Synopsis
(from the publisher):
Earl Hammond, the wealthy patriarch of a family of ranchers, lies dead,
shot just as he was to donate his Coquina Ranch to the state to
preserve it from developers. Spearheading the plan to save this
environmental treasure was Thorn, a reluctant heir to a secret family
fortune, who now finds himself in terrible danger as well. A pair of
deviant brothers, both contract killers, kidnaps him and drags him to a
game preserve, surrounded by herds of exotic and very dangerous
animals. He is entrapped in a sinkhole -- a geological dungeon from
which there is no escape.
But Frisco Hammond, the dark sheep of the family, is drawn into the
investigation of his father’s murder and Thorn’s
disappearance. He suspects the crimes are related. Helping him is his
brother’s beautiful, troubled wife, Clare. They uncover a
trail that leads back to the 1930’s, to a cabal of powerful
and rich men with a sinister plan.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
Silencer
A
Thorn Mystery
James
W. Hall
St.
Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 0-312-35959-4 (0312359594)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-35959-1 (9780312359591)
Publication Date: January 2010
List Price: $24.99
— ◊ —
Review:
Semi-retired Key Largo private investigator Thorn is unwillingly drawn
into a case of corporate intrigue when he's kidnapped by a pair of
rogue brothers looking to make a killing (as it were) in Silencer,
the 11th mystery in this series by James W. Hall.
Thorn has recently inherited the bulk of Bates International, a private
company, from a grandmother he didn't know he had, but wants little to
do with it. His lady friend Rusty Stabler, however, has taken a
position with the company, and seizes on an opportunity to do something
good for the state of Florida: transfer 200,000 acres of unspoiled land
to the west of Lake Okeechobee to the state for preservation. It's a
complicated arrangement as the land doesn't belong to Bates, but rather
to the owners of Coquina Ranch; it's being exchanged for Bates land
near the Peace River, for which the state is paying over $500 million,
which will immediately be signed over by Thorn to the ranch owners. But
things take an unexpected turn when the ranch owner is shot and killed
by a ranchhand and Thorn is taken hostage. Someone clearly does not
want the transaction to be completed, but who -- and why -- is unknown
to all parties involved.
The pacing of Silencer
is perfect for a suspense thriller, the tension being assuredly notched
up with each succeeding chapter. A considerable number of well-drawn
characters are introduced, some obviously the "good guys", some deeply
disturbed "bad", but most in the gray area in-between that will keep
readers guessing on which side they'll ultimately fall. Though Thorn
has a pivotal role in the book's premise, he plays a relatively minor
role in the story, being kept captive -- for reasons he doesn't
understand and by men that to him have no obvious link to the real
estate transaction -- most of the time on a wild game ranch in the
middle of nowhere.
Mirroring to some extent the character of Thorn, the underlying theme
of the book is one of tree-hugging anti-capitalism, which, in and of
itself, wouldn't be an issue except that the author gets a little
preachy on the subject at the end, even including (as fact within the
context of the plot) the urban myth surrounding National City Lines
into the story. Still, given the overall strength of the intricately
crafted plot, Silencer
is an intensely satisfying thriller that is strongly recommended.
Special thanks to St. Martin's Minotaur for providing a copy of Silencer for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Silencer? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Under
Cover of Daylight
Norton and Co. (Hardcover), September 1987
ISBN-10: 0-393-02484-9 (0393024849)
ISBN-13: 978-0-393-02484-5 (9780393024845)
Tropical
Freeze
Norton and Co. (Hardcover), August 1989
ISBN-10: 0-393-02694-9 (0393026949)
ISBN-13: 978-0-393-02694-8 (9780393026948)
Mean
High Tide
Delacorte Press (Hardcover), March 1994
ISBN-10: 0-385-30798-5 (0385307985)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-30798-7 (9780385307987)
Gone
Wild
Delacorte Press (Hardcover), March 1995
ISBN-10: 0-385-31231-8 (0385312318)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-31231-8 (9780385312318)
Buzz
Cut
Delacorte Press (Hardcover), July 1996
ISBN-10: 0-385-31234-2 (0385312342)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-31234-9 (9780385312349)
Red
Sky At Night
Delacorte Press (Hardcover), June 1997
ISBN-10: 0-385-31638-0 (0385316380)
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-31638-5 (9780385316385)
Blackwater
Sound
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), January 2002
ISBN-10: 0-312-20384-5 (0312203845)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-20384-9 (9780312203849)
Off
the Chart
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), June 2003
ISBN-10: 0-312-27178-6 (0312271786)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-27178-7 (9780312271787)
Magic
City
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), March 2007
ISBN-10: 0-312-27179-4 (0312271794)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-27179-4 (9780312271794)
Hell's
Bay
St. Martin's Press (Hardcover), February 2008
ISBN-10: 0-312-35958-6 (0312359586)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-35958-4 (9780312359584)
Silencer
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), January 2010
ISBN-10: 0-312-35959-4 (0312359594)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-35959-1 (9780312359591)
Omnimystery
keywords for Silencer
...
Location(s) referenced: Florida.
