Red Sky At Night

Thorn Mystery #6

by James W. Hall

When Thorne decides to investigate the slaughter of a dozen dolphins in a Key Largo research center, he is beaten and left paralyzed from the waist down. Forced to check in to a cutting-edge pain clinic, Thorn soon discovers some rather disturbing experiments are taking place--experiments linked to the disappearance of a DEA agent. And Thorne realizes that his paralysis is not the accident he thought, but the work of an enemy out to seek his own sinister form of justice.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Adventure, Suspense

285 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James W. Hall is an Edgar and Shamus Award-winning author whose books have been translated into a dozen languages. He has written twenty-one novels, four books of poetry, two collections of short stories, and two works of non-fiction. He also won a John D. MacDonald Award for Excellence in Florida Fiction, presented by the JDM Bibliophile.

He has a master’s degree in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in literature from the University of Utah. He was a professor of literature and creative writing at Florida International University for 40 years where he taught such writers as Vicky Hendricks, Christine Kling, Barbara Parker and Dennis Lehane.

Reviews

[Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A for real page turner. Forgot how much I liked James W. Hall and Thorn.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was good and fast-paced. I may have rated this one higher if I had read the previous books in the series. To me, the characters lack any kind of background to let the reader know why they say and do certain things. Maybe that's covered in previous books. Also, part of the story is bogged down by graphic descriptions of one of the character's sex life which adds absolutely nothing to the story. That all said, I'd probably rate this book closer to 2 1/2.

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading all of James W. Hall somewhat in order. One thing I discovered through reading an interview is that Hall does minimal research usually on one subject (or more,) so that the reader "learns something" when reading his novels. In this one it is the concept of pain, pain research and dolphins. With protagonist Thorn in a wheelchair with a false (he doesn't know it) paralysis, there are limited settings and action as opposed to the other books. I can't say I was as taken with this one. Women pass through Thorn's life with some frequency. Many don't make it past one book. Just the opposite of Robert B. Parker and his ever constant Susan.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, the 6th book of the series, Thorn takes on a childhood friend, who seems to be running some kind of scam pain facility. He takes in people who have lost the use of their legs and experience "phantom pain", but he's under investigation by the Feds for perhaps laundering money. Thorn himself becomes a patient and enmeshed in old grievances.

Perhaps my favorite Thorn book since the first. It was an interesting subject, one that predates oxycontin but almost predicts it. Hard to read sometimes, listening to their pain. But hearing things from the bad guys point of view didn't feel quite so weird and jarring. And the plans weren't as complicated as before, but equally twisted.

The fact he was a long time childhood friend, and his friend's father is a long time doctor of Thorn himself was a little hard to swallow. I realize the Keys are probably a small place, but that seems a little ridiculous. But Thorn's relationship with Monica, carried over from the previous book, was bumpy and interesting. I wonder where it will go?

So on to the next book in the series, Blackwater Sound. Pretty funny, as I was just about ready to give up on the series, but these last two books have been pretty good.

[Barbara M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This starts with the lovely scene of Thorn swimming with the dolphins and the feeling he gets from the nearly healing powers of the dolphin. Things go very ugly within a day after that.

The book, like many of James W Hall's books is peopled with some unusual and quirky characters and some very nice characters. According to the book, that's just the way of things in the Florida Keys but probably more so in Key West where the story takes us after a while.

I've read others of Hall's books, this being the 6th in the series. This one isn't among my favorites and I'm not sure why. It has been a long time since I've read any of Hall's Thorn series so maybe I'm not remembering correctly. The story is good and gets very exciting but it seemed to drag in places. Thorn goes through a lot. He and Monica's relationship grows as they both decide whether this nearly May / December relationship is what they want. I think my biggest problem was with the relationship between Bean Jr and Thorn who had been best friends in their youth.

I'll read more of Hall, I really do like the Florida setting.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've never read a book by James W. Hall, you are missing out on one of the great contemporary mystery writers. His characters are so memorable I expect to see them around town (but, I know, of course, I won't cause I live in Seattle and they are all in Florida). Red Sky at Night is the best of the best. Thorn - the ultimate slacker - spends his days enjoying life and supporting himself tying fishing flies for sale at shops. He's rather good at not tying much more - like not tying up his life with lasting complications. His latest lady lives next to a dolphin farm where swimming with the dolphins provides many with restorative healing of their emotional and sometimes physical problems. But, one night someone slaughters all the dolphins. And Thorn's life gets complicated fast. There's not much more of the plot I can share without giving away delicious details. I will say that there is one villain in this book whom you will never forget. The plot itself is so intricate and so captivating that I'm seriously considering re-reading this one again soon which is something I never do.

