Off The Chart : A Novel

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: 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.