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Book Summary and Reviews of The Fear Artist by Timothy Hallinan

The Fear Artist by Timothy Hallinan

The Fear Artist

A Poke Rafferty Thriller

by Timothy Hallinan

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  • Published:
  • Jul 2012, 350 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

An accidental collision on a Bangkok sidewalk goes very wrong when the man who ran into Rafferty dies in his arms, but not before saying three words: Helen Eckersley. Cheyenne. Seconds later, the police arrive, denying that the man was shot. That night, Rafferty is interrogated by Thai secret agents who demand to know what the dead man said, but Rafferty can't remember. When he's finally released, Rafferty arrives home to find that his apartment has been ransacked. In the days that follow, he realizes he's under surveillance. The second time men in uniform show up at his door, he manages to escape the building and begins a new life as a fugitive. As he learns more about his situation, it becomes apparent that he's been caught on the margins of the war on terror, and that his opponent is a virtuoso artist whose medium is fear.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Hallinan gives his readers, who should be prepared for gruesome torture scenes, no chance to escape from his somber conviction that what America has become by pursuing the war on terror was never what America was supposed to be." - Publishers Weekly

"Starred Review. The Fear Artist is simply the best of a fine series of thrillers set in one of the world's most exotic locales." - Booklist

"Starred Review. Hallinan's storytelling abilities have gotten stronger. This stellar fifth series entry (after The Queen of Patpong) demonstrates that. I would stop and re-read sections because he makes the whole scenario so vividly clear. Similarly, I admire his book's structure and careful plotting." - Library Journal

This information about The Fear Artist was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Timothy Hallinan Author Biography

Photo: Munyin Choy

Timothy Hallinan has been nominated for the Edgar, Nero, Shamus, Macavity and Silver Dagger awards. He is the author of nineteen widely praised books, including For the Dead, The Hot Countries, Crashed, Little Elvises, The Fame Thief, King Maybe, and Herbie's Game, which won the Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery. After years of working in the television and music industries, he now writes full-time. Hallinan divides his time between Los Angeles and Southeast Asia, the setting for his Poke Rafferty novels.

Link to Timothy Hallinan's Website

Name Pronunciation
Timothy Hallinan: HAL-in-ann. First syllable pronounced like the name "Hal."

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