[Judith Trail · Rating 5 out of 5]

No. 6 in the series and really, really good. Wickedness never ceases to amaze me, and criminals seem to have an infinite amount of creativity in thinking about how to 1) get money; 2) get fame and recognition; or 3) get revenge, sometimes all three. Thorn's friend runs a dolphin sanctuary and makes the dolphins available to people suffering from various physical or psychological problems. The dolphins are brutally killed and Thorn has to find out why this senseless crime was committed. It starts to get complicated, but as usual, Hall ties everything together in a perfectly believable manner, dealing justice in a straightforward manner. His characters are bizarre, but seem perfectly reasonable for the Florida Keys. His characters drive the story, as they should in every really good thriller, so that you never have to think "No way!" when reading. As real as your momma's cornbread. This is well-paced, tightly written and entertaining as all get out! Read and finished on 5/26/2024.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most of James W Hall books, I thought this would be a good beach read. I was mostly right. Hall always develops his villains well. In some ways they're more interesting than the good guys. This one has an interesting premise, which is still poignant today. The phantom pain that many amputees must deal with is real and unrelenting.

The book has some definite strengths, but slows down with about a third to go. Some of the situations and solutions need a healthy dose of suspending belief. Still it's meant to be a thriller and does succeed in that regard. Thorn's condition in this book is also a stretch and unrealistic.

[James A. Patterson Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ex,exceedingly captivating

I found the books enjoyable the more I read the more I wanted to. Kind of reading through the eyes of the main characters wanting to know what happened next

[Michael W. Boleware · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost a four but for the lack of any real suspense - there's never a question regarding who done it because that is revealed early on. The question of why keeps the reader interested however. it is refreshing to read a story plot that is unique. One big surprise makes this one worth reading.

[Nancy M Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and absorbing

Great characters. A lot of accurate Florida setting. Interesting characters and good flow.
Well written. I look forward to more.

[RBReichart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy ending after all

Whole lot of pain and bad people, not to forget messy killing, but the hero gets the girl and vice versa.

[Nick Constantino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started out way too slow... Probably would have stopped, had I had something else immediately available --- but then it took off! I'm glad that I finished.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 2000. I must of liked his first book, I read this one 2 weeks later.

[Kim A. Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

That was a Hell of a story. I really enjoyed the story and the writing was supreme. Do yourself a favor and read this series. A truly great job.

[Bradley Brill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three-stars plus.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six-word Review: Good plot, good characters, overlong narrative.

Longer review later.

[Varrick Nunez · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Thorn, interesting premise. Hall writes good stories.

[Gayle Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters, riveting plot. Time well spent.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story with a demented scientist trying to rid people of phantom pain (where you loose a limb) at any cost - kidnapping, murder - you know everyday things to accomplish your maniacal goals.

I found it rather similar to Bones of Coral (BoC). Not listed as a series but this book reads like a prequel - of course I read the other one first. In this book Thorne is the hero, in BoC he is a very minor character. Thorne ties flies for fishing and sells to the local fishing shops. Shaw (the hero of BoC) owns a fishing shop. Both books centered around the laid back area of Key West and Key Largo. And the ever present gratuitous sex and sex talk was front and center. Just like BoC, I couldn't find the reason for this diversion. Seemed totally pointless and irrelevant to the storyline.

Other than that, I did enjoy the story and will continue to read James W. Hall.

[Irina slutsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

ran into a new friend who it turned out, was a mystery pulp fiction fiend like me. i walked out to his car, and we went through all the books in the trunk to see which one i could borrow.

"read that, yep, read that one too. oh yea, that one was good. yep, love lawrence block...." you get the idea.

basically, this was the only book he had in his car that i hadn't read LOL.

its pretty good! read it in a few hrs and its SO MUCH BETTER than any crap by a lame ass like sandra brown. i still wish good mystery guys like Hall would just stick to good stories and not do any love stuff, but that's a pipe dream probably.

also, got a bit tired of the tramatic descriptions of florida, but he is pretty good at making them not cliche. and learned a lot about dophin therapy.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorn is an interesting character. He tries to live a simple life and not get involved in the rest of the world but keeps getting pulled in. He likes to right wrongs and help people. It was interesting to see how he adapted to being crippled. Glad he got back together with his girlfriend and glad to see she stuck with him even when he was injured.
Bean, Jr. was really warped and it started in his youth. Can see how his parents had something to do with it and he just kept dwelling on it instead of moving on. There was some interesting insight into what some people go thru with phantom limbs and some intense pain.
The author depicted Key West well and brought a diverse range of characters into the story with the different DEA agents, Tran, Pepper and the old doc.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 6 of 13 (so far) in a quirky crime fiction series set in the Florida keys. This one features some memorable characters, a fiendish plot and some very dark elements including paralysis and incest. A pretty good read for crime fiction fans looking for something a little different, not so much for those looking for a happy tale. My rating: 3-3.5.

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book almost six years ago, and I remember it fairly well, which is unusual. James W. Hall is a favorite author; he writes very well and his books are hard to put down. And Thorn is a great character!

[Rod Zemke · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good, but the writing is not exceptional

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, kept me interested most all the time.

[Ratforce]

Much like James Lee Burke, James W. Hall writes strong characters and settings and builds his suspense stories around both personal demons and larger social issues.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very imaginative plot; interesting serial characters. The book doesn't need the sometimes too-vivid sex in order to get readers.

[Janet Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best Thorn tale, but an excellent read anyway.

[Greg Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Thorn story. parts of it hit close to home