Sunday, August 1, 2010

By Reviewed by David and Nancy Beckwith

"Silencer"

By James W. Hall

St. Martin's, $24.99

'Silencer" is James W. Hall's 16th novel and the 11th in the Thorn private investigator series. Although this is the first Thorn novel we've read, it certainly won't be the last.

Thorn is drawn into a plot in which he is kidnapped by two rogue brothers. His kidnappers have been hired to kill him but their greed initially deters their mission and that becomes of great benefit to Thorn.

As the novel begins, the reader learns of Thorn's recent inheritance of Bates International, a private company owned and left to him by his grandmother. While he is totally indifferent to the magnitude of this newly acquired wealth, his girlfriend, Rusty Stabler, who is running the company, seizes on an opportunity to create a deal. Basically, this deal will convert some of the extensive land holdings to state-owned preserves, taking the company toward a philosophy of Henry David Thoreau rather than the Genghis Kahn it has become.

This deal consists of transferring 100,000-plus acres of pristine land owned by Bates International to the state of Florida. The state in turn will pay $534 million for this land with the intention of preserving it. These funds in exchange for the land west of Lake Okeechobee will simultaneously be signed over by Thorn to the owner of the Coquina Ranch -- another large and historic parcel that will also become State preserved land.

Thorn neither wants nor needs the proceeds of this sale but is simply interested in preserving large tracts for future generations of Floridians.

There is an unexpected turn of events, however, when the ranch owner, Earl Hammond, is killed and Thorn is taken hostage. Someone in the deal does not want the transaction completed but who and why is unknown to all of the parties involved.

Numerous characters are introduced by Hall, some of them good guys and some deeply disturbed bad guys and still others that fall somewhere in between. Rusty and a pal named Sugarman have to determine if Thorn has been abducted or just "hanging out somewhere" like the note he left claims. They conclude it's not like him to wander off so where is he ?

A great suspense thriller, the tension kicked up a notch with each chapter.

We have read this masterful writer's work once before. James W. Hall is one of the well-known Florida authors who jointly wrote "Naked Came the Manatee" in 1996. Some of the other contributors to that novel included Brian Antoni, Dave Barry, Edna Buchanan, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard and Edna Standiford. Many of these same authors including James Hall wrote a second collaboration in 2000 titled "The Putt at the End of the World."

Although originally from Kentucky, Hall has made Florida his home as well as the setting for his suspense thrillers. His main character, Thorn, is a combination of several people he says he has known and admired. Thorn is a loner with a code of ethics he follows even if it leads him into danger.

According to Hall, Thorn has some of the characteristics of John MacDonald's Travis McGee, as well as Hall's neighbor who was a fishing guide and a hero in Vietnam. This semi-retired Key Largo private investigator brings a unique charm, diverse knowledge and strength of purpose as he survives sinister challenges in "Silencer."

Thorn is perfectly matched with his girlfriend, Rusty, who is very intelligent and tenacious. He also has a very loyal friend in Sugarman, who always seems to be with Thorn and Rusty except the night Thorn disappears.

Considered a "master of suspense" by Publishers Weekly and the New York Times, Hall certainly lives up to the reputation in "Silencer."

John W. Hall has taught literature and creative writing at Florida International University for the past 29 years. He holds a B.A., an M.A. and a PhD in those areas. He also has four books of poetry published, he's written nonfiction and short fiction pieces for various magazines. He began writing crime novels in 1986 with his first Thorn novel, "Under Cover of Daylight." He was awarded an Edgar for his writing and the Shamus Award for Best Novel in 2003 for another Thorn novel, "Blackwater Sound." He lives on Blackwater Sound in Key Largo with his wife Evelyn and their dogs.