Rating: 
Summary: A bit farfetched, but entertaining...
Review: This is Moby Dick light...kind of....however Captain Ahab was a more compelling character than A.J. Braswell even though the whale only took Ahab's leg (at first). This story opens with a giant Marlin taking the life of Braswell's son Tony. The Braswell's we find out much later in the book are a super dysfunctional family which could probably have been the subject of a book all by themselves without bringing Thorn and company into the mix, but what is a James Hall book without Thorn?Thorn is in the process of breaking up with his naked girlfriend Casey, when an MD-11 airliner is the victim of a product demonstration by Morgan Braswell. The Braswell's failing company has developed some kind of ray gun which shuts of all the electrical systems in it's targets and Ms. Braswell is performing a demo for a potential purchaser. The unlucky MD-11 comes down in Blackwater Sound. In probably the best piece of writing in the book, Thorn is involved in rescue efforts. Events conspire from there on in to draw Thorn into the vortex of the Braswell family along with some other entertaining characters to a somewhat predictable and bloody conclusion. However, Hall always entertains and this is no exception. Not a bad beach read.
Rating: 
Summary: A superior thriller with truly poetic language
Review: Thorn is back and so is Alexandra Rafferty. Fans of James W. Hall's Florida thrillers would recognize those names from previous novels. Thorn is the quintessential Florida hero who prefers to spend his time fishing in the keys. His idyllic life is commonly placed on hold whenever he is subjected to outside evil forces that he must contend with. In this case, he witnesses a jumbo jet crash land in the gulf while he is fishing there. After rescuing as many passengers as he could he notices something not quite right going on. He soon discovers the existence of a device that could shut off electricity at a distance. Hence, the ability to cause massive power failures, not only among aircrafts such as the one Thorn witnessed, but, in whole sections of cities. The device is being sold by the miscreant family called the Braswells. The father, AJ, is obsessed with the capture of a huge marlin responsible for the freak death of his eldest son Andy. Johnny, mentally deficient, is a psychopathic killer and his beautiful sister, Morgan, is evil incarnate. It is this family that Thorn must battle to stop the sale of this potentially devastating weapon. Teaming with Thorn is Alexandra Rafferty, the heroine of BODY LANGUAGE. Alexandra is a Miami PD photographic specialist. Her father, Lawton, suffering from Alzheimer's has stumbled upon the device and is held hostage by the Braswells until it is recovered.
The unique aspect of James W. Hall's books is the combination of a superior thriller with truly poetic and lyrical language. He is, not only a superb storyteller, but is a highly talented writer. He bears comparison to James Lee Burke in evoking the Florida landscape. The descriptions of fishing for the marlin is so magnificently described that one can't help thinking of Hemingway's OLD MAN AND THE SEA. The villains are quite similar to those in previous books. The psychopath, Johnny Braswell, bears an uncanny resemblance to Butler Jack, the terrorist of BUZZ CUT. The characters, however, are an overall believable bunch and ones that are quite familiar to fans of Mr. Hall of whom I proudly count myself as one of them. Highly recommended as are all of his books.
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