Rating: 
Summary: As tangled as a mangrove
Review: How do you like your Thorn? I like him fine and I like Hall's novels. So why the four stars and not five? Because this novel does not drive to a conclusion with quite the force of his other works. It has very complex plots (that's right PLOTS with an "S"). Now these are related and they are topical. Piracy, of both commercial vessels and the increasingly large and expensive fleet of pleasure craft is a serious and undiscussed problem outside the south Florida area. And the computer/cell phones, a vital part of high tech bucaneering, play a role in a kidnapping involving Sugarman's daughter. But so does birdwatching.A brother-sister pirate duo is at the core of events. Both are influenced by myth, but each turns to the life for a different reason. The brother merely extends his land based piracy; the sister, a woman from Thorn's past, flies the jolly roger with her new lover. Chance meetings of important characters in restaurants (well, Monroe county is actually a small place in resident population), stray dogs, Largo-Miami commutes, fifteen foot stilt construction, roaring route one traffic, and even the strange web of law enforcement agencies of the Keys is all there. And Alexandra Rafferty, crime photographer, and her retired police officer/Alzheimer's suffering father have moved in with Thorn. Sometimes less is more. Of course whoever posts the signs behind the counter at Seven Mile Grill or the decorating gang at Captain Tony's clearly don't believe that. Complicated as conch chowder, this one. Keys style.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to snuff
Review: I am a big James Hall fan and think he is the best of the Florida mystery/detective writers. In a league with Connelly, Crais and Lahane. This is a book searching for an idea. Half way through for the first time ever I thought I might have to put down a Hall book. It picked up then but there were just too many gaps. Where did they get a seaplane? How did it land so close without detection? How much punishment can Thorn take? Why is Thorn so contrary when he evidently leads a charmed life. I'll read more but hopefully there will be a return to form.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointing
Review: I've enjoyed all of James W. Hall's novels and enjoyed "Off The Chart" as well. But this present effort isn't quite up to snuff. While Hall is a master of plot, this one has a few too many utterly implausible twists and some turns that simply don't overcome this reader's sense of credibility.
Thorn, Hall's wonderfully crafted character, adds a few new problems and opportunities to his life in the form of Alexandra, a new romantic interest, and her doddering father who is introduced for reasons I don't quite fathom.
The main villain, Vic Joy, is simply unbelievable.
It's not a bad read: Hall keeps things moving along a quick pace and some of the scenes are tension producing. But overall, "Off The Chart" simply isn't up to the standard Hall himself has set with his earlier work. Still, for anyone who enjoys Hall's work or for those simply looking for a reasonably good adventure, I would recommend this novel - but with less vigor than I have for his prior work. Jerry
Rating: 
Summary: Exhilerating!!!
Review: James W. Hall's "Off the Chart" is a suspenseful, complex tale populated with three-dimensional characters in a vibrant setting. A modern day high seas pirate with a Mafia background, a violent psycho pirate wannabe, a former Secretary of Navy working covertly for a black helicopter organization converge to alter the life of confirmed loner Thorn's newly idyllic life. Via deceit and deception the villains coerce and convince Thorn's best friend Sugarman and girl friend Alexandra to abandon him---leaving Thorn to fend for himself versus the land-grabbing pirates. In the attempt to seize Thorn's valuable five acres of waterfront property, the pirates abduct Sugarman's nine-year-old daughter---introducing a ticking clock subplot that leads to a nightmare confrontation. The crisply written high octane pacing never slows as the action moves from the Keys to the middle of the ocean to the Central American jungles. Jim Hall never disappoints---superior in every way.
