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6th out of 15 books
—
39 voters
Under Cover of Daylight (Thorn Mystery #1)
James W. Hall’s haunting debut novel first introduced the rugged character Thorn and the breathtaking South Florida landscape where he lives. Thorn’s past includes a savage act of revenge on the drunken hit-and-run killer of his parents. Now, fifteen years later, Thorn still cannot escape that moment, or the darkness he took into his soul that night. Not even his best frie...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
March 17th 2001
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 1987)
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I was surprised to find that there was a "Florida mystery" series, a la Travis McGee (starting with The Deep Blue Goodbye) and even Carl Hiaasen's books, that I hadn't read or, in fact, even heard of before. This was poet James Hall's Thorn series, which opens with Under Cover of Daylight, written in 1987. Hall mines familiar territory but does it with some panache and flair.
Thorn is a lazy beach bum, with a reputation as a gifted fly maker. He sells the flies to local fishing guides, and manage...more
Thorn is a lazy beach bum, with a reputation as a gifted fly maker. He sells the flies to local fishing guides, and manage...more
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James Hall has written 15 books but this is my first one. Was recommended in a readers' advisory book. I liked it, but didn't love it. Suspect it may appeal to men more. The plot worked well. While you could tell what was likely to happen, the story never got dry. The characters are rather dry though and some are downright sociopathic. Short chapters keep the story moving. Two very sensual scenes and several rather graphic murders included.
When Thorn is 19 he takes revenge on the man who killed his parents when he was an infant. Dallas James was a drunk driver who got away with the crime. Thorn was adopted and lived his life in Key West. His adoptive mother Kate is an activist who is trying to keep the area from being overdeveloped. Kate is killed and Thorn has to find out who did it. Greedy and crazy people abound. Look forward to reading about Thorn.
Hall writes like a serious Hiassen mixed with Leonard. Same locale as Hiassen, same crazy ass characters, same seriously flawed dudes as Leonard, same serious story as both of them. What makes Hall different? Thorn, one of the greatest non supermen protaganists ever. I don't know the order of the Thorn novels but this certainly would have been one of the first and it's excellent.
Mar 14, 2013
Jim
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
No one
Recommended to Jim by:
Don't remember
In my opinion, I would like to give it a minus, but on these ratings, there is not any minus ratings. I feel as if I wasted my time and money on this book. Don't know if I will attempt to read another book by this author. There are too many other authors out there that have novels that I haven't read yet. This is just my opinion.
Absolutely love James W. Hall. My wife and I discovered him when we were living in Key West. No other author captures the physical surroundings of the Florida Keys as well as Mr. Hall. That combined with his multi-layered characters and superb storyline, all set in your favorite locales, will have you hooked.
Jul 27, 2012
Jeffrey Hammerhead
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
florida-mystery
My favorite Thorn book. It starts off "Thorn watched her standing at the shore, up to her ankles in Lake Surprise". I also have watched a woman standing in Lake Surprise. I had to read more.
I still think is James Hall's best. A great title, a great story, a great read. It's fun, dark and clever. One of those books that you're happy you spent the time to read. Since I put so many down after the first few pages, or at best a chapter or two, this book of Hall's is a real winner. Every page was entertaining, well-written and fun! (Plus, did I mention: one of the best titles, ever!)
This was the first of many James W. Hall books that I have read. Thorn is a great character, and I love the Florida Keys setting.
Feb 17, 2009
Glenn
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Elmore Leonard
Shelves:
mysteries-and-thrillers
3.5 stars. Starts out quickly and grabs your attention - a clever unexpected twist revealed towards the end.
Jan 19, 2013
James Goalder
added it
Excellent read, characters are well developed and interesting because of their flaws.
Under Cover of Daylight by James W. Hall - Really, really good book. This is the first book in the "Thorn" series. To me it had a real Elmore Leonard feel to it. I love when a plot has half a dozen different things going on and by the end they all come together in a nice little package. There is eleven more books in the series. I have already read #3 which I also liked. I really look forward to getting started with the others.
entertaining - a quick read with some fab characters. and set in key largo, which was nice.
Mar 29, 2009
Douglas
marked it as to-read
A Bloomsbury Good Reading Guide Must-Read Crime Novel
Apr 14, 2012
Douglas Cook
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mysteries-outdoors,
suspense
First sentence "STANDING IN FRONT OF HIS DRESSER MIRROR, the young man pointed the revolver at his reflection."
Hall, James W. (2011-09-06). Under Cover of Daylight: A Thorn Mystery (Book One) (Thorn P. I. Mystery) (Kindle Location 23). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.
Hall, James W. (2011-09-06). Under Cover of Daylight: A Thorn Mystery (Book One) (Thorn P. I. Mystery) (Kindle Location 23). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition.
Meh!
I'm laboring through...
Gave up
A fun, fast read. Sex, violence, and drugs - what more can you ask for in a crime novel. Oh, the writing isn't bad either.
This is Hall's first novel...thankfully he gets much better later on in his career.
Jun 17, 2013
Lee Cooper
marked it as to-read
Jun 17, 2013
Connie Steckel
marked it as to-read
Jun 17, 2013
Ashley
marked it as to-read
Jun 15, 2013
Duke
marked it as to-read
Jun 15, 2013
Randy Ayers
added it
Jun 14, 2013
Linda
marked it as to-read
Jun 11, 2013
Janie Lewis
marked it as to-read
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
James Wilson Hall is an Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author whose books have been translated into a dozen languages. He has written four books of poetry, a collection of short fiction, and a collection of essays. This is his sixteenth novel. He and his wife Evelyn divide...more
More about James W. Hall...
James Wilson Hall is an Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author whose books have been translated into a dozen languages. He has written four books of poetry, a collection of short fiction, and a collection of essays. This is his sixteenth novel. He and his wife Evelyn divide...more
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