Magic City

“James Hall's writing is astringent, penetrating, and unfailingly gripping long after you read the last page. Explodes with the brilliance of chain lightning.”

—Dean Koontz

“The king of the Florida-gothic noir.”

—Dennis Lehane

“No writer working today…more clearly evokes the shadows and loss that hide within the human heart.”

—Robert Crais

“James W. Hall's lyrical passion for the Florida Keys, his spare language, and unusual images haunt us long after the story has faded.”

—Sara Paretsky

“A master of suspense…James Hall's prose runs as clean and fast as Gulf Stream waters.”

—The New York Times Book Review

“James Hall is a writer I have learned from over the years. His people and places have more brush strokes than a van Gogh. He delivers taut and muscular stories about a place where evil always lurks beneath the surface.”

—Michael Connelly

MAGIC CITY

“A gripping tale of dirty politics, love gone wrong, murder for hire, and international intrigue that is impossible to put down. Highly recommended.”

—Library Journal
(starred review)

“The quintessential South Florida novel.”

—Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“Further solidifies Hall's mastery of an element that eludes many other contemporary mystery writers.”

—The Miami Herald

“Fast, entertaining…Hall offers lively characters, livelier dialogue, and an excellent depiction of contemporary south Florida.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Another outstanding chapter in one of the genre's most consistently first-rate series.”

—Booklist
(starred review)

“Hall's action scenes are starkly poetic.”

—Baltimore Sun

“From an opening scene that charges out of the box like a grey-hound on amphetamines, to the climactic denouement that will leave the reader as limp as two-month-old kale, the pace…never slows.”

—The New York Sun

FORESTS OF THE NIGHT

“Complex…chilling…[Hall's] prose style becomes almost cinematic…don't put this one aside as a beach read. A long winter's night is a better bet.”

—New York Daily News

“A successful departure from [Hall's] usual style…[Hall] leaves the reader wanting more.”

—Cleveland Plain Dealer

“The sort of first-rate thriller we have come to expect from Hall…in
Forests of the Night
, Hall again exhibits mastery of the craft. He knows, perhaps better than anyone in the genre, how to tap into the fundamental passions that drive us: ancient, dark, mythic passions, like those spoken around a fire at the dawn of storytelling…Hall has given us a thriller of the first magnitude.”

—Miami Herald

“[Hall is] a writer who carefully measures out the answers in clean yet elegant prose. Hall used to be a poet. In all the important ways, he still is.”

—Denver Post

“A multilayered, richly characterized, and compulsively readable story…Is it too early to pick a best book of the year?”

—Rocky Mountain News

“A suspenseful, sharply detailed blend of history, family drama, and thriller,
Forests of the Night
cuts a wide literary swath, and does it with élan and passion.”

—Russell Banks

“
Forests of the Night
moves like an arrow—lean and swift—toward its amazing target. James W. Hall is at the top of his form; he's a wonder to watch.”

—Reynolds Price

“Compelling…with action scenes that bristle with visceral intensity…nearly everyone has real depth, and the author's appreciation for history and its reverberations adds further complexity.”

—Publishers Weekly

OFF THE CHART

“In the crowded and talented pool of South Florida suspense writers, James Hall pretty much has the deep end to himself. Out of reach for most, it's a place of nameless primal fears and murky evil, from which Hall shapes compelling characters in riveting stories. You get caught up in the light and color, the movement of the unfailingly taut action, but you are always aware of something very old and dark beneath it all. His latest novel is wonderfully disturbing in just this way…all of which make the carefully crafted, darkly resonant
Off the Chart
stay with you.”

—Miami Herald

“After years of tussling with metaphorical pirates of every stripe, fly-tying South Florida swashbuckler Thorn finally gets to go up against the real thing…the combination of world-class villainy, exotic locations, quick-march pacing, and studly heroism also suggests Thorn's channeling James Bond.”

—Kirkus Reviews

BONES OF CORAL

“Hall takes this high adventure a step beyond the limits of the traditional action novel…a thoughtful, multifaceted novel that should not be missed.”

—Library Journal

“Brilliantly suspenseful…Hall raises mystery writing to its rightful place of honor alongside the best of American fiction.”

—San Francisco Chronicle

BLACKWATER SOUND

“Nautical action sequences [are written] with cinematic vigor.”

—The New York Times

“Compelling…A well-crafted thriller.”

—Miami Herald

“From dramatic beginning to chilling ending, Hall's never been better…the result is suspense, entertainment, and high-quality literature.”

—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“Terrific.”

—Scott Turow

“I believe no one has written more lyrically of the Gulf Stream since Ernest Hemingway…a wonderful reading experience.”

—James Lee Burke, author of
Bitterroot
and
Purple Cane Road

“Sleek and relentlessly propulsive.”

—Dennis Lehane

“With beautiful prose and a heavily muscled story, it moves with the grandeur and unpredictability of a hooked marlin. Make that a killer marlin.”

—Michael Connelly

ROUGH DRAFT

“A thoroughly satisfying thriller…Strong and engaging characters.”

—The Washington Post Book World

“Good, old-fashioned, hideously violent fun…. remarkably original…The creepy hit man Hal is one of Hall's best psychos.”

—Miami Herald

BODY LANGUAGE

“
Body Language
seduces you, then it grabs you, and it never lets you go. This is a first-rate thriller by a masterful writer.”

—James Patterson

“Alexandra Rafferty is a fabulous addition to the ranks of law enforcement. She is smart, competent, the consummate professional, and her job as a Miami P.D. photographic specialist places her at the heart of the crime scene, with a cold eye for detail and a passionate commitment to justice.”

—Sue Grafton

“
Body Language
is a sizzling tale of sex, blood, and obsession.”

—Stephen Coonts

“Hall fans will be more than reimbursed by his poetic imagery in the landscapes and love scenes. Alex is a heroine with enough endearing attributes to sustain yet another long-running character series.”

—Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“Suspense and forensic detail with a near-flawless grasp of character.”

—Booklist

Forests of the Night
(2005)

Off the Chart
(2003)

Blackwater Sound
(2001)

Rough Draft
(2000)

Body Language
(1998)

Red Sky at Night
(1997)

Buzz Cut
(1996)

Gone Wild
(1995)

Mean High Tide
(1994)

Hard Aground
(1993)

Bones of Coral
(1992)

Tropical Freeze
(1990)

Under Cover of Daylight
(1987)

Hot Damn!
(2001)

St. Martin's Paperbacks

For Les, brother in arms

Michael Carlebach's wonderful photographs of South Florida were my original inspiration for this story, and they continue to inspire to this day. A special debt of gratitude goes to Geoff Colmes, the best damn fishing guide in the Keys and boon companion. Thanks to Charlie MacNeil for his assistance in all things medical and to Richard Schaffer for his excellent lessons on search-and-rescue dogs. And to the citizens of South Florida, wherever they may currently reside. Never has there been such a stimulating, spicy, and marvelously weird collection of folks. And to Evelyn, a true Miami original.