- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (Jan 4 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312203845
- ISBN-13: 978-0312203849
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.5 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 635 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,344,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
A powerful Florida family, its high-tech fortune dwindling, is haunted by an elusive, enormous blue marlin that claimed the life of its eldest son, who was meant to restore the family's prominence. But the Braswells are tormented by even darker secrets, such as incest and treason, that drive this dark, atmospheric thriller to an explosive conclusion, which might have been pulled straight from recent headlines. James Hall pits Thorn, his series protagonist, against the Braswells and their deadly plans. Although an existentially morose antihero is a convention of the mystery genre, Hall manages to transcend it with a fascinating plot and a powerful narrative, resulting in a suspenseful and resonant novel that shows off his well-developed talents for character development, place, and pacing. The author of 11 previous mysteries (including Mean High Tide and Rough Draft), Hall gets better with every book, and this one continues the trend. --Jane Adams
From Publishers Weekly
Hall's dangerous bone-fishing iconoclast Thorn (Under Cover of Daylight, etc.) and gorgeous police photographer Alexandra Rafferty (Body Language) join forces in a thriller that should swell the author's ranks of admirers. From dramatic beginning to chilling ending, Hall's never been better. When a passenger plane crash-lands near Thorn's boat in the Florida coastal waters, Thorn finds himself thrust into a rescue operation that leads him deeper and deeper into the lunatic world of the Braswell family. The Braswell children boy genius Andy, psychopathic Johnny and dangerously beautiful Morgan make an impressively deadly combination. When circumstances lead Alexandra's wandering and forgetful father, Lawton Collins, into Thorn's path and into the clutches of the Braswells, Thorn and Alexandra become uneasy allies. There's much more at stake than the rescue of one endearing old man with a confused mind the Braswells' evil plans to market a terrifying device promises a reign of terror of awesome proportions. But all that is secondary to Hall's celebration of human and animal determination and grit: Thorn's principled effort to rescue Lawton and a great blue marlin's savage fight to survive. Hall's marlin is a magnificent creature, which the Braswells have hunted for a decade like Ahab after Moby Dick. Hall the poet and Hall the novelist have never been more beautifully melded than they are in this book. The result is suspense, entertainment and high-quality literature. (Jan. 7)Forecast: Backed by a national author tour and ad campaign, with pre-pub raves from Dennis Lehane, James Lee Burke, Robert Crais, Scott Turow and Michael Connelly, this crime novel seems destined for bestsellerdom.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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First Sentence
Thorn had brought along the .357 magnum not because he was worried about being attacked by pirates, but because he wanted to give the pistol a long-overdue burial at sea. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Thorn had brought along the .357 magnum not because he was worried about being attacked by pirates, but because he wanted to give the pistol a long-overdue burial at sea. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too careless,
By
This review is from: Blackwater Sound: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
Beign my first Hall/Thorn book, wasn't sure what to expect. Felt that Thorn was too foolish to take seriously. No remorse shown when fellow he recruited was killed. Good college try, though.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Return of Thorn,
This review is from: Blackwater Sound: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback)
After taking some time off from his series character, James Hall has returned to writing about Thorn, a man who treasures his fierce independence only slightly less than his love of crusades. When last seen, Thorn was recovering from a mad doctor's unnecessary treatments, but now (without any real explanation) he is back to peak health and enjoying the mellow life of fishing, beer and beautiful women.In this story, his idyllic life is disrupted when a plane crashes while he is out at sea. It soon becomes apparent that this crash was not accidental, but is the result of a dysfunctional family and the nasty weapon they have developed. This also gets Thorn entangled with Alexandra Rafferty, the heroine of Hall's previous novel, Body Language. For Hall, one of the sharper writers in the field, this is not his best effort. Compared to past novels, his villains this time are only slightly warped and the chemistry between Thorn and Alex is relatively minimal. In addition, Thorn isn't as interesting as in the past, perhaps getting stuck in the rut of many series characters. Nonetheless, even weaker Hall is entertaining reading, and there is a lot of fun along the way. If you've never read Hall, you'd think this was pretty good crime fiction (and you'll be even happier when you read his other books). If you are a Hall fan, you should find this slightly disappointing, but still a worthwhile read.
3.0 out of 5 stars
SOME UNANSWERED QUESTIONS,
By
This review is from: Blackwater Sound: A Novel (Hardcover)
I AGREE WITH AT LEAT ONE OTHER REVIEWER THAT YOU ARE LEFT WITH SOME QUESTIONS. I DID LIKE THE DESCRIPTION OF THE FISHING ESPECIALLY IN THE FIRST CHAPTER. BUT I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT WITHIN THE FIRST 100 PAGES I HAD A PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHAT THE WHOLE STORY WAS ABOUT AND FINISHED THW BOOK TO SEE HOW IT CAME TOGETHER.thE BOOK DID HOLD MY ATTENTION AND WAS A PRETTY FAST READ. THERE ARE A FEW QUESTION I WOULD LIKED CLEARED UP BUT OH WELL. THIS BOOK HAS JUST ABOUT THE DEFINITION FOR DYSFUCTIONAL FAMILY
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