Under Cover of Daylight: James W. Hall

by James W. Hall and Jim Hall

Book Overview

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, and suddenly the nightmare begins again as his foster mother is found slaughtered. Thorn can almost taste the rage as he stalks her killer and waits.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393024849
• ISBN13: 9780393024845
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Hall Starts with a Bang

I have always tried to read and authors books in order but unfortunately I failed miserably when it came to Hall's Thorn books. Most series where you read the books out of order its a minor miss step but here it was a huge mistake. While Hall's books, for the most part, can stand on its own you don't truly understand the Thorn character until you've read Daylight. Under Cover of Daylight is not just a story of murder and revenge but a scathing biopsy of the everchanging culture of Southern Florida. As we cut through the layers of this shifting society we take an uncomfortable look two people who relationship give a whole new meaning to love-hate. While the literal suprises are few the emotional surprises are many.

A Dish Best Eaten Cold

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.

FANTASTIC WRITER

I HAVE READ EVERY ONE OF JAMES W. HALL'S BOOKS AND I AM HOOKED ON THEM, I CAN'T WAIT FOR EACH NEW ONE AS IT COMES OUT AND ONCE I HAVE STARTED READING I CAN'T PUT IT DOWN, NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS HAS CAUSED ME MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. I BELIEVE ANYONE WHO PICKS UP JUST ONE OF HIS BOOKS WILL ENJOY THEM AS MUCH AS I DO.

A fun read if you have ever spent any time in the Keys

What I enjoyed most about this book was it's very real depiction of the people and life in the upper keys. The places are real and his descriptions are right on. If you have ever cruised down US1 and enjoyed the laid back keys lifestyle, you'll enjoy reading this book.

Hall's first and best

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.