Breathing Water

Timothy Hallinan brings Bangkok, Thailand, to life in all its exotic, seedy, dangerous glory in Breathing Water, his third novel of unrelenting suspense to feature expatriate American travel writer Poke Rafferty.

A late night poker game in Bangkok nets American ex-pat writer Poke Rafferty the "opportunity" to write the biography of Khun Pan, a flamboyant, vulgar, self-made billionaire with a criminal past and far-reaching political ambitions. Within hours, Rafferty, his wife Rose, their adopted daughter Miaow, and Poke's best friend, honest Bangkok cop Arthit, have become disposable pawns in a brutal power struggle among some of Thailan's richest, most ruthless citizens. There are those who would go to any length to ensure the book is never written and others equally desperate to have Pan's darkest secrets exposed.

Suddenly Rafferty is sinking deeper in a perilous sea of treachery and intrigue—and caught up in the inhuman machinations of an Asian babyselling ring—as he searches frantically for the only chance he may have to get everyone he loves out alive.

"Cleverly crafted, masterfully written, characters and dialogue rooted in reality, Breathing Water offers fascinating insights into the dark side of crime in another culture." — New York Times –bestselling author Steve Martini

"Action-packed and steamily atmospheric, and as cleverly plotted a mystery as you are likely to read." — BookPage