Hallinan returns us to Bangkok and the world he portrayed so impressively in A Nail Through The Heart. As is inevitable in any series after the first entry, the freshness of the new has faded. I enjoyed the book, but I did not feel the gush of satisfaction that I experienced with the prior work.
Travel writer Poke Rafferty is mixed up with seriously unsavory types once again. But this time it is not the child sex trade that is at issue. Now Hallinen presents us with big league counterfeiting by the government of North Korea. When the domestics agency run by Rose and her partner, Peaches, makes a perfectly legitimate withdrawal of payroll cash from a local bank, they run afoul of the dark side when the money they receive turns out to have been bogus. The Secret Service, local police of the straight and corrupt persuasions, the very scary Mister Chu and a long lost relation color this tale of Bangkok. The humor is consistent and, for me at least, entertaining. Family issues are on display as well, as Poke is faced with having to save his new family while coping with his old one.
It is most definitely possible that my appreciation of the book was tainted by the fact that most nights in which I was reading it, I was very tired, struggling to remain awake. Perhaps had I read it when more alert, I would have enjoyed it more. That said, I did like the book. But when it must be compared to a superior yarn, it suffers.