up the danger associated with these books to have a life with his two special women.

Enter trouble! And not just trouble, but trouble in spades. Chu, a Chinese gangster is after Poke's father, Frank. He figures to reach Frank through Poke, even though Poke hasn't seen his father since he was 16. At the same time, Rose and her business partner, Peachy, innocently wind up caught in a counterfeiting ring. Throw in some crooked cops and an American Secret Service Agent, and you may think you have the makings of chaos. But quite the contrary. You have the makings of an incredible, suspenseful crime fiction novel.

How could the reader help but experience Bangkok through all of his/her senses with setting like this:

"His decision arrives in the form of a typical Thai raindrop, perhaps half a pint of warm water, that smacks the top of his forehead much as a Zen master might clobber a meditating student whose attention has wandered. Before he can blink, thunder rumbles and the sky flickers: lights on, off, then on again, and suddenly it's much darker than before. A giant burps high overhead, a noise like someone rolling cannonballs in a huge pan."

This description sets the stage for the monsoon of trouble that is about to rain down on Poke and those around him. The foreshadowing is brilliant, and the rain continues to set the tone of the book throughout the course of events.

The setting is not the only place Hallinan works magic with the English language. Poke has a police officer friend, Arthit, whose wife, Noi, has multiple sclerosis; Hallinan helps the reader to experience the agony this woman endures day in and day out:

"...Noi, is awakened, as she is so often these days, but the pain of her nerves burning away as multiple sclerosis licks at the sheathing tissue that covers them. She has come to think of the disease as a fire in her body, sometimes banked and sometimes burning out of control, whipped up by something she does not understand. When the disease is raging, especially late at night, it seems there is a third person in the room with her and Arthit, someone who knows how to fan the flames just by staring at her. She feels his emotionless, clinical gaze through the darkness...and on those nights she chews on the corner of her pillowcase to keep from moaning."

The imagery in this book is absolutely mesmerizing. I especially liked Poke's comment to Rose when he explains to her, "Women are flowers, men are root vegetables. You wouldn't make a bouquet of turnips." This line came in the chapter entitled "Women Are The Only People Who Look Good Naked." I don't see chapter titles in crime fiction very often these days, and that brought an added uniqueness to The Fourth Watcher. Half the fun was getting to the next chapter to see what it was titled!

Rafferty says that "'English is polyglot tongue...A linguistic hybrid enriched by grafts from many branches of the world's verbal tree.'" Hallinan was plucking from that tree constantly in this book. I have to admire any writer who can use "polyglot" and "stumblebum" in one book!

Hallinan's talent for imagery swept this reader away to a foreign land, but his knack for character development held my hand and helped me walk right into the lives of these people.

How can you NOT picture Elson, the Secret Service Agent, with description like this: "'Jesus...this guy safety-pins his socks together...What do you think, he's afraid they'll have a fight and separate or something?'" Or this: "Elson straightens his glasses, which already look like they were positioned by someone using a carpenter's level."

And Rafferty's best STATED description may very well come from his enemy: "'You have many characteristics I admire. You're devious, ingenious, energetic. You have a certain flair, which as far as I can see you're wasting completely.'"

This book is a text on how to effectively achieve development through character relationships. Poke's interaction with Rose and Miaow obviously builds one layer of his character. His relationship with his friend Arthit adds another. But what makes Poke most interesting is his connection to characters like his half-sister, Ming Li. Poke doesn't know he even has a sister until she shows up with their father in Bangkok on Poke's doorstep. Ming Li and Poke are both adults, Poke being older than Ming-Li, but at times they seem to be going through the growing pains of typical young siblings. Ming-Li will often consult Poke on her American slang, like she's learning from her older brother, "'It is so not the bomb," Ming Li says. To Rafferty she says, "Did I get that right?"' And Poke will act irritated like his little sister is such a pest and a nuisance in his life, "'I'm not really the go-to guy on hip-hop. If you want to know anything about OFR, though, I'm your man.'" But you still sense a connection between the two, like they will pick at one another, but if an outsider were to attack one the other would immediately come to the defense.

All of the characters were extremely rich and added so much to the overall book.

The plot comes across at first as being all over the place. If you read the book jacket, you know that Poke is the main character. However, this main character walks himself right into the barrel of a gun and is shot in the face in the first chapter. So how in the world is he going to do anything for the rest of the book, right? Especially since the plot takes place over the course of three DAYS, and no, it isn't a flashback! Now THERE is a hook. And then you add in the counterfeiting ring, the American Secret Service Agent, Elson, the Chinese gangster and all his thugs, stolen rubies...just where is all this going? The way that Hallinan weaves all these independent elements together is phenomenally intriguing and it keeps the pace of the book quick.

The tone of the book could have gotten very dark and dreary, but Hallinan's wit lightens the heaviness. Rafferty's sarcasm, the banter between he and Arthit, Ming Li's attempts with American slang, Miaow's boldness, it all adds wonderful humor and airy-ness so you don't feel like you're drudging through darkness.

I highly recommend this book! ( )

Poke Rafferty is a writer, who lives in Bangkok with his fiancée Rose and his daughter Miaow. He is looking to write more than just travel novels. Poke's novel titled "Living Wrong" is about living outside of the law. Poke wants some real life experience for his book so he has his friend Arnold Prettyman, a former CIA agent teach him how to follow people without getting caught. The only thing is Poke never realized that he would end up smack dab in the middle of a high stakes international thrill ride that would have him not only running for his life but would have him digging up some dirt and secrets that some very powerful people want left alone. Also, Poke is in for the surprise of his life when a long lost someone walks back into his life. Unfortunately there will be no happy reunion as this person has come calling on Poke for his help. Plus you won't believe how it all ends!

I enjoy reading international, suspense thrillers. From the summary I had read about The Fourth Watcher I knew this book was going to be right up my alley and would be good but I didn't realize it would be better than good it was great. The characters had some wonderful depth to them in addition to the fact that I thought they were all some in their own ways. I like when I read a book where the characters all have an equal part and can relate to each other in some way or other. From the first page to the last The Fourth Watcher picked up steam and keep on moving full-blast on a tank of high octane adrenaline rush that left you wanting more. I could tell Mr. Hallinan was passionate about his writing and his books as it showed. Mr. Hallinan could take you anywhere he wanted as well as make you feel like you were really there with Poke or anyone of the other characters in The Fourth Watcher. So if you are a must-read book than you have to check out The Fourth Watcher. ( )