Rating:
Summary: fast-paced fun thriller
Review: Off of South Florida, pirates using satellite tracking to select targets, invest their ill-gotten gains in real estate. These buccaneers kidnap preadolescent Janey Sugarman from the yacht of Dr. Andy Markham, boyfriend of the child's mother. The victim's father, a private eye, observed the event on a video feed from the chatroom he and Janey were logged onto when she was abducted. Pirate Captain Vic Joy offers to return the girl safely in exchange for Sugarman's friend Thorn giving him his Key Largo property valued at $3 million. Former Navy Secretary Jimmy Lee Webster protects Vic while romancing the pirate captain's sister Anne Bonny Joy. An angry Sugarman learns that the incident could have been avoided if Thorn had provided some information to Webster on Anne, whom the latter sleeps with. With no help from any quarter, Thorn goes after the pirates to rescue an innocent girl. This is a fast-paced fun thriller that requires a bit of letting go of reality and just sailing with the flow. The story line hooks the reader due to a strong cast, especially the pirates, inside a modern day corsair voyage. The contrast between the intellectual approach of Sugarman and the in your face brawn of Thorn adds to a delightful spoofing of the action genre. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: fast-paced fun thriller
Review: Off of South Florida, pirates using satellite tracking to select targets, invest their ill-gotten gains in real estate. These buccaneers kidnap preadolescent Janey Sugarman from the yacht of Dr. Andy Markham, boyfriend of the child's mother. The victim's father, a private eye, observed the event on a video feed from the chatroom he and Janey were logged onto when she was abducted. Pirate Captain Vic Joy offers to return the girl safely in exchange for Sugarman's friend Thorn giving him his Key Largo property valued at $3 million. Former Navy Secretary Jimmy Lee Webster protects Vic while romancing the pirate captain's sister Anne Bonny Joy. An angry Sugarman learns that the incident could have been avoided if Thorn had provided some information to Webster on Anne, whom the latter sleeps with. With no help from any quarter, Thorn goes after the pirates to rescue an innocent girl. This is a fast-paced fun thriller that requires a bit of letting go of reality and just sailing with the flow. The story line hooks the reader due to a strong cast, especially the pirates, inside a modern day corsair voyage. The contrast between the intellectual approach of Sugarman and the in your face brawn of Thorn adds to a delightful spoofing of the action genre. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Keeps getting better
Review: See book description above. I am never disappointed with James W. Hall. His novels always keep me on edge and it seems he gets better and better with each novel. This time around he seems to have made his protagonist, Thorn, a little more human, and not quite the superhero he was in previous novels. A fast paced and very gripping story. Keep up the good work. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A GRITTY THRILLER SUPERBLY READ
Review: Talk about a part you can sink your teeth into - Thorn is it! However, voice actor John Bedford Lloyd sinks more than his teeth into this gritty thriller, he invests his vocal chords, his pinpoint phraseology, and his emotions. A rare reading this! The sometimes somnambulant, sometimes violent Florida Keys is Thorn's home. He relishes his privacy, and cherishes his small domain. There has been love in his life. Once there was Anne Joy, a beautiful woman escaping but not forgetting a past scarred by violence. Her brother, Vic, hardly seems to be a blood relation - he's sick and sadistic, determined to wreak havoc in the life of all who came into contact with his sister. When he learns of Thorn's relationship with her Vic becomes intent on grabbing Thorn's home. Nothing will stand in this psycho's way - not even an innocent, small child, the daughter of Thorn's best friend. The chase is on, and it torpedoes from Florida to the coast of Central America. Hall is in his heyday with this one. The same can be said of listeners who relish steamy, suspenseful thrillers. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A GRITTY THRILLER SUPERBLY READ
Review: Talk about a part you can sink your teeth into - Thorn is it! However, voice actor John Bedford Lloyd sinks more than his teeth into this gritty thriller, he invests his vocal chords, his pinpoint phraseology, and his emotions. A rare reading this! The sometimes somnambulant, sometimes violent Florida Keys is Thorn's home. He relishes his privacy, and cherishes his small domain. There has been love in his life. Once there was Anne Joy, a beautiful woman escaping but not forgetting a past scarred by violence. Her brother, Vic, hardly seems to be a blood relation - he's sick and sadistic, determined to wreak havoc in the life of all who came into contact with his sister. When he learns of Thorn's relationship with her Vic becomes intent on grabbing Thorn's home. Nothing will stand in this psycho's way - not even an innocent, small child, the daughter of Thorn's best friend. The chase is on, and it torpedoes from Florida to the coast of Central America. Hall is in his heyday with this one. The same can be said of listeners who relish steamy, suspenseful thrillers. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: A high octane character rich thriller
Review: Thorne, the hero of so many of James W. Hall's thrillers is once again faced with a difficult situation. An insane "pirate", Vic Joy, wants his land in a prime location on the Florida Keys to build a very large resort. He resorts to kidnapping Thorne's best friend Sugerman's daughter. Thorne tries to use his past relationship with Vic Joy's sister, Anne, to discover where the child is being held. It is a race against time to rescue the child before the insane Joy decides to kill her.
James W. Hall never fails to please with his high octane thrillers rich in characterizations and depiction of the South Florida locale. OFF THE CHART is no exception. There is, however, a certain sense of predictability in the plot. A recurring theme in James W. Hall's books is the maladjusted siblings. This has been used in several prior Hall novels. Names of the villains are very original and memorable whether it is the notorious Butler Jack or the current Vic Joy. Technology has finally caught up with the characters in that contact with the kidnapping victim is via satellite internet connection. The plots of the books by James W. Hall are well planned. It is apparent the author knows where he is taking us and both reader and author have fun on the ride. As with all the thrillers by Jim Hall, this one comes highly recommended.
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