Under Cover of Daylight [Paperback]

James W. Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

"This book is a beauty. . . . The plot, the action, the marvelous sense of place, are enough to keep anyone reading."—Elmore Leonard

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 friend, Sugarman, knows the truth. Not even Sarah Ryan knows the depths of her lover’s pain. Then suddenly, the nightmare begins again as Thorn’s foster mother is found slaughtered. Thorn can almost taste the rage as he stalks her killer and waits. "An exciting, well-crafted first novel that smoothly places complex, believable characters into an action-filled plot."—Washington Post "It starts good and stays good, right to the end."—Chicago Tribune

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hall's first novel is reissued as a trade paperback in conjunction with the mass market release of his latest, a thriller that PW said "will slice readers' sleep into slivers."
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Nineteen years after the death of his parents, a troubled teenager avenges them by causing the death of the drunk driver responsible. Now thirty-nine and emotionally scarred, Thorn still lives in Key Largo, selling hand-tied fish flies. His adoptive mother, Kate Truman, a sturdy, outspoken fisherwoman, leads local battles against land developmentthe most recent of which results in her rape/murder. Thorn's hunt for the culprit(s) increasingly involves new lady friend Sarah Ryan, Kate's lawyer buddy, sometime dope-smuggling partner, and (secretly) daughter of the dead drunk driver come to spy on his "killer." Hard-hitting, nuts-and-bolts prose, effectively picturesque characterization, periodic sex and violence, and a wonderful, cinematic climax embellish a largely realistic plot. A great first novel and necessary purchase. Rex E. Klett, Anson Cty. Lib., Wadesboro, N . C.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393321258
• ISBN-13: 978-0393321258
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Dish Best Eaten Cold, February 25, 2002

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Under Cover of Daylight (Paperback)

Having recently read the latest volume in the Thorn series ('Blackwater Sound') to my great satisfaction, I decided to pursue reading the rest of the novels, this time in more orthodox order. I began this first book expecting an enjoyable, but slightly less effective story and discovered instead that the Thorn tales start right out with a tour-de-force. James Hall has been writing for a while, and it is a bit embarrassing to have to admit that I somehow managed to miss a writer of this caliber.

'Under Cover of Daylight' is about revenge, to put it plainly. Fifteen years earlier the 19 year old Thorn killed Dallas James, the man whose driving caused the death of Thorn's parents before Thorn had even known them. Now 35, Thorn has yet to integrate that death and accept himself, to get his life past that awful moment and back on track. These hidden feelings interfere in his current relationship with Sarah Ryan, a Miami lawyer, who is also the close friend of his foster mother, Kate Truman. Kate and Sarah share another interest, a deep desire to keep commercialism from destroying the Florida Keys.

Suddenly Kate turns up dead in her boat... Deeply stricken, Thorn is once again compelled to take justice on himself. One more time he seeks revenge. The two quests, one by a 19 year old boy and the other by a mature man, play against each other. Thorn seeks a more complicated blood price this time... All of this is threaded together by his feelings for Sarah, for a relationship that takes as many twists and turns as the complex plot of the book.

I was surprised again by the depth of Thorn's character. It would be far easier for Hall to make Thorn into a good-guy heavy, but that never happens. Underneath the seemingly unambitious and directionless maker of fishing lures are surprising facets of character. Hall's facility with character is not limited to Thorn. Sarah, and Sugarman, Thorn's closest friend also manage to avoid becoming stereotypes. Perhaps most surprising are the killers themselves, who spring to life - unpleasant, tormented, and psychotic, but totally fascinating.

This is a treat of a book, from its eccentric actors to the details of fishing and life in the Keys. It creates a Florida that you want to go down and touch. To see if it might just be real after all. You will find much violence, but little of it excessive. There is a fine sense of what is needed to bring the story home without the need to disgust or offend the reader. I am looking forward to the remainder of this series. You should too.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hall's first and best, May 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Under Cover of Daylight (Paperback)

This is the novel where Hall introduced Thorn,
his anti-hero protagonist.

This is the best of Hall's novels - it's the template after which all of the others are patterned.

It has all of the elements that make hall's work exciting - the lazy Florida Keys setting, the quirky characters, the complicated plots, and the brilliant prose.

This book also has an intensity the later ones lack - Thorn is like a force of nature, and in this book, you really FEEL that.

This is the single best crime novel I have ever read.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great south Florida mystery, September 11, 2002

By 

V. J. ELIA "Veejer" (Cape May, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Under Cover of Daylight (Paperback)

I don't know how I managed to go this long without being aware of James W. Hall, but I did. I was a huge Travis McGee fan and, although Hall's Thorn character is quite different from John D. McDonald's wonderful knight-errant, it was great to return to south Florida for a terrific story. Thorn is a much more gritty character than McGee, and Hall's writing style is also grittier. Thorn is a hermit-like eccentric with a troubled past who earns a living in the Florida Keys making bonefish lures. He winds up in the middle of a mystery that he decides to resolve himself. Hall describes his setting beautifully and fills his version of the Keys with some odd and quirky characters. All of his characters, even the minor ones, are rich and well fleshed out. The story flows smoothly and the pages fly by. I'm looking forward to reading all of Hall's mysteries, especially those featuring the Thorn character. Very highly recommended.