Customer Reviews

Red Sky at Night

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Pain. There is no more lively sensation than that of pain; its impressions are certain and dependable. Marquis de Sade (1740-1814)

What a riveting book! This is my first James W. Hall novel and it I loved it. His strong, bold, vivid characters, often border on the audacious and bizarre. In "Red Sky at Night" Hall pulls you into worlds of paralysis, paraplegics and pain. And as Marquis de Sade said "there is no more lively sensation than that of pain". The Key West setting combined with the madness, murders, mayhem and macabre characters, makes this book a top ratebeach read. Strongly Recommended

This book is one of the most exciting I've ever read. As an aficionado of mystery (Ruth Rendell is another of my favorites), I give this book a five star rating. In terms of twists and turns it's right up there with Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris and Mercy by David L. Lindsay. It also has a deeply Floridian atmosphere and a few moments of black humor, a la the late lamented John D. McDonald. Don't make any immediate plans if you get ahold of this book; you won't want to put it down. A word of warning to the faint of heart: this is a medical thriller and has a few very dark moments. But the ending crackles and is MOST satisfying. Kudos to James W. Hall; keep them coming!

Although NOT for the faint of heart or squeamish this incredibly powerful and visceral thriller cements James W.Hall's place as one of the absolute best writers around. His ability to create incredibly complex characters and so throughly convey the trials they have to endure give so much emotional depth to his novels that simply classifying them as thrillers or mysteries does not do him justice. Combine this with his gift of being able to transport the reader to the point of actually feeling as if you are there in the Florida Keys and you have the makings of a great novel. My only warning would be don't start this book if you have other plans (you'll postpone them!) or want a good nights sleep. This book will stay with you long after you have finished the last page-enjoy!

This was my first audiobook. It was great. The reader did an excellent job of maintaining voice differentiation, allowing me, the listener, to follow the story without becoming confused. I was able to receive a true visual of the atmosphere. I could actually feel and imagine what the characters where experiencing.

Each year, I treat myself to Hall's most recent novel, the only fiction author I'm not willing to wait for the paperback to come out. They are a special treat after what can be depressing days at work. Again, Hall has painted a remarkably clear and alive vision of the Florida keys. The very three-dimensional characters come alive on the page. I've always preferred Hall's villains to his heros, though in this book he makes the heros more interesting. Hmm. The quirkiest character, Pepper, is wonderful, but none of the characters here achieve the literary legend status of the villainous lovers Dougie and Elvira in what I consider Hall's best book, "Bones of Coral." OK, I'm ready for his next book!

When eleven dolphins, who were part of a healing experiment, are found decapitated in the Florida keys, amateur detective Thorn, who swam with the victims, decides to investigate. Instead of solving the case, Thorn is attacked and left paralyzed from his waist down. To get around, the now bitter Thorn has to use a wheelchair. The pain is so unbearable, Thorn seeks miracle cures from the fringe elements of medical science. .......His search for a cure takes him back to his childhood friend, Dr. Bean Wilson, an embittered researcher running a pain-relief clinic in the Keys. Thorn quickly realizes that there is something wrong with the clinic and that the dead dolphins are linked to the research going on there. What he does not know is that the clinic also experiments on real people, discarding the failures by tossing them into the ocean. How can Thorn hope to be a thorn in the researcher's side when he is confined to a wheelchair and his foes know how to make or ease pain beyond human comprehension? .....RED SKY AT NIGHT is an exciting medical thriller that raises serious ethical questions involving medical research. The support cast is tremendous and the Florida Keys make a dynamite setting in the hands of an artist like James W. Hall. A paralyzed Thorn elicits reader empathy as he goes through various psychological stages (anger, denial, bitterness, and reluctant acceptance even as he improves). However, his deadly foe, Bean, comes across more like a caricature of Dr. Cyclops, a poor fifties movie villain than a crisp unethical nineties killer, taking a bit away from the novel. But check out his assistants. They more than make up for the lackluster Bean. This reviewer recommends this novel to fans of action-packed, taut medical thrillers. For an even greater taste of Mr. Hall, who is among the best writers of thrillers, try any of his previous seven South Florida novels. They are all great. ......Harriet Klausner

I have been a fan of James W. Hall for quite some time, and of his main character, Thorn. I could not finish this book- the massacre of the dolphins, the sadistic and Nazilike "experiments" on the old men, and Thorn being at the mercy of the evil doctor, a childhood friend of Thorn's. This book was too sick, morbid and sadistic to qualify as your typical escapist thriller, and not well-written enough to qualify as top novel material. Take a pass on this book.

The author continues to take you on a thrill ride with each book. Every time I mark the book for the next nights reading I wish more pages would magically appear at the end.

I read maybe 8 mysteries within the course of a year(not counting the works of Lawrence Block). If a book ever gets to point where I can tell what is going to happen next the author is not doing the best job possible.

And the ending was a little weak as well

That's not to say that I didn't like the setup or the characters, some of whom were absolutely hilarious, especially Pepper and her odd fascination with...well peppers.

I made the same mistake I always make I read a book in a series out of order. Have to go back and read the entire series now.

"Red Sky At Night" will take you all the way down before letting you have another breath of air. This story is hard to understand if your life has been easy and candy-coated, but should resonate with all those (painful) real world experiences. Consistent and evenly paced, "Red Sky at Night" goes way beyond what others portray. Just be carefull!