Gone Wild [Hardcover]

James W. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1995

From James W. Hall, the highly acclaimed best-selling author of Hard Aground, Mean High Tide, and Bones Of Coral, comes a stunning and superbly rendered new thriller in which the most deadly animals in the jungle are the ones that kill for money. With one poacher's bullet, a young woman's life is tragically, brutally taken--and her mother's is shattered forever.  Thus begins Gone Wild, James W. Hall's electrifying new novel, which penetrates the lush, sultry jungles of Africa and Malaysia to explore the mercenary slaughter of animals-and to expose the savagery and humanity in us all. Gone Wild brings back Thorn, the haunting, quixotic hero last seen in the best-seller Mean High Tide.  And in a novel filled with the author's signatures exotic locales, vise-tightening suspense, steamy sexuality, hypnotic prose--Hall introduces a bold new element: one of the toughest, most complex female characters in modern fiction.  Allison Farleigh's desperate struggle to save the endangered orangutans from poachers--and to uncover the truth about her daughter's murder--give the novel its passion and its fire.  And the shocking international conspiracy she exposes in the process gives Gone Wild its relentless, heart-pounding tension. A mesmerizing journey into the heart of darkness, Gone Wild is one of those rare thrillers that not only makes you sweat--it makes you think.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Prowling from the crime-ridden south Florida killing fields to the steamy jungles of Malaysia, Hall's latest novel finds Thorn, the moody hero of several previous yarns (Mean High Tide, etc.), entangled in the crusades of childhood friend Allison Farleigh, founder of the Wildlife Protection League, a worldwide organization dedicated to saving exotic endangered animals. When Allison's eldest daughter is shot dead while accompanying her mother and younger sister on the annual orangutan census in the wilds of Borneo, Thorn gets embroiled in the case, which eventually pits him against a sociopathic pair of twins engaged in the brokering of rare animals to zoological collectors-and, lurking behind them, a rich and powerful collector whose designs bring the action to Brunei for a brutally satisfying denouement. Hall's fans may be surprised to find that Thorn plays second fiddle here to Allison, but they won't be disappointed with this charismatically courageous woman or her adventures. With its far-flung locales and unexpected heroine, this is Hall's most ambitious novel yet, a work of considerable moral depth distinguished by rich characterizations, live-wire prose and bolts of offbeat humor. Major ad/promo; audio rights to BDD Audio Cassette; author tour; British, translation, performance rights: Sobel Weber Associates Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Hall's fifth action adventure novel featuring Thorn, one of the protagonists from Mean High Tide (Delacorte, 1994), begins on a compelling note, loses momentum in the middle, and ends on a resounding but cacophonous chord. The rich tropical setting, a hallmark of Hall's thrillers, enhances the characterization of Allison Farleigh. A tenacious animal rights activist, Allison takes her daughters to a jungle in Malaysia, where one of her daughters is murdered by a poacher. With the help of lover Thorn, Allison learns the identity of her daughter's assailant and destroys him in a raw, violent chain of events that recalls Jurassic Park. Background data on the mercenary capture of endangered animals enhances the theme. A good choice for larger collections.
--Joyce Smothers, Monmouth Cty. Lib., Manalapan, N.J.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 572 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co; First Edition edition (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0783813686
• ISBN-13: 978-0783813684
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,849,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wild and Dangerous, January 14, 2002

By 

Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gone Wild (Mass Market Paperback)

The story opens with a woman and her daughters in the Borneo jungle looking for orang-utans, seeking to document their positions as part of a census. They are shocked when they stumble upon poachers who are hunting the apes, but who are not afraid to turn their guns on humans.

This book deals with the dwindling numbers of endangered species and man's indifference to whether they live or die. In particular, the orang-utan is highlighted. It's a battle between Alison Farleigh who is desperate to stamp out poachers, trappers and other enemies to animals, and a couple of brothers who have made it their lives work to capture wild animals no matter the cost.

Once again James Hall portrays his bad guys as just about the lowest, most demented scum of the earth, yet smart enough to keep getting away with their evil deeds. Thorn, Hall's recurring laid-back alternative-living hero, plays a minor role as the backup for Alison. It seems that his main role in this book is to get the living bejeezus repeatedly beaten out of him.

It's an action-packed thriller interspersed with more sensitive moments when the story is told from a young orang-utan's perspective. There are no real surprising twists to the story, yet it remained compelling from start to finish. Any book that highlights the plight of the many endangered species of animals around the world is a worthwhile book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written and compelling, January 8, 2011

By 

DawnStorm - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gone Wild (Mass Market Paperback)

I just finished this book, and I'm going to remember this author's name. I do agree with the reviewer who said that Thorn existed solely to get beat up. I also think that the fate of some of the characters could've been better explained at the end. Another thing I liked was that the issue of endangered species trafficking was dealt with without the author being preachy about it. I also learned a thing or two about orangutans as well.

5.0 out of 5 stars fun read-Elmore Leonard type author, April 23, 2009

By 

K. Wright (greater boston mass) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gone Wild (Mass Market Paperback)

This is my first James Hall book. Very pleasantly surprised. Am going to read his other Thorn books. Very lively interesting characters. Every bit as good as James Patterson -David Baldacci.