Reading order · 9 books · 2007 to 2018 · Set in Bangkok
Poke Rafferty Books in Order
Poke Rafferty is an American travel writer who has settled in Bangkok, where he is trying to build a family with his wife Rose, a former bar girl, and Miaow, the street child they have adopted. Rich, atmospheric thrillers about modern Thailand.
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Series facts
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 2007 to 2018
- First book
- A Nail Through the Heart
- Latest
- Street Music (2018)
- Setting
- Set in Bangkok
The reading order
Every Poke Rafferty book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
9 books · Set in Bangkok
- 1A Nail Through the Heart2007With Poke RaffertyPoke Rafferty, an American travel writer in Bangkok, is trying to build a family with Rose and Miaow.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Fourth Watcher2008With Poke RaffertyPoke Rafferty’s long-lost father turns up in Bangkok, with dangerous people on his trail.Buy on Amazon
- 3Breathing Water2009With Poke RaffertyPoke Rafferty wins a strange prize in a high-stakes poker game: the right to write the biography of one of Thailand’s most powerful and dangerous men.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Queen of Patpong2010With Poke RaffertyA man from Rose’s past as a bar girl arrives in Bangkok, and Poke learns the full story of how she came to the city.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Fear Artist2012With Poke RaffertyA dying man bumps into Poke Rafferty on a Bangkok street and gasps out a few words.Buy on Amazon
- 6For the Dead2014With Poke Rafferty and MiaowPoke Rafferty’s daughter Miaow and her boyfriend buy a stolen phone holding photos of two murdered police officers, and the case reaches the highest levels of Bangkok’s police.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Hot Countries2015With Poke RaffertyA talkative stranger befriends the ageing expats at a Bangkok bar, but he is using them to get to Poke, wanting money Poke does not have and a person Poke refuses to give up.Buy on Amazon
- 8Fools' River2017With Poke RaffertyWhen the father of Miaow’s friend Edward vanishes in Bangkok and his bank accounts are being drained, Poke has about forty-eight hours to find him.Buy on Amazon
- 9Street Music2018With Poke RaffertyAs Poke and Rose welcome a baby son, their family is strained, a regular at the Expat Bar goes missing, and someone Poke thought was gone forever returns.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with A Nail Through the Heart. The family story develops through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Poke Rafferty | Miaow | Rose | Arthit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 A Nail Through the Heart | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 2 The Fourth Watcher | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 3 Breathing Water | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 4 The Queen of Patpong | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 5 The Fear Artist | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 6 For the Dead | LLead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor |
| 7 The Hot Countries | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 8 Fools' River | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
| 9 Street Music | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor |
Characters in the Poke Rafferty books
4 characters from Timothy Hallinan’s chart, with the number of Poke Rafferty books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Poke RaffertyAmerican travel writer in Bangkok | 9 | A Nail Through the Heart 2007 |
| MiaowStreet child Poke and Rose adopt | 9 | A Nail Through the Heart 2007 |
| RoseFormer bar girl, Poke's wife | 9 | A Nail Through the Heart 2007 |
| ArthitBangkok police officer and Poke's friend | 9 | A Nail Through the Heart 2007 |