Rating: 
Summary: Sadly disappointing
Review: I am an avid fan of Hall's "Thorn books" but found "Body Language" greatly disappointing. The serial killer's identity was obvious from the beginning. I will, however, admit that I flew right through it just to see if I was right about the ending. I did enjoy the characters, especially "Dad." Had a real chuckle quite of few times over his mixed up/on the money insight.
Rating:
Summary: I didn't have a clue
Review: I didn't know who it was til the end...I was hoping Lawton would remain "with it" at different times during the story. I thought Alex was excellent with her Dad. Some aspects were loosely put together and too pat but I didn't think that was unforgivable. The story was well developed which was a suspenseful build up to the conclusion. I didn't want to put it down before I knew who was quilty!
Rating:
Summary: excellant
Review: I have read other novels by Hall but found this particular one extremely satisifying. The humor alone caused me to laugh out loud several times. The characters very down-to-earth believeable. I've always been a big fan of Ed McBain's series of the "87th" due to the humor injected along with the suspense plot. I also have a soft spot for police dramas. BODY LANGUAGE reminded me of McBains writing style. I would highly recommend this novel. DO IT AGAIN, JAMES. e
Rating: 
Summary: WHAT THRILLER? Ain't no thriller here. Dead boring here.
Review: I have tried 3 James W. Hall books, Body Language, Buzz Cut, Under Cover of Daylight. None of them held my interest. There was nothing in the stories or the characters to get a grip and hold on too. Nothing! Conversations are sluggish, strained, monotone, as are all the characters. Minuscule action/reaction. Florida?, wouldn't know it by his books. I do not recommend this book_Body Language_or any of James W. Hall's books.I recommend Dennis Lehane's _Prayers for Rain_ or _Gone Baby Gone_ if you want to read a REAL thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Literary thriller, smart and funny and scary
Review: I'm going out and buying the rest of James Hall's novels after reading Body Language. This guy can write. He's as good as Lehane and Burke and Mosley, a stylist who also tells a good story and knows how to create suspense. A pretty rare combination. I'm buying this guy in hardback from now on.
Rating:
Summary: One of his best
Review: I've been following Hall's career since he published Under Cover of Daylight ten years ago, and he just keeps getting better. Body Language is a fine, funny, scary book. It's a serial killer story, yeah, but nothing Hall does follows the conventional form. If you can guess the killer's identity early on, big deal. This book is head and shoulders over Patterson and guys like that because the characters are three dimensional and richly drawn. Hall's a poet and it shows on every page. This is a fine, suspenseful book.
Rating: 
Summary: HUGE Disappointment
Review: James Hall is a gifted writer; that's why I can't understand why or how this book was written. Hall writes two types of books; the series about unofficial private detective Thorn, and stand-alone books in the crime category which feature bold plots and crazy characters in the tradition of Elmore Leonard. Body Language was obviously meant to be the second type of book, but in addition to the "crime-gone-wrong" plot which is littered with bizarre villians, there is also a second plot which is a hackneyed, boring "Silence of the Lambs" rip-off plot of the type that sprang up in dozens of horrible novels after Thomas Harris hit the jackpot with his masterpiece in the early 90s. I honestly can't belive that anybody, especially a writer of Hall's caliber, would tackle such an overdone genre these days. He attempts to combine the serial killer and "crime of the century" plots, which turns the book into a muddled, confusing novel that doesn't seem to know what it's trying to be. The writing is also far below his normal standard; there are some sex scenes that are written so poorly that even the most low-paid romance writer would be embarrased to put her name on them. Hall's dialogue in this one is also stilted and uninteresting. In addition, the "mystery" of the serial killer is so simple and predictable that most readers will have it figured out before the first 100 pages. Try Hall's other books if you want a good, entertaining read. Only try Body Language if you're having trouble sleeping.
Rating:
Summary: HUGE Disappointment
Review: James Hall is a gifted writer; that's why I can't understand why or how this book was written. Hall writes two types of books; the series about unofficial private detective Thorn, and stand-alone books in the crime category which feature bold plots and crazy characters in the tradition of Elmore Leonard. Body Language was obviously meant to be the second type of book, but in addition to the "crime-gone-wrong" plot which is littered with bizarre villians, there is also a second plot which is a hackneyed, boring "Silence of the Lambs" rip-off plot of the type that sprang up in dozens of horrible novels after Thomas Harris hit the jackpot with his masterpiece in the early 90s. I honestly can't belive that anybody, especially a writer of Hall's caliber, would tackle such an overdone genre these days. He attempts to combine the serial killer and "crime of the century" plots, which turns the book into a muddled, confusing novel that doesn't seem to know what it's trying to be. The writing is also far below his normal standard; there are some sex scenes that are written so poorly that even the most low-paid romance writer would be embarrased to put her name on them. Hall's dialogue in this one is also stilted and uninteresting. In addition, the "mystery" of the serial killer is so simple and predictable that most readers will have it figured out before the first 100 pages. Try Hall's other books if you want a good, entertaining read. Only try Body Language if you're having trouble sleeping.
Rating:
Summary: Language, action, characterization: this book has it all.
Review: James W. Hall is a master wordsmith. His descriptions and colorful language are some of the finest I've read in any genre. His plotting and misdirection are like an advanced course in how it should be done. This is the first novel I've read by Hall; it definitely won't be the last.
Rating:
Summary: Forget Hannibal, Read a real thriller
Review: James W. Hall is one of the handful of truly first-rate thriller writers, along with Burke and Connelly and Lehane. He's written nine top notch novels of suspense with rich characters, complex plots, and a host of wonderfully delicious bad guys. In Body Language he adds a new twist. Lawton Collins, the old guy who's Alexandra's dad, is simply one of the funniest, scariest and wisest and saddest characters I've ever read. His role in this novel deepens the book's emotional levels greatly. Along with the usual lyrical writing and hardboiled, funny dialog, Body Language is right up there with the best of Hall. And that's saying something.
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